Places to visit in Bumthang, Bhutan
8 places to visit in Bumthang, Bhutan, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Tamshing Lhakhang, Jakar Dzong, Jambay Lhakhang and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your Bumthang volume.
1 Heritage site · 7 Hidden gems
Heritage sites in Bumthang (1)
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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.
Hidden gems in Bumthang (7)
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Jakar Dzong
The dzong of Bumthang District, on a ridge above Jakar town in the Chamkhar valley. It stands on the site of a temple founded by Yongzin Ngagi Wangchuk in the 16th century, and with walls more than 1,500 metres round it is one of the largest dzongs in Bhutan.
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Jambay Lhakhang
One of Bhutan's oldest temples, in the Bumthang valley near Jakar, said to be one of 108 temples built by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in 659 in a single day. It is dedicated to Maitreya, the future Buddha, and was raised to pin an ogress to the earth forever.
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Kurjey Lhakhang
A temple complex in the Bumthang valley built around a rock said to bear the body imprint of Guru Rinpoche, which gives it its name. It is the final resting place of the first three kings of Bhutan, and a great tree behind one temple is believed to be a terma left by Padmasambhava.
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Könchogsum Lhakhang
A small, old Buddhist temple in the Bumthang valley of central Bhutan, also known as Tsilung, a short walk from Tamshing Monastery. It is one of the cluster of ancient temples around Jakar visited by pilgrims on the valley's temple circuit.
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Membartsho
A sacred pool in a river gorge of Bumthang, where Pema Lingpa, Bhutan's greatest treasure revealer, recovered terma of Guru Rinpoche in the 15th century. Its name means Burning Lake, after the legend that he dived in holding a lit butter lamp and came out with it still burning.
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Thrumshing La
The second highest pass in Bhutan, carrying the Lateral Road over the Donga range between Bumthang and Mongar. The range long kept the central and eastern regions apart, and the pass now lies inside the national park named after it.
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Wangchuck Centennial National Park
Bhutan's largest national park, 4,914 square kilometres of the high north across Bumthang, Lhuntse and Wangdue Phodrang. It borders Tibet and links with the neighbouring parks, so that most of northern Bhutan lies within protected land.
Collecting in Bumthang
What are the best places to visit in Bumthang?
LOQAH lists 8 places in Bumthang. The best known include Tamshing Lhakhang, Jakar Dzong, Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang and Könchogsum Lhakhang. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in Bumthang?
8, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in Bumthang?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in Bumthang before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Bumthang and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
More in Bhutan
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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.