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Eastern Bhutan

Intrepid travelers venturing to the wild and rugged east of Bhutan will be rewarded with fascinating villages and towns little influenced by tourism, group-free dzongs and temples, beautiful silks and amazing embroidery. Most of the population lives in tiny settlements secreted high above roads or in isolated valleys. The remote east is home to minority ethnic groups, some comprising fewer than 1000 people, and is unrivalled in traditional arts and crafts.

Many travelers to the east are lured by the magnificent bird-filled forests – wilderness havens for rare and unique wildlife. While birdwatching is extremely popular here, the east is opening up to other forms of tourism with new hotels and trekking routes being developed. The east of Bhutan sees fewer tourists than the western regions and remains a frontier for travel in Bhutan – reason enough to go!

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Eastern Bhutan.

  • See

    Gom Kora

    An extraordinarily picturesque temple, Gom Kora is located 13km north of Chazam. The lush green fields, the monks' red robes and the temple's yellow roof combine with colourful Buddhist carvings and the rushing river to create an idyllic scene. The correct name for the site is Gomphu Kora. Gomphu denotes a sacred meditation site of Guru Rinpoche and kora means 'circumambulation'. The Guru meditated here and left a body impression on a rock, similar to that in Kurjey Lhakhang in Bumthang. The central figure in the temple is Guru Rinpoche. To the right is Chenresig, in his 1000-armed aspect. To the far right is an image of the snake demon Gangan Yonga Choephel, who holds a golden mirror in his right hand. The wall murals to the far right are believed to date from the 15th century. There are numerous sacred objects locked in a glass cabinet that either miraculously appeared here or were brought by the Guru. The largest item is a garuda egg, which is a very heavy, perfectly shaped, egg-like stone. Other relics include the traditional boot print of the Guru, the footprint of his consort Yeshe Tsogyal (aged eight), the hoof print of Guru Rinpoche's horse and a phallus-shaped rock belonging to Pema Lingpa. Gom Kora's celebrated old thondrol, unique because it is painted, not appliquéd, is either kept in the box here or in Chorten Kora, depending on which source you believe. Gom Kora has a 'new' thondrol, which is displayed at the tsechu on the 10th day of the second lunar month (March/April). This festival is different from most other tsechus in that pilgrims circumambulate the goemba and sacred rock throughout the night. Behind the goemba is a fantastical large black rock. It is said that Guru Rinpoche was meditating in a small cave near the bottom of the rock when a demon in the shape of a cobra suddenly appeared. The Guru, alarmed, stood up quickly, leaving the impression of his pointed hat at the top of the cave, and then transformed himself into a garuda, leaving the imprint of his wings nearby. The Guru then made an agreement with the demon to stay away until the end of his meditation. The contract was sealed with thumbprints, which are still visible on the rock. The serpent also left a light-coloured print, with his hood at the top of the rock. A small sin-testing passageway leads from the cave to an exit to the side of the rock – one successful participant reported that you must indeed move like a snake to get through the cave. Visitors also test their sin levels and rock-climbing skills by trying to climb up the side of the rock (the 'stairway of the dakinis '; female celestial beings) – only the virtuous can make it. On certain auspicious days, holy water, believed to be the Guru's nectar of immortality, flows down from a crevice in the rock and pilgrims line up to spoon it into bottles. You may also see childless women carrying a hefty holy stone around the kora path to boost their chances of conceiving. Gom Kora has no accommodation, but is only a 45-minute (22km) drive from Trashigang, the best place to eat and sleep in the area. To get here from Trashigang, drive the 9km (15 minutes) to Chazam and take the turn-off towards Trashi Yangtse; after 13km you will see the yellow roof of Gom Kora below the road. There is a parking area but this is woefully inadequate during festival time.

  • See

    Chorten Kora

    Chorten Kora is large, but not nearly as large as the stupa of Bodhnath in Nepal, after which it was patterned. It was constructed in 1740 by Lama Ngawang Loday in memory of his uncle, Jungshu Phesan, and to subdue local spirits. In front of the chorten is a natural stone stupa, the sertho, which used to sit atop the chorten and is considered sacred. There is also a small goemba here. The popular Bhutanese film Chorten Kora was shot here. The story behind the chorten is that Lama Ngawang Loday went to Nepal and brought back a model of Bodhnath carved in a radish. He had it copied here so that people could visit this place instead of making the arduous trip to Nepal. The reason that Chorten Kora is not an exact copy of Bodhnath is because the radish shrank and was distorted during the return trip. During the first month of the lunar calendar (February or March) there is an auspicious kora held here, where people gain merit by walking around the main chorten and its inner kora. It is celebrated on two separate dates (the 15th and 30th days of the lunar month). The first date (Dakpa Kora) is for the people from the Dakpa community in Arunachal Pradesh, India, who make the three-day pilgrimage here to celebrate the sacrifice of an eight-year-old girl from Arunachal Pradesh, who was enshrined in the chorten to appease a troublesome demon. The second kora (Drukpa Kora) is for the Bhutanese, who come from all over eastern Bhutan, including from the Merak and Sakteng regions, to attend the local fair and gain some good karma by witnessing the unfurling of a giant thondrol. Dozens of stalls and gambling stands give pilgrims a chance to catch up on some shopping and local gossip. A month before the festival the chorten is whitewashed anew. This is paid for with funds earned from rice grown in the fields surrounding the chorten.

  • See

    National Institute for Zorig Chusum

    This arts and crafts institute south of town was opened in 1997 to provide vocational training opportunities for those who aren't continuing in the higher education system. Ten of the Zorig Chusum (Thirteen Arts) are studied here, including thangka painting, embroidery, sculpture, metalwork and woodturning. You can visit the school, watch the students at work and take photographs. The showroom has a decent variety of paintings, carvings, sculptures, bowls and masks for sale. The students are on holiday from December to February and for all of July.