Places to visit in Bhutan
56 places to visit in Bhutan, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Drukgyal Dzong, Jigme Dorji National Park and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in a volume for its state or province, filed under Bhutan on your shelf.
56 travel stamps in 15 states and provinces
The best known in Bhutan
-
Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
A wildlife sanctuary covering most of Trashiyangtse District in northeastern Bhutan, from 1,500 to 6,000 metres. Its Bumdeling Valley is a winter roost for black-necked cranes, and the sanctuary also holds alpine lakes and old religious sites.
-
Drukgyal Dzong
A fortress and monastery at the head of the Paro valley, built by Tenzin Drukdra in 1649 at the behest of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Its name means 'the fortress of the victorious Drukpas', marking a victory over an invasion from Tibet.
-
Jigme Dorji National Park
The second largest national park in Bhutan, named after the late king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It runs across the high northwest of the country, from forests to glaciers and the peaks around Jomolhari, and is crossed by the Jomolhari and Laya treks.
-
Royal Manas National Park
Bhutan's oldest national park, 1,057 square kilometres of forest across eastern Sarpang, western Zhemgang and western Pemagatshel. It runs down to the plains along the Manas river and adjoins Manas National Park in India, sharing its tigers, elephants and rhinos.
-
Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
A protected area in the far east of Bhutan, across the Merak and Sakteng gewogs of Trashigang District and just into Samdrup Jongkhar. It is home to the semi nomadic Brokpa herders, and local belief places the migoi, the Bhutanese yeti, in its forests.
-
Tamshing Lhakhang
A Nyingma monastery in Bumthang founded by Pema Lingpa, Bhutan's great treasure revealer, and still closely tied to him and his line of incarnations. It is the seat of Sungtrul Rinpoche, the speech incarnation of Pema Lingpa, and keeps some of the oldest wall paintings in Bhutan.
-
Paro Taktsang
A cluster of temples clinging to a sheer cliff high above the upper Paro valley, reached by a steep hike through pine forest. Tradition says Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in the cave around which the monastery was later built.
-
Buddha Dordenma
A gilded bronze Shakyamuni Buddha 54 metres tall, seated on a ridge above the southern approach to Thimphu among the ruins of an old palace. Inside are 125,000 smaller gilded bronze Buddhas, and the work was completed in 2015.
-
Chagri Monastery
A monastery high above the head of the Thimphu valley, founded in 1620 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of the Bhutanese state. It is reached on foot from the road end, crossing a covered bridge over the river before the climb.
-
Changangkha Lhakhang
Probably the oldest surviving temple in Thimphu, founded in the 13th or 14th century on the tip of a ridge above the city centre. Parents bring small children here for blessings from its protective deity, Genyen Domtsangpa, guardian of children born in the city.
-
Chele La
The highest motorable point in Bhutan, a pass at 3,988 metres on the road between the Paro and Haa valleys. Prayer flags crowd the ridge, and on clear days the view reaches the snows of Jomolhari.
-
Chendebji Chorten
A large white stupa beside a stream, 41 kilometres west of Trongsa at 2,430 metres. It is built in the Nepali style, modelled on Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, with painted eyes looking out from its dome.
Bhutan by state and province
- Thimphu15 stamps
- Paro10 stamps
- Bumthang8 stamps
- Wangdue Phodrang4 stamps
- Trashiyangtse3 stamps
- Trongsa3 stamps
- Gasa2 stamps
- Punakha2 stamps
- Sarpang2 stamps
- Trashigang2 stamps
- Dagana1 stamp
- Haa1 stamp
- Lhuentse1 stamp
- Mongar1 stamp
- Zhemgang1 stamp
Collecting in Bhutan
Does LOQAH have stamps in Bhutan?
Yes. 56 places in Bhutan have LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp, among them Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Drukgyal Dzong, Jigme Dorji National Park. More are added over time.
How do I collect a stamp in Bhutan?
The same way as anywhere: open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge and the date.
How are my Bhutan stamps kept?
Each state or province you collect in gets a volume of its own, and the volumes sit together under Bhutan on your shelf.
I have been to Bhutan before. Can I add those trips?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Bhutan and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline: it is read on your phone and only the places it matches are added.
More countries
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.