A country · 69 places · 10 regions
Bhutan, all of it.
69 curated places across 10 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.
The 4 biggest regions — Thimphu District, Bumthang District, Paro District and Gasa District — read below as chapters, with 6 more waiting past them.
Chapter I · Thimphu District · 12 places
Thimphu District
Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan, positioned in the Wang Chhu valley at an altitude of approximately 2,320 metres. It is one of the few national capitals in the world without traffic lights. The city is home to the Tashichho Dzong, the main seat of Bhutan's government and monastic body, as well as the National Memorial Chorten and the Institute for Zorig Chusum, which preserves the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan. The weekend market along the Wang Chhu riverbank draws farmers and artisans from across the surrounding districts.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter II · Bumthang District · 8 places
Bumthang District
A sacred temple complex in the Bumthang valley marking a cave where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. Three temples and a grove of prayer flags make it a central pilgrimage site.
✦ March to May · $$$
Chapter III · Paro District · 8 places
Paro District
Paro Taktsang, commonly called the Tiger's Nest, is a Buddhist monastery complex built into a cliff face 900 metres above the floor of the Paro Valley at an elevation of 3,120 metres. According to tradition the site marks where Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) meditated in the 8th century, arriving on the back of a tigress. The main temple buildings were constructed in 1692 and reconstructed after a 1998 fire. The two-hour trail through blue pine forest to the monastery site is Bhutan's most popular and photographed hike.
via Wikimedia CommonsChapter IV · Gasa District · 4 places
Gasa District
Laya is a highland village at about 3,800 metres in Bhutan's remote Gasa district, home to the Layap people, a semi-nomadic community of yak herders known for their distinctive conical bamboo hats and heavy woollen dress. Set beneath snow peaks near the Tibetan frontier, it is among the highest settlements in the kingdom. Its character is proudly distinct. The Layap keep their own dialect, dress and customs, and their yak-centred livelihood, supplemented by the prized cordyceps fungus, shapes a way of life apart from lowland Bhutan. An autumn highland festival now celebrates this culture with yak parades and songs. On the trail Laya sits on the classic Laya–Gasa trek and marks a key stage of the formidable Snowman Trek, one of the world's hardest long-distance walks. Reaching it takes several days from Gasa or the Punakha region, climbing through forest and pasture beneath peaks such as Masagang. Graded moderate to strenuous, the trekking involves high camps and sustained altitude. Practical notes: Bhutan requires all visitors to travel on a guided package with a Sustainable Development Fee, and the trek is fully supported with camping and pack animals. Late spring, roughly April to June, and autumn, September to October, are the reliable seasons, with clear skies and open passes; winter snow and monsoon rain both close the high routes.
✦ April to October · $$$
Regions of Bhutan
Every place in Bhutan
