Bumthang Travel

Cinephiles will appreciate Ura Valley, cradled amidst emerald slopes of juniper, pine, spruce, bamboo, and rhododendrons, which served as the backdrop for the Oscar-shortlisted film, The Monk and the Gun, by acclaimed Bhutanese director Pawo Dorji. Ura village, Pawo’s bucolic hometown resting at 10,170 feet, exudes a serene charm that lingers long after credits roll.  

Chumey Valley, the widest of all four valleys, is renowned for its skilled weavers—take home a colorful yathra, a geometric-patterned textile made of yak wool, as a souvenir. (They’re more affordable than the silk and cotton textiles you’ll find elsewhere in the country.)  

Bumthang’s true essence lies within its profound connection to Buddhism. The Tang Valley boasts the mystical Mebartsho, also known as The Burning Lake. Legend whispers of Terton Pema Lingpa, a revered treasure finder, who retrieved sacred Buddhist relics hidden underwater by Guru Rinpoche, a legendary eighth-century master who introduced Tantric Buddhism to both Tibet and Bhutan. Tamshing Goemba, a monastery in Choekhor Valley, houses another fascinating relic: Pema Lingpa’s 44-pound iron chainmail, meticulously crafted across his lifetime.  According to tradition, circumambulating the temple clockwise while draped in the 600-year-old chainmail carries auspicious blessings.