Festival
Lhuentse Tshechu
Midwinter in the valley of the weavers
- 17–21 December 2026
- Lhuentse Dzong, Lhuentse
The festival
What happens
Lhuentse is the district north of Mongar, up the gorge of the Kuri Chhu towards the Tibetan border. It is old Kurtoe, the home of the family that became Bhutan’s kings. The dzong stands on a rock high above the river: a temple was founded here in the 16th century, and the fortress was built round it in 1654.
The tshechu is held for five days in the eleventh month of the Bhutanese calendar, in December or January, in the courtyard of the dzong.
What you see
There are the masked dances of the tshechu, among them the dance of the eight forms of Guru Rinpoche, and the relics of the dzong are brought out for people to be blessed by. On the last morning a thongdrel is unrolled before sunrise.
Lhuentse is where kishuthara is woven: a woman’s dress of white silk covered in small bright patterns, each put in by hand, thread by thread, on a backstrap loom. One dress can take most of a year. At the tshechu the women of the district wear what they have made, and there is nowhere better to see it.
Practical notes
- Lhuentse is one of the remotest districts, reached by a road north from Mongar. It is about 75 km and takes three hours.
- Accommodation is very limited. The district has a small hotel or two and village homestays at Khoma; Mongar, three hours to the south, has more rooms.
- It is midwinter. Days are clear, and the courtyard is cold in the shade.
- Thrumshing La, on the road back to Bumthang, can close for a day or more after snow in January.
- Trongsa Tshechu falls on the same five days. A trip can see one or the other.
See it for yourself
A trip planned around Lhuentse Tshechu
A private trip, with your own guide and driver, timed so that you are there for the festival. Every day of it can be changed.
- 11 days / 10 nights
- Samdrup Jongkhar to Paro
From US$2,635 per person Enquire about this trip
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Day 1
Arrive at Samdrup Jongkhar
Guwahati, in Assam, is the nearest airport, about three hours by road from the border. Your guide meets you at the gate at Samdrup Jongkhar, and the evening is free in this small, warm border town.
- Travel
- About 3 hours by road from Guwahati
- Overnight
- Samdrup Jongkhar
- Meals
- Dinner
-
Day 2
Samdrup Jongkhar to Trashigang
A full day on the road north, climbing out of the plains through forest to the ridges of the east. We stop at the weaving centre at Khaling and at Sherubtse College in Kanglung before the road drops to Trashigang.
- Travel
- 180 km, about 7 hours
- Altitude
- Trashigang, 1,160 m
- Overnight
- Trashigang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 3
Trashigang to Mongar
We drive west over Kori La to Mongar, stopping on the way at the turning for Drametse, the monastery where the drum dance seen at every tshechu was first performed.
- Travel
- 90 km, 3 to 4 hours
- Altitude
- Mongar, 1,600 m
- Overnight
- Mongar
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 4
Mongar to Lhuentse
We follow the Kuri Chhu north through its gorge to Lhuentse and go straight to the dzong for the afternoon's dances.
- Travel
- About 75 km, 3 hours
- Altitude
- Lhuentse
- Overnight
- Lhuentse
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 5
Lhuentse Tshechu, and the weavers of Khoma
A morning at the festival. If this is its last day, we are at the dzong before dawn to see the thongdrel. In the afternoon we drive to Khoma, the village across the river where almost every house has a loom on its porch.
- Travel
- About 23 km there and back
- Altitude
- Lhuentse
- Overnight
- Lhuentse
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 6
Lhuentse to Mongar
A last hour at the festival, then back down the gorge to Mongar.
- Travel
- About 75 km, 3 hours
- Altitude
- Mongar, 1,600 m
- Overnight
- Mongar
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 7
Over Thrumshing La to Bumthang
The longest drive of the trip and the finest: down to the Kuri Chhu, then up through cliffs and forest to Thrumshing La, the highest road pass on the highway, and down past Ura into Bumthang.
- Travel
- 198 km, 7 to 8 hours
- Altitude
- Bumthang, 2,600 m
- Overnight
- Bumthang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 8
The temples of Bumthang
We visit Jambay Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in the country, walk on to Kurjey Lhakhang and cross the river to Tamshing Lhakhang.
- Altitude
- Bumthang, 2,600 m
- Overnight
- Bumthang
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 9
Fly to Paro
The flight to Paro takes about 25 minutes. In the afternoon we visit the National Museum and Rinpung Dzong.
- Travel
- Flight of about 25 minutes
- Altitude
- Paro, 2,200 m
- Overnight
- Paro
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 10
Hike to Tiger's Nest
We walk up to Taktsang in the morning, with a rest at the teahouse on the way, and visit Kyichu Lhakhang in the afternoon.
- Travel
- About 7 km on foot, 4 to 5 hours
- Altitude
- Tiger's Nest, 3,120 m
- Overnight
- Paro
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
-
Day 11
Depart from Paro
Your guide and driver take you to the airport after breakfast.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Prices
What the trip costs
| Group size | Price in US dollars |
|---|---|
| Solo traveller | US$3,505 |
| 2 travellers | US$2,835 per person |
| 3 or more travellers | US$2,635 per person |
Prices are per person in US dollars and include the Sustainable Development Fee and the visa fee. The domestic flight from Bumthang to Paro is not included: it is charged at the airline's fare.
This trip runs privately, on the dates of the festival. Festival dates are tentative until the year itself, so confirm them with us before you book flights.
Included
- Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per person per night)
- Bhutan visa fee (US$40) and visa processing
- 3-star hotels, in a twin or double room
- All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Licensed English-speaking guide throughout
- Private vehicle and driver, including airport transfers
- Bottled water in the vehicle
Not included
- Entry fees for monuments and museums, about US$90 per person
- Flights to and from Paro
- Domestic flight from Bumthang to Paro
- Travel insurance
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Drinks, laundry and personal spending
- Single room supplement, US$35 per room per night
See it for yourself
Other trips that fit this festival
Any of these can be timed to the festival dates. Tell us which days you want to be there.
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.
Where
Lhuentse Dzong, Lhuentse
- Lhuentse Festival ground
Lhuentse
Silk weavers and the royal family's ancestral home
Mongar
Over Thrumshing La into the east
Trashigang and the east
Weaving villages, pilgrim sites and long roads
Questions
Asked about this festival
Are festival dates fixed?
Most are not. Bhutan’s festivals follow the lunar calendar, so they fall on different dates each year. The Department of Tourism and the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators publish a list for each year and label it tentative, because dates can still move.
Our festival calendar shows the official dates and the day we last checked them. Confirm with us before you book flights. The Black-Necked Crane Festival is the exception: it is held on 11 November every year. If you are deciding between festivals, read how to choose a Bhutan festival.
Can I take photographs at a festival?
Yes, in the courtyard or festival ground, from where you are sitting. Do not step into the dance area or block other people’s view, and ask before photographing anyone at close range. Photography is never allowed inside temples and shrines.
A few rituals may not be photographed at all, among them the midnight Tercham at Jambay Lhakhang. Your guide will tell you. Drones are not permitted.
What should I wear to a festival?
A festival is a religious occasion and Bhutanese come in their best clothes. Wear long sleeves and full-length trousers or a long skirt, and take off your hat inside a dzong. You will be sitting on stone for hours, often in strong sun, so bring a cushion, a sun hat for outside the dzong, water and a warm layer for the early morning.
Enquire
Plan a trip around Lhuentse Tshechu
Hotels near festival grounds fill early. Tell us your dates and we will check what is still available.