Best Things to Do in Bhutan

Paro Taktsang clings to a cliff above the Paro valley and is the one thing almost everyone comes for. Treat it as a real hike rather than a stroll: four to six hours return, a long steady climb and thin air, with a stone staircase down and back up again near the end. Go early, carry water and give it a full morning. Most people save it for their last full day in Paro, once they have had a couple of days at altitude.

Punakha Dzong stands where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu meet and is the most striking building in the country. It was the seat of government until the capital moved to Thimphu, and it still holds sacred relics and hosts the Punakha tsechu. Go in the afternoon light, and in spring the jacarandas around it are in flower. Punakha is about a three hour drive from Thimphu over the Dochula pass.

Dochula sits on the road between Thimphu and Punakha, so you pass it anyway, and it is worth stopping for. The 108 Druk Wangyal chortens were built in memory of Bhutanese soldiers killed in a military operation, and on a clear day the eastern Himalaya lines up behind them. Clear mornings are far more likely in winter than in summer. There is a cafe for tea while you wait for cloud to lift.

A 51 metre gilded Buddha looks down over Thimphu from the Kuensel Phodrang ridge, with thousands of smaller statues inside and a meditation hall in the base. The view over the valley is the real reason to go up. It takes about an hour, works well at sunset, and pairs with the takin preserve on the same run.

Black-necked cranes fly down from the Tibetan plateau to winter in the Phobjikha valley, and they are usually present from late October to February. Outside that window the valley still earns a night for its open glacial floor, the Gangtey Goemba above it and the nature trail below. The information centre has scopes. It is a long drive from Punakha, so stay over rather than day tripping.

Chele La, at around 13,000 feet, is the highest road pass in Bhutan and separates the Paro and Haa valleys. On a clear morning you get Jomolhari and ridgelines on both sides, with prayer flags strung across the saddle. It is about ninety minutes up from Paro. Go early, since cloud builds through the day, and carry a jacket even in summer.

Ema datshi, a stew of chillies and cheese, is the national dish and it is genuinely hot. It comes with nutty red rice at almost every meal, alongside kewa datshi with potato and shamu datshi with mushroom if you want the milder versions. Momos, buckwheat noodles in Bumthang and salted butter tea round it out. Tell your guide early if you want the chilli dialled down.

Tsechus are masked dance festivals held at dzongs across the country, and catching one turns a good trip into a memorable one. Paro's is the best known and falls in spring, Thimphu's in autumn. The dates follow the Bhutanese lunar calendar and move every year, so check the calendar for your travel year before booking flights, and expect hotels to fill early.

Tashichho Dzong houses the throne room and the central monk body, so much of it is closed while government is working. Visitors are let in late afternoon on weekdays and more freely at weekends. The floodlights come on after dark and the whole fortress lights up, which is when it photographs best. It is a short drive north of central Thimphu.

Chimi Lhakhang honours Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman, who taught through humour and shock, which is why phallus imagery is painted on houses across the valley. It is a flat twenty minute walk through rice fields from the road, and couples come here for a fertility blessing. It sits neatly between Dochula and Punakha Dzong.

A long footbridge draped in prayer flags spans the Pho Chhu at roughly 160 to 180 metres, linking Punakha Dzong's side of the valley to the villages opposite. It sways properly when the wind gets up, which is most of the appeal. It takes fifteen minutes, costs nothing to cross, and sits a short drive upstream from the dzong, so do both together.

Rinpung Dzong is the fortress above Paro town, reached over a covered wooden bridge and a short climb. Inside are courtyards and murals from the life of the Buddha, and it is lit up after dark. The Paro tsechu is held here in spring, when a giant applique thangka is unrolled at dawn. Half an hour to an hour is enough.

The takin is Bhutan's national animal and looks like nothing else, part goat and part antelope. Motithang Takin Preserve on the edge of Thimphu is a fenced woodland enclosure run by the forest department, and a visit means viewing from the path rather than contact with the animals. Half an hour is enough. Pair it with Buddha Dordenma for an easy Thimphu afternoon.

