This seldom-visited hilltop monastery could be the object of a short but steep hike if you want to get off the beaten track in the Paro valley. You may well find the building itself locked but the views are worth it.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.07 MILES
This splendid dzong, north of the city on the west bank of the Wang Chhu, dominates the valley, looking out over a cascade of terraced fields. It's…
2.91 MILES
The 'Tiger's Nest Monastery' is one of the Himalaya's most incredible sights, miraculously perched on the side of a sheer cliff 900m above the floor of…
2.12 MILES
Kyichu Lhakhang is one of Bhutan's oldest and most beautiful temples. The main chapel has roots as far back as the 7th century, with additional buildings…
17.52 MILES
This traditional Bhutanese temple perched like a fortress on a ridge above central Thimphu hums with pilgrim activity. It was established in the 12th…
18.04 MILES
Thimphu's best museum is part of the Royal Textile Academy. It features a stunning display of ancient and modern textiles, and explores the rich…
5.22 MILES
Paro Dzong ranks as a high point of Bhutanese architecture. The massive buttressed walls that tower over the town are visible throughout the valley,…
20.04 MILES
About 5km south of Thimphu on the old road to Paro and Phuentsholing, the handsomely proportioned Simtokha Dzong was built in 1629 by Zhabdrung Ngawang…
5.29 MILES
Perched above Paro Dzong is its ta dzong (watchtower), built in 1649 to protect the undefended dzong and renovated in 1968 to house the National Museum…
Nearby Western Bhutan attractions
0.97 MILES
The small and inconspicuous Satsam Chorten by the Zhiwa Ling hotel once marked no man's land between two rival penlops (governors; satsam means 'border')…
1.31 MILES
This small and little-visited hillside retreat is a short walk from the Ugyen Phendeyling Resort.
2.05 MILES
Just below the trailhead parking for Taktshang Goemba is a white chorten and this small but charming temple that remains almost completely unvisited.
4. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's Residence Memorial House
2.06 MILES
Just outside the Kyichu Lhakhang complex is this museum dedicated to Dilgo Khyentse (1910–91), the Tibetan Buddhist rinpoche (reincarnated Buddhist lama)…
2.12 MILES
Kyichu Lhakhang is one of Bhutan's oldest and most beautiful temples. The main chapel has roots as far back as the 7th century, with additional buildings…
2.67 MILES
On the hillside below the Sangchen Choekor Shedra, the small Kuenga Choeling Goemba is normally closed to tourists. If you can get in, a magnifying glass…
2.82 MILES
At night you'll see the Sangchen Choekor Shedra spotlit up high on the top of a hill on the north side of the valley. The shedra, a Buddhist college, is…
2.86 MILES
A dirt road to this atmospheric but somewhat rundown monastery runs from the side road that leads to the Nak-Sel resort from near Kyichu Lhakhang. An easy…