Bumthang, in central Bhutan, is a group of four high valleys (Chumey, Chokhor, Tang and Ura) known as the spiritual heartland of the country. At 2,600 to 4,000 metres, it holds some of Bhutan’s oldest temples, the Burning Lake and the Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival. It is a 30-minute flight from Paro or a long scenic drive, and deserves two to three nights.
Bumthang feels different from the west: wide open valleys, fields of buckwheat and potatoes, apple orchards, and pine forests climbing to the high passes. Life here is slow and rural. The valley is also known for Swiss-style cheese, honey, local beer and yathra, colourful wool cloth woven in Chumey.
Believed to have been built in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, on the same day as Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro, Jambay Lhakhang is one of the two oldest temples in Bhutan. Each autumn it hosts the Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival.
Kurjey means “body print”. In the 8th century Guru Rinpoche meditated in a cave here and left the imprint of his body in the rock, which is now inside the oldest of the three temples. The remains of the first three kings of Bhutan are also enshrined here.
The “Castle of the White Bird” stands on a ridge above Jakar town. It was built in its present form in 1667 and has one of the longest outer walls of any dzong in Bhutan.
Founded in 1501 by the great treasure revealer Pema Lingpa, Tamshing has some of the oldest wall paintings in Bhutan and a heavy chain-mail coat said to have been made by Pema Lingpa himself. Pilgrims carry it three times around the inner temple.
In the Tang valley, a short walk through the forest leads to a deep pool in the river where Pema Lingpa is said to have dived in with a burning butter lamp and come up with sacred treasures, the lamp still lit. Locals still come to offer butter lamps here.
Over the Shertang La pass, the village of Ura has cobbled lanes and old farmhouses clustered around its temple. It is one of the best places in Bhutan to see traditional village life, and in spring it holds the Ura Yakchoe festival.
Visit the Swiss Farm in Jakar for cheese, local honey and Red Panda beer, and stop in Chumey to watch weavers making yathra, the thick, colourful wool cloth from these valleys.
Bumthang has some of Bhutan’s most atmospheric festivals, including the Jambay Lhakhang Drup in autumn with its midnight fire blessing (Mewang), the Jakar Tshechu, and the Ura Yakchoe in spring. Check exact dates in our Bhutan festival calendar.
Spring (March to May) brings rhododendrons and apple blossom. Autumn (September to November) is clear and crisp, with harvests and festivals. Winter is very cold, often with snow on the passes, and summer is green and wet. See our guide to the best time to visit Bhutan.
Bumthang is the highlight of our central Bhutan journeys, including Bumthang Cultural (11 days), Bhutan Mystical Traveller (11 days) and the Nationwide Expedition (16 days). We can also arrange the flight from Paro so you spend less time on the road.
You can fly from Paro to Bathpalathang airport in Bumthang in about 30 minutes, or drive. By road it is around 7 to 8 hours from Punakha via Trongsa, usually broken with a night in Trongsa or Phobjikha. Many travellers drive one way and fly the other.
Plan at least two to three nights. That gives you time for Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, Jakar Dzong and Tamshing on one day, and the Tang valley and Burning Lake or Ura village on another.
Bumthang is called the spiritual heartland of Bhutan. It has some of the country’s oldest and most sacred temples, including Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang, the Burning Lake (Mebar Tsho), the Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival, and local cheese, honey, buckwheat and yathra wool weaving.
Bumthang’s valleys range from about 2,600 to 4,000 metres. Jakar town sits at around 2,600 metres, so it is cooler than western Bhutan, especially in winter.
Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, is a deep pool in the Tang Chhu river where the saint Pema Lingpa is said to have dived in holding a burning butter lamp and come out with treasure, the lamp still alight. It is a sacred and peaceful place.
Jambay Lhakhang Drup takes place in autumn, usually in October or November. It is famous for the Mewang fire blessing, in which people run under a burning gate to be cleansed. See our festival calendar for exact dates.
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