Bumthang & Trongsa - Ati Jong Ati Jong

TRONGSA AND BUMTHANG(800 - 5,400M )

Trongsa and Bumthang are two stunning valleys in central Bhutan, renowned for their scenic landscapes and historic fortresses. Bumthang Valley consists of four major valleys: Tang, Ura, Chumey, and Choekhor. Chumey and Choekhor focus on agriculture, while Tang and Ura are known for sheep and yak breeding. Considered Bhutan’s spiritual heartland, Bumthang is home to some of the oldest Buddhist temples and monasteries, as well as local specialties like honey, cheese, apples, and yathra (woolen materials). Jakar, the administrative center in Choekhor Valley, hosts many key sightseeing spots, including Jakar Dzong. The valley’s gentle green terraces make it ideal for hikes and light treks. Trongsa Valley is both a sacred and historical center, located two days’ journey from Thimphu. It was the seat of power for central and eastern Bhutan, with the first and second kings ruling from here. Traditionally, the crown prince serves as Trongsa Penlop before ascending the throne, highlighting its long-standing political and cultural significance.

FACTS ABOUT BHUTHANG & TRONGSA

Bumthang valley is known for its breathtaking landscape

Bumthang is a place of mysticism and is also called as Spiritual heartland of the country

The beautiful slopes around Bumthang valley are perfect haven for hikers.

The famous Ura Yakchoed Festival takes place in Ura Valley

Bee farming is a major activity in Bumthang valley

It is famous for local handicrafts and textile

Bumthang has its own brewery

Trongsa Dzong is one of the best sightseeing place to visit in Trongsa

Trongsa is famous as ‘the center of Bhutan’

In the nineteenth century Trongsa was the de facto center of authority as the Trongsa Penlop controlled all of Central & Eastern Bhutan.

JAMBAY LHAKHANG

Jambay Lhakhang, one of Bhutan’s oldest and most sacred temples, is located in Jakar valley, Bumthang. Built in the 7th century by Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo as one of 108 temples to subdue a demoness hindering the spread of Buddhism, it is dedicated to the future Buddha, Maitreya, and marks the first appearance of Buddhism in Bhutan. The temple is also renowned for the Jambay Lhakhang Drub Festival, featuring the Fire Offering and Naked Dance performed under the full moon, both believed to cleanse obstacles, purify the mind, and symbolize the triumph of wisdom over ignorance.

TAMSHING LHAKHANG

Tamshing Monastery, founded in 1501 by the revered saint Pema Lingpa in Bumthang, is one of Bhutan’s most sacred sites. It preserves Pema Lingpa’s teachings and features ancient wall paintings believed to be his own work. The temple houses his heavy chain mail, which visitors can wear while circumambulating for good luck. Overlooking Kurjey Lhakhang, Tamshing also hosts the vibrant annual Tamshing Phala Choepa Festival.

JAKAR DZONG

Jakar Dzong, also known as the “Castle of the White Bird,” is one of the largest and most impressive Dzongs in Bhutan, located in Bumthang. Built in 1549 by Lam Ngagi Wangchuk, it served as an important administrative and monastic center. The Dzong offers panoramic views of the Chamkhar Valley and is known for its massive walls, elegant architecture, and peaceful surroundings. It continues to play a vital role in the region’s spiritual and cultural life.

MEBAR TSHO

Mebar Tsho, or the Burning Lake, is a sacred site in Tang, Bumthang valley. Legend says Terton Pema Lingpa, a treasure revealer, proved his divine power by diving into the lake with a burning butter lamp and emerging with sacred treasures hidden by Guru Rinpoche—while the lamp still burned. The path to the lake, lined with prayer flags, leads to a serene gorge where images of Pema Lingpa and his sons are carved on the rocks. Deeply spiritual and mysterious, Mebar Tsho truly feels like a place where magic exists.

KURJE LHAKHANG

It is dedicated to Saint Guru Padmasambhava who has meditated here in the 8th century and has left his body imprint on the rock. The temple which can be seen today was built attached to the rock where Guru Padmasambhava has left his body print. Thus, the name Kurje means Body Imprint in respectful terms. This is a very sacred site for the Bhutanese.

URA VALLEY

Ura Valley in Bhutan, at 3,100 meters, is a charming village of 50 traditional houses, untouched by modernization and surrounded by spruce, pine, and rhododendron forests. Legend says Guru Padmasambhava blessed the valley in the 8th century, inspiring the annual Ura Yakchoe Festival, which commemorates his miraculous healing of villagers. Visiting Ura offers a serene glimpse into Bhutan’s timeless traditions and folklore.

