Bumthang

Bumthang is often called the spiritual heart of Bhutan. Its broad valleys of buckwheat fields, apple orchards and blue pine forest hold many of the kingdom’s oldest and most sacred sites.

Jambay Lhakhang is said to have been built in 659 AD by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo as one of 108 temples raised in a single day to pin down a giant demoness. Kurjey Lhakhang shelters the rock bearing the body imprint of Guru Rinpoche, while Jakar Dzong — the ‘Castle of the White Bird’ — watches over Chamkhar town.

In the Tang valley, Membartsho (the Burning Lake) is where the saint Pema Lingpa is said to have dived into the river with a lit butter lamp and emerged holding sacred treasures, the lamp still burning. Bumthang is also known for its yathra wool weaving, local cheese, honey and red panda beer.