Destination
Trashigang and the east
Weaving villages, pilgrim sites and long roads
- 1,160 m
- Mar–May, Oct–Dec
The valley
About Trashigang and the east
Eastern Bhutan is two long days by road beyond Bumthang, and very few visitors make the journey. Those who do find a different country. The valleys are steeper and warmer, the villages sit high on the slopes, and the people speak Sharchop, not Dzongkha.
Trashigang is the main town, built on a hillside below a dzong that has guarded the river junction since 1659. From here day trips reach in three directions: north to Trashi Yangtse and the great white stupa of Chorten Kora, east to the weaving village of Radhi and the road towards Merak and Sakteng, and south to Kanglung, where Bhutan’s first college stands.
The east rewards people who like the journey as much as the arrival. The drives are long, the hotels are simple and the welcome is warm. You can come back the way you went, or leave Bhutan by road at Samdrup Jongkhar and fly home from Guwahati in Assam.
See and do
What to see
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Trashigang Dzong
Built in 1659 on a spur with sheer drops on three sides.
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Gom Kora
A temple beside the river on the road north, built around a black rock where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. Its spring festival draws pilgrims from across the east.
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Chorten Kora, Trashi Yangtse
A large white stupa from the 18th century, in a town known for its woodturners and their lacquered bowls.
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Radhi
A village of rice terraces and weavers, known for raw-silk cloth dyed with plants.
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Merak and Sakteng
Highland valleys of the Brokpa, yak herders with their own dress and language. A road now reaches Merak, about 65 km and two to three hours from Trashigang, so it can be seen in one long day. Sakteng lies further on and needs more time.
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Mongar
The hill town on the way in, where most journeys east break for a night.
Go there
Trips that visit Trashigang and the east
Cultural tour
Bhutan from East to West
Trashigang and the east, Bumthang, Trongsa and 1 more
Seventeen days across the whole country, out to Trashigang and the weaving villages of the east and back to Paro.
Festivals
Festivals in Trashigang and the east
Gomphu Kora
A night-long walk around a rock, in the far east
Chorten Kora
Two walks round the white stupa of Trashi Yangtse
Trashigang Tshechu
The festival the whole east comes to
Mongar Tshechu
The festival at the gateway to the east
Lhuentse Tshechu
Midwinter in the valley of the weavers
Pemagatshel Tshechu
A festival in a new dzong, in the land of the lotus
Where it is
Trashigang on the map of Bhutan
Next door: Mongar Pemagatshel Samdrup Jongkhar Trashiyangtse
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