Bhutan Bumthang Cultural Trek

Bumthang, Bhutan · Bhutan

Moderate7 daysAsia~£2,500 est.

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Overview

Bumthang is Bhutan concentrated: four high valleys at around 2,600 m where the country's oldest temples sit among buckwheat fields, and the deeds of Guru Rinpoche — who left a body imprint in the rock at Kurje Lhakhang in the 8th century — are discussed like recent local news. The cultural circuit links Jakar Dzong on its ridge, Jambay Lhakhang (one of 108 temples legend says were built in a single miraculous year in the 7th century), Tamshing's 15th-century murals, and Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, where the treasure-finder Pema Lingpa dived in holding a lit lamp and surfaced with it still burning. Walk between them on farm paths, then climb to the yak pastures above the valleys where herders keep to seasonal rounds centuries old. If you can, time your visit for a tshechu festival at Jakar or Jambay Lhakhang in autumn, when masked dances fill the courtyards. Bhutan requires a licensed operator and the daily Sustainable Development Fee (currently US$100); a week runs to around £2,500 all-in. March-May and October-November give clear skies and festival season.