Punakha
- Region
- Western Bhutan
- Altitude
- 1,200 m
- Best time
- February–April for mild weather and Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu
- Getting there
- About 2.5–3 hours by road from Thimphu, over Dochula Pass
Punakha sits at around 1,200 metres, low enough to stay mild through winter while Thimphu and Paro turn cold. It was Bhutan’s capital until 1955 and still hosts the winter home of the Je Khenpo, the head of Bhutan’s monastic body.
Punakha Dzong stands where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, reached by a wooden cantilever bridge — many visitors rank it as the most striking dzong in the country. The road from Thimphu crosses Dochula Pass at 3,100 metres, marked by 108 chortens and, on a clear day, a view of the eastern Himalaya. Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu run together each winter, re-enacting a 17th-century battle before the more familiar masked dances. See our sustainable development fee guide for what the SDF covers; Bhutan’s National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (opens in a new tab) publishes seasonal weather for the valley.
Things to see in Punakha
Punakha Dzong
Built in 1637–38 where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, Punakha Dzong was the seat of Bhutan's government until 1955, and the first king was crowned here in 1907. It is still the winter home of the central monk body.
Chimi Lhakhang
A small temple on a hillock among the rice fields near Lobesa, built in 1499 on a site blessed by Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman. Couples hoping for a child come here for a blessing, and the walk in from Sopsokha takes about 20 minutes.
Dochu La
The pass at about 3,100 m on the road from Thimphu to Punakha, where 108 chortens honour the Bhutanese soldiers who died in 2003. On a clear winter morning the high Himalaya is on show, and most people stop here on the drive.
Punakha suspension bridge
A long footbridge of steel cables and wooden planks across the Pho Chhu, a short walk from Punakha Dzong and one of the longest suspension bridges in Bhutan. It sways as you cross, it is hung with prayer flags, and it leads to the villages on the far bank.
Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
A tiered chorten on a ridge above the Mo Chhu, built under Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck to ward off harmful forces and bring peace. It is about 30 minutes uphill from the footbridge at Yepaisa, through rice fields and pine, with wide views of the valley from the top.
Places near Punakha
Thimphu
Bhutan’s capital and largest town, with no traffic lights and a 51-metre bronze Buddha on the hillside above it.
Wangdue Phodrang
A 1638 dzong rebuilt after the 2012 fire, above the meeting of two rivers, and the stonemasons' village of Rinchengang across the water.
Phobjikha and Gangtey
A wide glacial valley at about 3,000 m where black-necked cranes spend the winter, below the old monastery of Gangtey.
Planning a trip that includes Punakha?
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Karma ChodenOperations manager, Bhutan Tour Itinerary
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