Author Archives: Björn

Bonus temple: Kyichu Lhakhang

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We made it back to town in the early afternoon – and in time for a late lunch. From the restaurant it was on to a bonus temple: Kyichu Lhakhang.

This temple is truly ancient, the first one in Bhutan, originally built in the 7th century. This was probably one of the more atmospheric temples on the trip – and it certainly helped that this one was fairly busy with locals going by their religious rituals. While we had the usual guided tour, the real enjoyable piece here was to just soak in and enjoy the atmosphere.

From Zhong to Town

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After our visit to Rinpung Zhong we had a short walk, following the stairs downhill towards the river. A short side trip got us to Hungrel Gyem Lhakhang, another (smaller) temple next to the river. From here we continued to and across the Nyamai Zam Footbridge – with great views of Paro Zhong from the other side.

After a quick visit to Kaja Throm Market and checking out the festivities at Druk Choeding Lhakhang (the Buddhist temple close to Paro’s city center), we finally made our way to the hotel North of the city center.

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong

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We had a very early morning today, as there was the long drive to Punakha – a distance of about 200km – ahead of us. We were now heading back the same way that we had come in two days before – so, there were only limited stops along the way. We reached Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang Dzong around midday – and had a quick tour of this dzong – that sits nicely on top of a cliff overlooking the valley and offering great views. The dzong was originally built in 1638 – but did burn down in 2012, the re-building only finished in 2022 (now with proper firefighting equipment in place).

Continuing to Bumthang

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We were already well into the afternoon by now – so it was time to continue the journey towards today’s destination – Bumthang … another good 60km to go.

En-route we had a short stop at the border between the Trongsa and Bumthang regions at Yotongla Chorten – to then proceed to a weaving mill, to get an introduction to weaving and an opportunity for souvenir shopping. We made it to Bumthang only after dark – again with well heated rooms, a great dinner and (in my opinion) the best hotel of the whole trip waiting for us.