Phobjikha Valley

Phobjikha is a broad glacial valley in central Bhutan, recognised as a conservation area for the black-necked crane, which migrates from Tibet each winter to roost in the valley's wetland marshes from late October to late February. The valley's open bowl topography, punctuated by the Gangtey Monastery on a central ridge, provides a distinctive landscape of wetland, pine forest, and farmland rarely seen in Bhutan's otherwise steep terrain. The Gangtey Gompa, a Nyingma monastery founded in the 17th century, overlooks the entire valley.