Pele La
A high motorable pass over the Black Mountains on the road from Wangdue Phodrang to Trongsa, the traditional divide between western and central Bhutan. Prayer flags flutter along the top, and yaks graze the slopes around it.
- Where
- Wangdue Phodrang, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.5500, 90.2167
Get the Pele La stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Pele La. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Wangdue Phodrang volume with your photos and a note.
Near Pele La
Gangteng Monastery 7.4 km
The main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition of the Nyingma school, on a ridge above the Phobjikha Valley with Gangtey village around it. Its history runs back to the early 17th century, and the black-necked cranes are said to circle it three times on arrival each winter.
Phobjikha Valley 7.4 km
A vast U-shaped valley in central Bhutan, home to Gangteng Monastery. Black-necked cranes fly in from the Tibetan Plateau to roost here each winter, arriving in the last week of October and circling the monastery three times.
Chendebji Chorten 16 km
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.
Trongsa Dzong 28 km
The largest dzong in Bhutan, spread along a spur above the gorge of the Mangde River in the centre of the country. A temple stood here from 1543, and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal built the first dzong in 1647, enlarged again and again through the 18th century.
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong 33 km
A dzong on a ridge above the meeting of the Punatsang Chhu and Dang Chhu, the seat of Wangdue Phodrang District. It houses a Buddhist monastic community along with district offices, and looks over the road into central Bhutan.
Chimi Lhakhang 33 km
A temple on a round hillock near Lobesa in the Punakha valley, founded in 1499 by the lama Ngawang Chogyal. It is tied to his cousin Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman, and couples come here to pray for children.
Punakha Dzong 35 km
A great dzong at the meeting of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637 and 1638, the second oldest and second largest in Bhutan. It holds the Rangjung Kharsapani and the remains of the Zhabdrung himself and of Pema Lingpa.
Dochula Pass 46 km
A mountain pass on the road from Thimphu to Punakha, crowned by 108 memorial chortens built by the eldest Queen Mother, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. The Druk Wangyal Lhakhang stands beside them, and on clear days the view runs to the snow peaks of the Himalaya.
More hidden gems in Wangdue Phodrang
Questions
Where is Pele La?
Pele La is in Wangdue Phodrang, Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Gangteng Monastery (7.4 km), Phobjikha Valley (7.4 km), Chendebji Chorten (16 km).
How do I get the Pele La stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Pele La and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Wangdue Phodrang volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Pele La before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Wangdue Phodrang volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
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.