Icon of BhutanParo Taktsang — Tiger’s Nest
Eight hundred metres above the valley floor, on a granite wall — the most photographed temple in the Himalaya.
See this place →Winter capital
Punakha Dzong
Bhutan’s most beautiful dzong, built between two rivers, and warm when Thimphu is frosted.
CountryBhutan
RegionPunakha
Height1,310 m
Best timeNov–Mar, spring
Typical visit1–2 nights
What it is
The second-largest dzong and most people’s favourite: the administrative and religious heart of the valley at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, with its covered bridge and the three chortens on the river bank.
How we visit it
Across the Dochula from Thimphu — a three-hour drive down into the warm subtropical valley. We walk the dzong with a guide, take the river bank walk or a floating-lodge picnic, and leave the hot stones for the evening.
Before you go
Good to know
- Dress for the dzong visit: covered shoulders and knees
- The national rhododendron festival is in early spring; the Deshutsheku of the dzong is in the autumn
- Punakha is warm in winter; the drive up to the Dochula is not
Keep exploring
Other places in Bhutan
Icon of BhutanOldest temple · valley town
Paro Town & Kyichu Lhakhang
The valley that receives you: Bhutan’s only airport, an ancient temple in a field, and a town of shakha and red-choo walls.
See this place →
108 stupasDochula Pass
A ring of 108 white chortens at 3,100 m, with the black mountains of the Himalaya behind them.
See this place →
Capital of BhutanThimphu & Buddha Dordenma
The world’s least capital-like capital: no traffic lights, one main street, and a 51 m Buddha over the roof-tops.
See this place →
Black-necked crane sanctuaryPhobjikha Valley
A glacial bowl of pasture and bog, where the black-necked cranes spend the winter under the ridge.
See this place →Nyingma monastery above the valley
Gangtey Gompa
A single great nest monastery on a spur above the crane valley, with a village grown against its walls.
See this place →
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