OGYEN CHOLING HERITAGE

This heritage museum, once blessed by the Great Nyingmapa Master Longchen Rabjam and later a center for the 14th-century saint Dorji Lingpa, showcases the ancestral home of his descendants. It offers an authentic glimpse into the lifestyle of a high noble family, with Tsuglhakhang housing two temples filled with remarkable statues and paintings, and artifacts faithfully recreating life over the past century.

KENCHOGSUM LHAKHANG

Kenchogsum Temple in Bumthang, built in the 9th century by Tibetan Emperor Trisong Duetsen under Guru Rinpoche’s guidance, is one of Bhutan’s earliest Buddhist temples. Guru Rinpoche hid sacred relics and texts, later found by Tertons Draksal and Pema Lingpa. Destroyed by fire in 2010, it was fully restored and now houses the Buddhas of the Three Times and a sacred bell, preserving its historical and spiritual significance.

TRONGSA DZONG

Trongsa Dzong, built in 1648 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, is the ancestral home of Bhutan’s Royal Family and a historic seat of power in central Bhutan. Strategically important for administration and military, it was the post of the Trongsa Penlop for all kings before coronation. The dzong features a well-maintained stone courtyard, the main Lhakhang (Kuenrey), temples dedicated to tantric deities Yamantaka, Kalachakra, Maitreya, and exquisite paintings, along with its own traditional xylographic printing method.

TA DZONG

Ta Dzong, built in 1652 by Chogyal Minjur Tempa, the first Governor of Trongsa, served as a watchtower protecting Trongsa Dzong from internal rebellion. Perched above the town, it features four observation points shaped like a Tiger, Lion, Garuda, and Dragon. Today, it houses a heritage museum with a shrine to the epic hero King Gesar of Ling, offering visitors a fascinating insight into Trongsa’s historical and cultural significance.

THRUPANG PALACE

Kuenga Rabten Palace, a simple two-storied structure above the highway, is the birthplace of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck on 2nd May 1928, where he spent his early childhood. The drive from Trongsa to the palace, about 23 km and an hour through scenic farmland and gentle slopes, passes by interesting villages and fields. Once the winter residence of the second king, the palace is now maintained by the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, offering visitors a glimpse into Bhutan’s royal history.

CHENDEBJI CHORTEN

THARPALING GOEMBA

Just a 10 km drive from Chumey Valley leads to the secluded Tharpaling Goenpa, founded by the great Dzogchen Master Longchen Rabjam. The monastery complex has several temples and houses over 100 monks studying in its shedra. For the energetic, a short hike to the mountaintop reveals a grand statue of Longchen Rabjam, the site where the teachings of Zheydhen were written, and offers stunning views of the towering Himalayas.

NIMALUNG GOEMBA

Just outside Domkhar, a short 500-meter road leads to the Chhume settlement, and a paved road 3.5 km away takes you to Nimalung Goemba, an important Nyingma monastery founded in 1935 by Dorling Trulku. The ground floor houses a chapel with a Tara statue inside an amulet from Tibet, black hats used in the three-day Tshechu, and a Thongdrol representing the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche. Upstairs is the Goenkhang, and monks can often be seen playing khuru outside. A 15-minute downhill walk from here leads to Prakhar Goemba.

CHOEDRAK

Choedrak, perched at 3,800 meters on Tharpaling’s northern ridge, is one of the Four Cliffs (Dra Zhi) linked to Guru Rinpoche, offering panoramic views of Chumey valley. Legend says Guru Rinpoche arrived here riding a tigress, meditating as he did at Paro Taktsang. The monastery rose to prominence in the 18th century when Drukpa monk Ngawang Trinley reconstructed it. Its white structures include two chapels separated by a sacred chorten and spring: Thukje Lhakhang houses a 1000-armed Chenresig statue, and Lorepa Lhakhang contains Guru Rinpoche’s stone footprint and a celestial skull.

ZAMBALA LHAKHANG

Zhambhala Lhakhang is a charming temple dedicated to the God of Wealth, featuring circular grooves in the rock behind it where pilgrims seek blessings. It also houses the grand funeral chorten of Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, a revered Tibetan lama, and holds sacred texts and artifacts revealed by Pema Lingpa and concealed by Guru Rinpoche. Visitors may also spot the Himalayan Monal foraging nearby, adding to the serene experience.