- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan destinations · Updated October 2026
Bumthang, Bhutan: travel guide for 2027
Four valleys and the spiritual heart of Bhutan. Some of the oldest temples in the country, the Burning Lake, buckwheat pancakes and local cheese, and more festivals than anywhere else.
- About 2,600 to 4,000 m
- Stay 2 to 3 nights
- Jakar Tshechu 6 to 9 November 2027
4
Valleys: Chhoekhor, Chhume, Tang and Ura
659
Traditional founding year of Jambay Lhakhang
2 to 3
Nights we suggest in Bumthang
30 min
Domestic flight from Paro, on scheduled days
About Bumthang
The spiritual heartland
Bumthang is a district of four valleys: Chhoekhor (where the town of Jakar sits), Chhume, Tang and Ura. They lie between about 2,600 and 4,000 metres, so the air is cool and clear. Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated here in the 8th century, and the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa was born in Tang in 1450. Many of Bhutan’s oldest and most sacred temples are within a short drive of each other.
The landscape is open farmland: buckwheat and potato fields, apple orchards and wide valleys with prayer flags on the ridges. Bumthang is known for its food too. Try buckwheat pancakes and noodles, local honey, Swiss-style cheese and Red Panda beer, all made in the Chhoekhor valley. Chhume is famous for yathra, colourful woollen cloth woven by hand.
- Some of Bhutan's oldest temples
- Buckwheat, cheese, honey and local beer
- The most festivals of any district
Things to do
Top things to do in Bumthang
Jambay Lhakhang
Traditionally founded in 659, one of Songtsen Gampo's 108 temples.
Kurjey Lhakhang
Three temples around the rock where Guru Rinpoche left his body print.
Tamshing Lhakhang
Built by Pema Lingpa in 1501, with some of Bhutan's oldest paintings.
Jakar Dzong
The "castle of the white bird" above the Chhoekhor valley.
Mebar Tsho
The Burning Lake, a sacred gorge pool in the Tang valley.
Ura village
Cobbled lanes and old farmhouses in the highest of the four valleys.
Cheese, honey and beer
Visit the Swiss farm projects and the Red Panda brewery in Jakar.
Yathra weaving
Watch weavers at work in Chhume.
Ogyen Choling
A manor house museum of rural noble life in Tang.
The main sights
Bumthang's temples in detail
Jambay Lhakhang
Tradition says the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built Jambay Lhakhang in 659 as one of 108 temples raised to subdue a demoness, the same story told at Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro. Each autumn the temple hosts the Jambay Lhakhang Drup, when crowds walk under a burning gate, the mewang, for blessing. In 2027 it is expected on 14 to 17 November.
Kurjey Lhakhang
Kurjey means “body print”. The oldest of its three temples is built against the rock where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated and left the imprint of his body. The second was added by the first King, and the third by Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck. A wall of 108 chortens surrounds the complex. The one-day Kurjey Tshechu is expected on 14 June 2027.
Tamshing Lhakhang
Pema Lingpa built Tamshing in 1501 across the river from Kurjey. Its inner walls carry some of the oldest surviving paintings in Bhutan. Visitors can try on a heavy chain-mail coat said to have been made by Pema Lingpa himself; walking around the inner shrine three times in it is believed to bring merit.
Jakar Dzong and Mebar Tsho
Jakar Dzong, first founded in the 16th century, watches over the Chhoekhor valley and hosts the Jakar Tshechu, expected on 6 to 9 November 2027. In the Tang valley, Mebar Tsho is a deep pool in a river gorge. Legend says Pema Lingpa dived into it holding a butter lamp and came out with a hidden treasure and the lamp still burning. It is a short walk from the road; take care on the rocks.
2027 festivals
Bumthang festival calendar 2027
| Festival | Expected dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Ura Yakchoe | 18 to 22 April | Ura Lhakhang |
| Nimalung Tshechu | 12 to 14 June | Nimalung, Chhume |
| Kurjey Tshechu | 14 June | Kurjey Lhakhang |
| Tamshing Phala Chhoepa | 10 to 12 October | Tamshing Lhakhang |
| Thangbi Mewang | 15 to 16 October | Thangbi Lhakhang |
| Jakar Tshechu | 6 to 9 November | Jakar Dzong |
| Jambay Lhakhang Drup | 14 to 17 November | Jambay Lhakhang |
| Prakhar Duchhoed | 15 to 17 November | Prakhar, Chhume |
| Nalakhar Tshechu | 13 to 15 December | Nalakhar |
Dates follow the lunar calendar and are tentative until officially confirmed. We check them before you book flights.
Practical facts
Bumthang at a glance
| Topic | What to know |
|---|---|
| By road | About 2.5 to 3 hours from Trongsa over Yotong La; about 270 km from Thimphu, usually split over two or three days |
| By air | Drukair flies between Paro and Bathpalathang airport in Bumthang on scheduled days; the runway was extended to 1.7 km |
| Altitude | About 2,600 m around Jakar, rising to over 3,000 m at Ura |
| Best time | March to May and late September to November; winters are cold and clear |
| Time needed | 2 to 3 nights |
| Where to stay | Lodges and hotels around Jakar, farmhouse stays, and Amankora Bumthang |
| Good to know | Rooms are heated with wood stoves or heaters in winter; tell us if you feel the cold |
Planning
How to plan Bumthang
Most guests reach Bumthang on a 9 to 11-day trip, driving east through Phobjikha and Trongsa. A domestic flight back to Paro saves a long day on the road, though seats are limited and weather can delay flights. Two nights covers the Chhoekhor temples and the Burning Lake; a third adds Ura or a walk in the Tang valley.
If you want a festival, autumn is the richest time. The Jakar Tshechu and Jambay Lhakhang Drup fall in November 2027, a week apart, and the weather is usually clear.
Tours
Tours that include this destination
Every tour is private and can be changed. These are starting points.
10 Days with Jakar Tshechu
Bumthang’s autumn festival with Trongsa and Phobjikha.
10 Day Discover Bhutan
West and central Bhutan, including Phobjikha and Bumthang.
10 Day Tour of the Dragon
The one-day mountain bike race from Bumthang to Thimphu.
Before you go
Travel essentials for 2027
Every visitor except Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals needs a visa, which costs USD 40 and is arranged by your tour operator. The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027; children under 6 pay nothing and children aged 6 to 12 pay half. Indian visitors pay INR 1,200 per night. You travel with a licensed guide beyond the first checkpoint and stay in certified hotels or homestays.
Read more in our guides to the visa and SDF, what a trip costs and Bhutan’s travel rules.
Bumthang: questions
Yes, if you have 9 days or more. It has some of the oldest temples in Bhutan and a calm, rural feel.
By road through Trongsa, or on a scheduled Drukair domestic flight from Paro to Bathpalathang.
Two to three nights.
Expected on 6 to 9 November 2027, followed by Jambay Lhakhang Drup on 14 to 17 November.
Mebar Tsho, a sacred pool in the Tang valley where Pema Lingpa is said to have recovered a treasure with a lamp still burning.
Buckwheat pancakes and noodles, honey, cheese and Red Panda beer.
Plan your time in Bumthang
Tell us your dates and how many nights you have. We will send a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one price that includes the SDF, visa, guide and car.
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: Jakar Dzong (Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0); Jambay Lhakhang (Arian Zwegers, CC BY 2.0); Kurjey Lhakhang (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0); Trongsa Dzong (Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0).