The Memorial Chorten was built for the third king and is the busiest place of daily worship in Thimphu, with older residents circling it clockwise from early morning. It is a better half hour than most museums because it is in constant use rather than preserved. Walk it clockwise, turn the prayer wheels, and go early to see it at its liveliest.

The weekend market beside the Wang Chhu is where Thimphu shops, running Friday to Sunday with the biggest crowds on Saturday. One hall is produce, chillies, ferns and rounds of datshi cheese, and across the footbridge is the handicraft side for textiles and prayer flags. An hour is enough. Plan your Thimphu days around it, because it is quiet midweek.

Haa is the valley most itineraries skip, reached over Chele La from Paro and still very quiet. It is narrow and farm covered, with two small temples known as the white and black lhakhangs and a summer festival of nomad food and sport. Come for the walking and the homestays rather than the sights. One night, looping back to Paro, does it.

Best Time: October to November

1 Haa Valley Attractions

Known For : Kurjey Lhakhang Jakar Dzong Mebar Tsho, The Burning Lake

Bumthang is four valleys in the centre of the country and the oldest Buddhist ground in Bhutan. Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang are the two to see, and Mebar Tsho, the burning lake, is a short walk off the road. It is a long drive or a short flight from Paro, so give it three nights. Jambay Lhakhang's autumn festival is the draw.

Best Time: September to November, March to May

13 Bumthang Attractions

Bhutan's treks run from short to serious. The Druk Path takes about five to six days from Paro to Thimphu over high lakes and is the usual first choice. The Jomolhari trek is longer, higher and colder. The Snowman trek across the northern Himalaya is one of the hardest walks anywhere and most people who start it do not finish. Trekking season is spring and autumn.

River stones are heated in a fire and dropped into a wooden tub of water and artemisia leaves, which is the traditional Bhutanese cure for aching legs. It is the obvious thing to book for the evening after the Tiger's Nest. Farmhouses in Paro, Punakha and Phobjikha all offer it, usually with an hour's notice, and it costs less at a homestay than at a hotel spa.

Archery, or datse, is the national sport, and the targets sit an improbable distance away while teammates dance and sing to put the archer off. Changlimithang ground in Thimphu is the place to watch a real match at weekends. Several operators will set up a short session with traditional bamboo bows, which takes about an hour and is more fun than it sounds.

A steep climb through paddy fields above the Mo Chhu in Punakha, about an hour up, brings you to a modern chorten built for the country's future. The interior murals are the finest in any recent building in Bhutan and the terrace looks straight down the valley. Good practice for the Tiger's Nest, and far quieter than the dzong below.

Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, traditionally dated to the seventh century and said to have been built in a single night. It is small, dim and still in daily use, with orange trees in the courtyard that are said to fruit year round. Twenty minutes, and it is on the road out to Taktsang, so do it the same morning.

The National Museum occupies the old watchtower above Rinpung Dzong in Paro, which is half the reason to go, and holds masks, textiles, thangkas and natural history across several floors. An hour covers it. Do it on the way down from the dzong, and skip it if your time in Paro is short and the weather is good for Taktsang.

Trongsa Dzong is the largest in Bhutan, strung along a ridge above a gorge, and both of the first two kings ruled from here. It sits on the only road east, so it comes almost free if you are heading to Bumthang. The tower museum above it explains the monarchy properly. Treat it as a lunch stop and an hour, not a destination in itself.

Cheri Gompa sits an hour's climb above the top of the Thimphu valley, on the site where Bhutan's first monastic body was established. The path starts at a covered bridge and rises steeply through blue pine, and there are usually monks in residence rather than tour groups. It is the best short hike near the capital and a sensible warm-up before Taktsang.

Jigme Dorji is Bhutan's second largest national park and covers much of the high north, protecting snow leopard, takin, blue sheep and red panda. You will not see much wildlife on a short visit, so treat it as trekking country rather than a safari: the Jomolhari, Laya Gasa and Snowman routes all pass through it. Spring and autumn only.

Simply Bhutan in Thimphu is a small living museum where you can put on a gho or kira, taste ara, the local spirit, try a bow and watch folk dance. It is unashamedly made for visitors and works best with children or on a wet afternoon. Allow an hour. If you want the serious version, the Folk Heritage Museum nearby is quieter.

