Places to Visit in Bhutan: 15 Highlights from Paro to Bumthang

In short

Bhutan's must-see places sit in a string of valleys that you visit in the order the road allows: Paro, where the only international airport is, then Thimphu, over Dochula Pass to Punakha, up to the Phobjikha Valley and, on a longer trip, across the Black Mountains to Trongsa and Bumthang. The 15 places below are the ones we would not let a first-time visitor from Singapore miss, from the Tiger's Nest on its cliff to Punakha Dzong where two rivers meet. Five days covers Paro and Thimphu, seven or eight add Punakha and Phobjikha, and nine reach Bumthang. A licensed guide must be with you at every one of them.

Every place here is one we take our own travellers to. The drive times come from our itineraries, and each name links to our page on that place, with its history, opening hours and fees. If you are still choosing between trips, the last column shows which of our Bhutan tours from Singapore include it.

The 15 places at a glance

Drive times are from our own itineraries and depend on roadworks and weather. Paro town is at about 2,235 m and Thimphu at 2,334 m, so none of the places in Paro or Thimphu needs any special acclimatising.

Paro: where every trip starts and ends

Drukair lands at Paro International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from Changi, so Paro is both your first and last valley. It is quieter than the capital, a broad valley of rice fields and farmhouses, and most trips save its sights for the end, once you are used to the altitude.

1. Tiger's Nest (Paro Taktsang)

The monastery on the cliff is the picture most people have of Bhutan before they arrive, and the Department of Tourism calls it the holiest site in the country. It sits at about 3,120 metres, some 900 metres above the valley floor, according to the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development. The only way up is on foot: about two hours to the cafeteria viewpoint, where ponies stop, and five to six hours for the whole outing. Every one of our Bhutan trips includes it, late in the trip, with the ticket. For fitness, ponies and what to wear, read our Tiger's Nest hike guide.

2. Rinpung Dzong

Paro's fortress-monastery stands on the slope across the river from town, and you reach it over Nyamai Zam, a covered wooden bridge. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the lama who unified Bhutan, had it rebuilt from 1644 and it was consecrated in 1646. Like every working dzong it is shared: the district's monks in one half, the district offices in the other. Each spring it is the stage for the Paro Tshechu, and the giant appliqued scroll shown at the festival was saved when fire badly damaged the dzong in 1907.It is open from 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm, and there is no entry fee.

4. Kyichu Lhakhang

Kyichu Lhakhang, about 20 minutes north of Paro town, is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. Tradition says the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built it in the 7th century, one of 108 temples raised to pin down a demoness lying across the Himalaya. A second temple in the same style was added in 1968 by Queen Mother Ashi Kesang Choden. The floorboards before the inner shrine are worn into hollows by generations of prostrations. We stop here on the way back from the Tiger's Nest, when legs are tired and a quiet courtyard is welcome.

On the drive between Paro and Thimphu, look out for the iron chain bridge at Tachog Lhakhang. It is credited to Thangtong Gyalpo, the 15th-century saint and engineer, and was rebuilt in 2005 with chains saved from the old bridge after a flood in 1969. It sways as you cross, and every one of our trips stops there.

5. Chele La Pass and the Haa valley

West of Paro the road climbs to Chele La, usually given as 3,988 metres and described as Bhutan's highest road pass, although map data puts the road crossing nearer 3,800 metres. It is about 35 to 40 km from Paro, 1.5 to 2 hours up through fir and rhododendron, and on a clear morning the snow peak of Jomolhari, 7,326 metres, fills the view to the north. A new chorten at the top was consecrated on 28 August 2024. The road then drops into Haa, a farming valley opened to visitors only in 2002, for its white and black temples, Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo. The day trip is about 140 km there and back, five to six hours of driving, and it is on our 8-day The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan. It is cold at the top in every season, so bring a warm layer.

Thimphu: the capital

Thimphu is an hour and a quarter from Paro along the river, at 2,334 metres. Thimphu has no traffic lights: a policeman in white gloves directs the main junction by hand.Most trips give it a full day, with short drives between the sights, and the first four places below fit easily into that day.

6. Buddha Dordenma

The giant gilded bronze Buddha on the ridge of Kuensel Phodrang looks down over the southern approach to the city. The Thimphu district administration gives its height as 54 metres, while many guidebooks still say 51, and inside are more than 125,000 smaller Buddhas. It was consecrated in September 2015, and the national broadcaster BBS reported that its main sponsor was a Singaporean businessman, an unexpected link for travellers from Singapore. There is no entry fee. Read more on our Buddha Dordenma page.

8. Tashichho Dzong

Tashichho Dzong, the great whitewashed fortress at the north end of the city, is where Bhutan is run. It holds the king's throne room and offices, ministries and, in summer, the chief abbot and the central monk body. The building you see was rebuilt in the traditional style by the third king from 1962 and consecrated in 1968. Because it is a working seat of government, visitors are let in only from 5pm to 6pm on working days, or from 9am to 5pm on public holidays, which is why our Thimphu day ends here.

