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 →Capital of Bhutan
Thimphu & Buddha Dordenma
The world’s least capital-like capital: no traffic lights, one main street, and a 51 m Buddha over the roof-tops.
CountryBhutan
RegionThimphu
Height2,320 m
Best timeYear-round
Typical visit2 nights
What it is
Thimphu is where the government, the weaving schools and the Friday market live, all in a valley where the buildings still follow the driglam namzha and the paint rules. Above it at kuendrabiling sits the Dordenma, a 51 m seated Buddha facing the valley.
How we visit it
The National Memorial Chorten at prayer time, the handloom and paper factories, the market on a Friday, the view from the Dordenma, and the Saturday evening in the archery and food streets.
Before you go
Good to know
- Friday and Saturday are the market and the crowd days
- The city has 3 km of one road out of the valley: expect a quiet, slow evening
- The National Textile Museum is small and the best thing here
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.
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Winter capitalPunakha Dzong
Bhutan’s most beautiful dzong, built between two rivers, and warm when Thimphu is frosted.
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108 stupasDochula Pass
A ring of 108 white chortens at 3,100 m, with the black mountains of the Himalaya behind them.
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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.
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