Cultural Heartland

Overview

For those who want to reach the spiritual core of the kingdom, this journey extends east into Bhutan's most sacred and historically significant landscapes — Phobjikha, Trongsa and Bumthang. The route crosses the Phobjikha Valley, the glacial bowl that serves as the winter home of the endangered Black-necked Crane. Trongsa, perched above a deep river gorge, was once the seat of power from which all the Kings of Bhutan first ruled. Bumthang, the kingdom's spiritual heartland, is a landscape of barley fields, apple groves, ancient temples, and buckwheat-covered hillsides. Sacred sites include Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, and Tamshing Monastery, with the journey concluding with the Tiger's Nest hike in Paro.