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DESTINATION GUIDE
Sweet Valley High Bumthang, in central Bhutan, encapsulates all that’s great about the Himalayan mountain kingdom. By Ric Stockfis
Bumthang Valley
Nomad Festival
Bumthang Brewery
Ura
T
he four valleys that make up the once independent kingdom of Bumthang aren’t exactly easy to get to. The main town of Jakar is a 12-hour drive from the capital, Thimpu, along bumpy, twisting mountain roads (locals say there’s a turn every nine seconds) that cross several passes more than 3,000m in elevation. Jakar itself sits at a breezy 2,580m. But make it out this far and you’re rewarded with breathtaking scenery, endless hiking trails, millennia-old temples, fascinating festivals and even Bhutan’s best beer. Here are four highlights.
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Awesome hiking
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Fab festivals
There are some serious treks around Bumthang, with the six-day Rodang La and eight-day Duer Hot Springs treks both starting in Jakar. There’s also the more straightforward Owl Trek (named for all the hooting at night) which takes just three days. Hiking up and down the main valley is a great way to acclimatize, and gives you a chance to take in Bumthang’s religious highlights, which include the Pelseling Goemba (lotus tree monastery) perched high above the treeline; the Jampey Lhakhang, built as far back as 659; and the Kurjey Lhakhang, a huge temple complex built into a rockface. We found temple fatigue kicking in after three or four stops, but taken alone, any one of these is an incredible experience.
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Feeling like an extra on the set of Game of Thrones
Of Bumthang’s four valleys (Chhume, Chokor, Tang and Ura) most of the action is in Chokor, but Ura in particular is worth a detour. (Look out for views of Gangkhar Puensum, the world’s highest unclimbed peak, on the journey over there.) The highest of the valleys, it offers some spectacular hiking, as well as an easy, hour-long descent through the forests to the village of Ura itself, a tiny settlement of traditional wooden farmhouses and smoking chimneys. If visiting Bhutan feels like stepping into Westeros, nowhere is that feeling more intense than in Ura. The village also plays host to its own annual festival—the lively, local liquorfuelled Ura Yakchoe.
Colorful religious festivals known as tshechu— fabulous, four-day affairs that attract everyone from the surrounding region—are an important part of local life and you should try and catch at least one (check www.visitbhutanyear.com for what’s on where and when). But there are also a host of lower profile festivals in every corner of the country. We were in Bumthang in February and spent a fun day watching archery and strongman contests and trying on traditional headgear at the annual Nomad Festival, which draws herdsmen and hill tribes down from the Himalayas.
SG MAGAZINE FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
The valleys of Bumthang look remarkably like Switzerland, and in fact the Swiss and Bhutanese have been actively cooperating for more than 40 years, with the Swiss introducing modern farming machinery and techniques to the previously closed-off country. The most visible and fun legacy is the Swiss Farm, where cheese-making and beer brewing were first introduced to the valley. The Red Panda weissbeer, produced since 2006 by the Bumthang Brewery (+975 363-1197) in a tiny, unassuming facility (tours should be booked ahead of time and cost $6/person), is the country’s best brew, and you can pick up honey, cheese and jam for a perfect picnic from the neighboring cheese factory. It’s a five minute drive out of Jakar up the eastern side of the valley.
A Detour to Phobjika
Amankora Gangtey
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Kicking back with a craft beer
A turn off on the road between Punakha and Bumthang winds down to the beautiful Phobjika valley, and makes for a very worthwhile detour for a night or two. This huge, glacially-carved landscape is an important wildlife reserve and particularly popular with people hoping to see the extremely rare blacknecked cranes, but it’s also a great place for some easy, flat hiking, with incredible views. We stayed at the Amankora Gangtey (www.amanresorts. com), which looks directly down the valley at the area’s main religious site, the 17th-century Gangtey Goemba. If you decide to stretch for one night at Aman while you’re in Bhutan, make it this one.