Bumthang Heartland Journey

You land at Paro and spend the afternoon at Paro Dzong, the fortress-monastery consecrated in 1646. Walk in across Nyamai Zam, the covered wooden bridge over the Paro Chhu, through the courtyard of government offices to the monks' side, where the galleries are painted with protective deities.

You drive about 1.5 hours to Thimphu, the capital. Tashichho Dzong, the great whitewashed dzong at the northern end of town, holds the throne room and the King's offices; visitors are let in at set times, and your guide plans the day around them.

Today the road crosses Dochu La, the pass at about 3,100 m with its 108 chortens and, on a clear morning, a long line of Himalayan peaks. The road then drops to the warm Punakha valley.

Punakha Dzong, built in 1637–38 where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu meet, is reached over a wooden bridge and a steep stair, with three courtyards and an assembly hall painted with the life of the Buddha.

The road runs about 3 hours over Lawa La to Phobjikha, a wide glacial valley at about 3,000 m. Gangtey Monastery, founded in 1613 by Pema Lingpa's grandson, looks down on it from a forested spur. From late October to February, black-necked cranes feed in the marsh below.

This is a long road day. The road climbs over Pele La and runs east, past Chendebji Chorten, to Trongsa, about 4 to 5 hours from Phobjikha, then on for about 2.5 to 3 hours over Yotong La into Bumthang. You stop properly at Trongsa on the way back west.

Today is for the Chokhor valley around Jakar, where some of Bhutan's oldest temples sit a short drive apart. Start early at Kurjey Lhakhang, three temples against the cliff where Guru Rinpoche left the print of his body in the rock; the first three kings rest here. Jambay Lhakhang, just down the road, is said to date from 659.

Across the river, Tamshing Lhakhang, founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501, keeps murals from the early 1500s, and pilgrims try to carry a heavy chain-mail coat, said to be his work, around the inner sanctum. In the afternoon, Jakar Dzong looks over the whole valley from its ridge.

You drive about 30 minutes into the Tang valley, the narrowest of Bumthang's four valleys and Pema Lingpa's birthplace. Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, is a deep pool in the gorge where he is said to have dived in with a lit butter lamp and come back with treasure. The rocks are slippery, so stay well back from the water.

One of your nights in Bumthang is spent in a village homestay, in a family's farmhouse. Farms here grow buckwheat, wheat, potatoes and apples and keep cattle for dairy, and Bumthang is known for its cheese, honey and buckwheat pancakes.

Today takes you back over Yotong La to Trongsa, about 2.5 to 3 hours, the town that once held the middle of the country. Start at Ta Dzong, the round watchtower of 1652 above the dzong, now the Royal Heritage Museum, with eleven galleries on Bhutan's kings and its Buddhist history. Seeing it first makes the dzong easier to read. Then walk through Trongsa Dzong, which steps down a spur above the Mangde Chhu gorge. It grew from a temple built in 1543 into the seat of the Trongsa Penlops, and it was from here that the Wangchuck family rose to rule Bhutan. It is still the district's seat and home to monks.

The road then climbs west towards Pele La. Chendebji Chorten, a white stupa in the Nepali style with the Buddha's eyes painted on all four sides, stands beside the highway, a good place to stretch your legs. The highway then runs through Wangdue Phodrang to Punakha for the night.

Walk about 20 minutes through the rice fields from Sopsokha to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman, where couples come to ask for a child.

Then climb back over Dochu La, with a second chance at the mountains, to Thimphu and on to Paro, about 1.5 hours further, for your last night.

Your guide and driver take you to Paro International Airport for your flight out.

If your flight time allows, stop first at Kyichu Lhakhang, a few minutes' drive north of Paro town. It is traditionally dated to 659 and counted among the 108 temples the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo is said to have built to pin down a demoness, the same story you heard at Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang. Its Jowo Shakyamuni statue is revered as highly as the Jowo in Lhasa, and it makes a quiet last visit before the airport.