Punakha is where rafting actually happens for most visitors. The Mo Chhu is the gentler run and finishes with the dzong coming into view from the water, while the Pho Chhu is rougher. Half a day is enough and it fits on the same day as the suspension bridge. Water levels are highest just after the monsoon, so autumn is the best time.

Farmhouse homestays are common in Punakha, Phobjikha and the Haa valley, and they are the cheapest way to see how people actually live. Expect a simple room, meals with the family, a wood stove and often a hot stone bath in the yard. One or two nights is the right dose. Book through your operator, since most are not listed online.

Bhutanese weaving is the thing worth buying, especially kira and gho fabric from the eastern districts, sold by the metre or made up. Thimphu's craft stalls near the clock tower and the Royal Textile Academy shop are the easiest places to compare quality. Handmade paper, incense and carved masks travel well. Prices are largely fixed, so there is little bargaining.

Known For : Bhutan Gate Zangto Pelri Lhakhang Amo Chhu Crocodile Breeding Centre

Phuentsholing on the West Bengal border is the land route in, reached from Bagdogra airport or the New Jalpaiguri railhead. It is cheaper than flying into Paro and means a long drive up to Thimphu the next day. Indians clear the immigration office here, and the entry permit is processed before you go on. Stays of up to 24 hours inside Phuentsholing town are currently exempt from the Sustainable Development Fee.

Best Time: April to June

5 Phuntsholing Attractions

The choice of valleys sets the shape of the trip. Paro and Thimphu are unavoidable, Punakha is warmer and lower and worth two nights, Phobjikha is the quiet one and best in winter, Haa is the least visited, and Bumthang in the centre is a long drive but the cultural heart. Five days covers three valleys, ten days covers six.

Best Time: October to November

1 Haa Valley Attractions

Beyond the Tiger's Nest, Bhutan has more monasteries than any trip can hold, so pick by valley. Kyichu in Paro, Cheri and Tango above Thimphu, Chimi Lhakhang in Punakha, Gangtey in Phobjikha and the Bumthang cluster in the centre. Two or three a day is plenty before they start to blur together.

Dzongs are fortress monasteries that still house both the district administration and the monk body, which is why parts are always closed to visitors. They are built without nails, with inward sloping walls around a central tower. Punakha, Rinpung, Tashichho and Trongsa are the four worth your time. Long sleeves and long trousers are required inside.

Bhutan protects a very large share of its land, and the constitution requires most of the country to stay under forest cover. Jigme Dorji in the north is trekking country, Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the centre sits on the road east, and Royal Manas in the south is the richest for wildlife but the hardest to reach. Add one only if you have more than a week.

Cham are the masked dances performed at tsechus, danced by monks in brocade and carved wooden masks, each telling a story from Buddhist tradition. They run for hours and the crowd treats the day as a village fair as much as a religious event. You have to be at a festival to see them, and festival dates move each year with the lunar calendar.

Bhutan formally teaches thirteen traditional crafts, from thangka painting and wood carving to weaving, embroidery and paper making. The Zorig Chusum institute in Thimphu takes visitors into the classrooms while students are working, which is far more interesting than a gallery. Half an hour to an hour, and it is closed at weekends and during holidays.

Bhutan's roads are steep, well surfaced and almost empty, which is why the country hosts one of the hardest one day races in the region. Operators rent bikes in Thimphu and Paro and will run supported rides over Dochula or up towards Chele La. Spring and autumn are the seasons. Do not underestimate what the altitude does to you on the passes.

Bhutan's small climbing scene centres on a crag on the edge of Thimphu, with bolted routes across a range of grades and gear hired locally. It takes half a day, is best in spring or autumn, and makes a good filler if weather has closed a pass. Ask your operator to arrange it in advance, since it is not somewhere you can simply turn up.

Camping in Bhutan is mostly trek camping, run by your operator with tents, cooks and pack ponies rather than something you arrange yourself. Nights at altitude get cold even in spring. If you want a night outdoors without committing to a trek, Phobjikha and the Haa valley have simple tented and farmhouse options.