Festival
Jambay Lhakhang Drup Festival Tour
Ten days to Bumthang for the festival of fire at one of Bhutan's oldest temples, with cranes in Phobjikha on the way.
Price on request
Central Bhutan
Trongsa
The largest dzong in Bhutan, strung along a ridge above a gorge at the centre of the country, on the road every journey east must take.
- Altitude
- About 2,200 m
- How long to stay
- A stop of a few hours, or one night
- Region
- Central Bhutan
East of Pele La the road enters central Bhutan, and for the last hour before the town Trongsa Dzong is in view across a deep gorge, seeming close long before the road finally loops round to reach it.
The dzong was built in 1644 on a spur commanding the only route between east and west, and whoever held it held the country's centre. Bhutan's royal family rose to power from here, and the heir to the throne still holds the title of its governor before becoming king.
Most travellers stop for a few hours on the way to Bumthang. A night gives time for the watchtower museum above the dzong and for the building itself in the quiet of the late afternoon.
What to see and do in Trongsa
- Trongsa Dzong
- A long chain of courtyards, temples and passages stepping down the ridge, built in 1644 and enlarged several times since.
- Ta Dzong, the Tower of Trongsa
- The watchtower above the dzong, now a museum of the monarchy and of Buddhist art.
- The view from across the gorge
- A viewpoint on the approach road looks straight across to the dzong. An old footpath drops from it to the river and climbs to the dzong's western gate.
Planning your visit
- Best time to visit
March to May and September to November. The Trongsa Tshechu falls in midwinter (5 to 9 January 2028 on the official tentative list).
- Getting there
On the main road between Phobjikha and Bumthang, about halfway through the five-hour drive from Gangtey to Jakar.
Tours and treks
Trips that visit Trongsa
Cultural
To Bumthang and Back in 10 Days
West to the centre by road through Trongsa, three nights among Bumthang's temples, and a flight back over the mountains to Paro.
Price on request
Cultural
Bumthang and the Haa Valley in 11 Days
By road to the temples of Bumthang and back, then over Chele La for a night in quiet Haa before the Tiger's Nest.
Price on request
Cultural
Across Bhutan, West to East
The whole width of the country in two weeks, from the Tiger's Nest to the weaving villages of the far east, leaving by road into India.
Price on request
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