Things to do in Bhutan: 20 experiences worth the journey

Bhutan is not a country of attractions to tick off. It is small, slow to cross and best taken a valley at a time. Even so, some things are worth planning a trip around. Here are twenty things to do in Bhutan, set out roughly from west to east, with where each is and how much time it needs.

In and around Paro

• Walk to Tiger’s Nest. Taktsang clings to a cliff 900 m above the valley floor, and the climb to it is the one thing nearly every visitor does. Allow five to six hours there and back. Our guide to the hike has the detail.
• See Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum. The fortress-monastery of Paro, reached over a covered wooden bridge, with the round watchtower above it that now holds the museum.
• Light a butter lamp at Kyichu Lhakhang. One of the oldest temples in the country, small, worn and much loved.
• Drive to Chele La. The highest road pass in Bhutan at 3,988 m, hung with prayer flags, with Jomolhari in view on a clear day and the Haa valley below on the far side.
• Soak in a hot-stone bath. A wooden tub, river stones heated in a fire, and an hour with nothing to do. Best at a farmhouse, after the Tiger’s Nest walk.

In Thimphu

• Stand under the Buddha Dordenma. The great bronze Buddha that looks down on the capital from the south.
• Watch an archery match. Archery is the national sport, shot at a target 145 m away, with singing and a good deal of teasing between the teams. The ground at Changlimithang often has a match on.
• Visit the school of the thirteen arts. At the National Institute for Zorig Chusum students learn painting, woodcarving, embroidery and sculpture as they have been taught for centuries.
• Walk the weekend market. Dried cheese, chillies by the sack, red rice and whatever the season has brought in.
• Put your face on a stamp. At the Postal Museum you can have your own photograph printed on real Bhutanese stamps and post a card home with them.
• Meet the national animal. The takin, which looks like a goat crossed with a small cow, lives in a preserve on the edge of town.

Over the Dochu La to Punakha

• Stop among the 108 chortens of Dochu La. The pass at 3,100 m between Thimphu and Punakha. On a clear morning, mostly from October to February, the eastern Himalaya stands along the horizon.
• Visit Punakha Dzong. Built in 1637 where two rivers meet, and to most eyes the most beautiful building in the country. In spring the jacaranda trees beside it are in flower. More on Punakha.
• Walk through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang. The temple of the “Divine Madman”, where couples come to ask for children.
• Climb to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. An hour up through terraces to a ridge above the Mo Chhu, with the valley laid out below.

Phobjikha and the centre

• Watch the black-necked cranes. They fly in from Tibet in late October and stay in the Phobjikha valley until February. The crane festival is on 11 November.
• See Trongsa Dzong. The largest fortress in Bhutan, strung along a ridge above a gorge. Trongsa is the old seat of the royal family.
• Spend unhurried days in Bumthang. Four valleys of temples, farmhouses and buckwheat fields, among them Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang. Bumthang is the religious heart of the country.

Anywhere, with the right dates

• Go to a tshechu. Masked dances in the courtyard of a dzong, the whole district in its best clothes, and a picnic on the grass at midday. The festival calendar has the dates, and our article on choosing a festival compares them.
• Walk for more than a day. Even one night out changes the trip. The Bumdra Trek camps above Tiger’s Nest; the Druk Path takes six days between Paro and Thimphu. All eight are in the treks compared.

And three more, if they are your thing

• Eat in a farmhouse. Ema datshi cooked on a wood stove, red rice and butter tea. See our guide to Bhutanese food.
• Go birdwatching. More than 700 species in a country the size of Switzerland. See birdwatching tours.
• Ride the passes. By bicycle or motorbike, with a support vehicle behind. See cycling and motorbike tours.

How much fits into one trip

Four days cover the first eleven on this list. A week adds Punakha and Phobjikha. Ten days reach Trongsa and Bumthang. Our article on how many days you need in Bhutan sets it out, and the tours show the days in order.

Tell us which of these matter most to you and we will plan the trip around them.