9. Motithang Takin Preserve

A short drive above town, the Motithang Takin Preserve is home to Bhutan's national animal, a heavy, shaggy creature that looks like no other. It exists because the fourth king closed Thimphu's small zoo as out of keeping with Buddhist values and released the animals, but the takin refused to leave and wandered the streets until they were given this patch of forest. It is open from 9am to 5pm and pairs well with Changangkha Lhakhang next door, where parents bring newborns to be blessed.

If you have time, two more stops are worth it: the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where students learn Bhutan's thirteen traditional arts, from painting to embroidery, and the easy forest walk to Wangditse Lhakhang, a temple from around 1715 above the city. Both are on the Thimphu day of all four of our trips.

Over Dochula to Punakha

10. Dochula Pass

The road from Thimphu to Punakha climbs for 45 minutes to an hour to Dochula, at about 3,100 metres, before dropping for two hours into the warm Punakha valley. The 108 white chortens on the crest, built in three tiers, were completed in June 2004 to honour Bhutanese soldiers who died in December 2003, and the temple above them was finished in 2008 for a century of the monarchy. On a clear morning, most often from October to February, the eastern Himalaya lines the horizon. Cloud hides it on many days, which is why our trips cross the pass twice.

The whole drive from Thimphu is about 71 km and three hours. From here on, the places are on our 7-day Bhutan: Valleys & Tiger's Nest, 8-day The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan and 9-day The Grand Journey Through Bhutan, but not on the 5-day trip.

Summer opening is 9am to 5pm. In winter the dzong opens from 11am to 1pm and 3pm to 5pm, because the chief abbot and the monk body move down here from Thimphu for the colder months. A short walk downstream, the Punakha suspension bridge, more than 150 metres long and hung with prayer flags, sways over the river. Village children cross it to school every day.

The cranes fly in from the Tibetan plateau, and the count of 2024 to 2025 recorded about 640 in Phobjikha, out of a national record of 709, Kuensel reported. The marsh was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2014, and the valley's power lines were laid underground so the big birds would not fly into them. If you visit between November and February, you will usually see cranes feeding in the fields from the road. Outside those months the valley is just as beautiful, green in summer and golden in autumn.

Trongsa and Bumthang: the heart of Bhutan

East of Phobjikha the road crosses Pele La at 3,420 metres into central Bhutan. It is a long day, 130 km and five to six hours, and these last two places are only on our 9-day The Grand Journey Through Bhutan.

15. Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang, Bumthang

Bumthang, at about 2,600 metres, holds some of Bhutan's oldest temples. Jambay Lhakhang is said to date from the 7th century, one of the same 108 temples as Kyichu in Paro, and its festival in October or November is known for crowds running beneath a burning gate. Nearby, Kurjey Lhakhang is built around a rock said to hold the body print of Guru Rinpoche, and the first three kings are remembered there. On the same day we walk to Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, a deep pool in a gorge hung with prayer flags. Evenings in Bumthang are the coldest of the trip.

How many places can you see in 5, 7, 8 or 9 days?

Bhutan's roads are slow and winding, so the length of your trip decides how far from Paro you can go. Drukair's days from Singapore also set the trip lengths: you fly in on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday and home on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday. See our Singapore to Bhutan flights guide for the timetable.

• 5 days: Paro and Thimphu, places 1 to 4 and 6 to 9, on The Essence of Bhutan.
• 7 days: adds Dochula, Punakha, Chimi Lhakhang and Phobjikha, places 10 to 13, on Bhutan: Valleys & Tiger's Nest.
• 8 days: adds a day over Chele La to Haa, place 5, on The Hidden Valleys of Bhutan.
• 9 days: adds Trongsa and Bumthang, places 14 and 15, on The Grand Journey Through Bhutan.

For the price of each trip, see what a Bhutan trip costs from Singapore. To pick a season, see our guide to the best time to visit Bhutan: the clearest mountain views at Dochula and Chele La come from October to February, and the cranes are in Phobjikha from November to February. If you want to see the far north, our Royal Highland Festival guide covers the yak herders' village of Laya.

Before you go: guides, fees and dress

• A licensed guide must be with you at all times. Under the Department of Tourism's notice of 8 April 2026, tourists cannot visit these places on their own. Every HSJ Travel trip includes a guide, driver and vehicle.
• Entry fees. Most dzongs, temples and museums charge foreign visitors a fee; the Tiger's Nest is Nu 1,000. On our trips all entry fees are included. You also pay Bhutan's daily Sustainable Development Fee, explained in our Bhutan visa and SDF guide.
• Dress for the dzongs. Cover your shoulders and knees, and take off your hat inside, the Department of Tourism asks. Long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt are safest.
• No photos inside temples. Photography is allowed in most courtyards but not inside shrines or the National Museum. Your guide will tell you where.
• Opening hours change for religious ceremonies and festivals, and Tashichho and Punakha Dzong keep short visiting windows, so we plan each day around them.