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- Thimphu, Bhutan
Bhutan festivals · 2027 guide
Rhododendron Week 2027: spring in the Brokpa highlands of Merak
A week-long festival of rhododendrons and Brokpa culture at Shetemey, Merak, in eastern Bhutan. Expected on 3 to 9 April 2027.
- 3 to 9 April 2027
- Shetemey, Merak, Trashigang
- Brokpa culture
3 to 9 Apr
Expected dates in 2027
7
Days of the festival
2025
Year of the first Rhododendron Week
3,500 m
Approximate altitude of Merak
About the festival
A new festival in an old highland
Merak is a highland village of the Brokpa, semi-nomadic yak herders who live in the far east of Bhutan near the border with Arunachal Pradesh. The Brokpa are known for their red and black woollen clothes and their felt hats with long tassels. In spring the slopes around Merak and neighbouring Sakteng turn pink and red with rhododendrons.
Rhododendron Week was held for the first time from 3 to 9 April 2025, and His Majesty The King attended the closing day at Shetemey in Merak. The festival offers guided walks through flowering forest, Brokpa songs and dances, local food, yak herding demonstrations and homestays with Brokpa families. The aim is to bring tourism income to the highlands while protecting the forests and wildlife, including red pandas.
- First held in 2025
- Hikes through flowering forest
- Homestays with Brokpa families
Festival facts
Rhododendron Week 2027 at a glance
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates in 2027 | 3 to 9 April 2027 |
| Venue | Shetemey, Merak |
| District | Trashigang (eastern Bhutan) |
| Altitude | About 3,500 m in Merak; colder than the valleys |
| Getting there | Fly to Yonphula near Trashigang, then about 3 to 4 hours by road to Merak |
| Accommodation | Community homestays and camping; facilities are basic |
| Protected area | Merak and Sakteng lie in the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Entry | Free and open to visitors with a licensed guide; the SDF and visa rules apply as on any day |
Dates follow the Department of Tourism’s tentative festival list for 2027 and the lunar calendar. They can shift by a day or two, so we confirm them before you book flights.
What you will see
Highlights of Rhododendron Week
Rhododendron forests
High slopes covered in red, pink and white blooms.
Brokpa culture
Herders in red and black wool and yak-felt hats.
Songs and dances
Brokpa folk performances in the evenings.
Guided walks
Community-led hikes on old herders' trails.
Homestays
Nights with Brokpa families and their butter tea.
Wildlife
A chance of red pandas and Himalayan birds.
History and meaning
About Merak and the Brokpa
The Brokpa people
The Brokpa of Merak and Sakteng move their yak herds between summer and winter pastures. They speak their own language, Brokpake, and keep customs that differ from the rest of Bhutan, from their clothing to their rituals. Their villages only became reachable by road in recent years, and they remain among the most remote communities in the country.
Why a rhododendron festival
Bhutan has dozens of rhododendron species, and the eastern highlands hold some of the richest forests. Rhododendron Week was created to share that with visitors and to give herding families a new source of income from homestays, guiding and food.
Planning
How to plan your visit
Planning a trip to Merak
Merak is a long way from Paro. Most visitors fly to Yonphula and spend two or three nights in the highlands, with a night in Trashigang on either side. Pair it with Gomphu Kora in March or simply explore the east.
What to bring
Warm layers, rain gear, good boots and a sleeping bag liner for homestays. Nights at 3,500 metres are cold even in April.
Etiquette
How to behave at a Bhutanese festival
Festivals are religious events first, so dress as you would for a temple: long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, and no hats inside the dzong or temple. Never walk across the dance ground, even when it looks empty between dances. Photography is usually allowed from the edges without flash, but some rituals and inner temples are off limits; your guide will tell you when to put the camera away. Ask before taking close-up portraits.
Arrive early for a good spot, bring water, a hat and a cushion or mat, and expect to be teased by the atsaras, the masked clowns who keep the crowd in order. If someone offers you food or a cup of tea, it is polite to accept. Our guide to Bhutanese festivals explains the dances in more detail.
Trips
Build a trip around Rhododendron Week
Every trip is private, so we can time it to the festival dates and add the places nearby.
Before you go
Travel rules 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. Tourists travel with a licensed guide beyond the first checkpoint and stay in certified hotels or homestays.
The SDF does not change during festival weeks, but hotel rooms near popular festivals fill early. See our visa and SDF guide and Bhutan travel rules.
Rhododendron Week: questions
Expected on 3 to 9 April 2027 at Shetemey in Merak.
In Trashigang district in eastern Bhutan, about 3 to 4 hours by road from Trashigang.
No. That one is held at Lamperi Botanical Park near Dochula on 22 to 23 April 2027.
No. Bhutanese festivals are free. You attend with your licensed guide, who also explains the dances.
The Department of Tourism lists 3 to 9 April 2027 as the tentative 2027 dates. Lunar dates are occasionally adjusted, so we reconfirm before you book flights.
More festivals
Other festivals around the same time
See Rhododendron Week in 2027
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check the festival date, hold hotels nearby and send a day-by-day plan with one price that includes the SDF, visa, guide and car.
Photo credits, via Wikimedia Commons: Rhododendron flowers in bloom (Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0); Trashigang Dzong above the river (Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 3.0); Gom Kora temple beside the Drangme Chhu (Franzfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0); Chorten Kora stupa in Trashi Yangtse (Vikramjit Kakati, CC BY-SA 4.0).
