Central Bhutan · Jakar
Temples, festivals and four quiet valleys
About Bumthang
Bumthang is where Buddhism first took root in Bhutan, and it still feels like the country’s spiritual heart. Some of the oldest temples in the Himalaya stand here among buckwheat fields, apple orchards and pine forest.
The district is made up of four valleys – Chumey, Choekhor, Tang and Ura – each a little higher and quieter than the last. Jakar, the main town, sits beneath its white dzong in the Choekhor valley, close to most of the famous temples. Almost every village has a story about saints, hidden treasures and miracles, told with real pride by the people who live there.
Days in Bumthang are slower than in the west. There are fewer cars, more walking, and plenty of time to sit in a temple courtyard or chat with a farmer over butter tea. It is also our family’s home: we grew up in Tamshing, and showing guests our valley is the reason our company exists.
Featured highlights
Our family’s temple
Founded in 1501 by the saint Pema Lingpa, Tamshing is one of the most important temples in Bhutan, and the one our company is named after. Inside, the walls are covered in some of the oldest paintings in the country, darkened by five centuries of butter lamps. Pilgrims carry a heavy chain-mail coat, said to be made by Pema Lingpa himself, around the inner sanctuary. With us, you visit as neighbours, not just as visitors.
Village life
Bumthang is high and cool, so life here is built around buckwheat, potatoes, apples and dairy. Spend an evening in a farmhouse to taste buckwheat pancakes and noodles with local cheese, warm up by a wood stove, and try a traditional hot stone bath. Further east, the cobbled lanes of Ura village show how life in the high valleys has looked for generations.
Choekhor valley
Jambay Lhakhang is one of Bhutan’s oldest temples, said to have been built in the 7th century to pin down a giant demoness lying across the Himalaya. A short walk away, Kurjey Lhakhang shelters the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated and left the print of his body in the rock. Walking between the two, past prayer wheels and fields, is one of the gentlest and most rewarding mornings in Bhutan.
Festivals
Bumthang has more festivals than almost anywhere in Bhutan, and most of them are small, local and deeply sacred. Dancers in masks and silk spin through temple courtyards while whole villages gather in their finest clothes, with picnics, laughter and blessings. Time your visit for Tamshing Phala Choepa in autumn, and you can join our family and neighbours at our own temple’s festival.
Chumey valley
Chumey, the westernmost of the four valleys, is known for yathra: thick, colourful wool woven on simple looms in family homes. The patterns are bold and geometric, and every piece is a little different. Stop by a weaving house to watch the work, learn how the wool is spun and dyed, and perhaps take home a scarf or blanket made by the person who wove it.
Tang valley
A short walk from the road, the Tang river narrows into a deep, dark pool. Here, legend says, Pema Lingpa dived into the water holding a butter lamp and returned with sacred treasures, the lamp still burning. Today the rocks are hung with prayer flags, and pilgrims float small butter lamps on the water. It is a quiet, beautiful place, especially in the late afternoon light.
Tell us what you’d love to see, and we’ll shape the journey around you.
Travel with purpose
Your visit helps keep Bumthang the way it is.
Included in every price, it helps pay for Bhutan’s free healthcare and education, and for protecting its forests.
We stay in family homestays and farmhouses, and buy from the weavers and farmers you meet along the way.
Visiting Tamshing with us supports our neighbours, and the temple and festival at the heart of our community.
Trips that visit Bumthang
Book a trip as it is, or use it as a starting point and change the days, places and hotels to suit you.
Autumn · Thimphu · Punakha · Gangtey · Bumthang
Price on request
Festivals
Dates follow the lunar calendar and are tentative until officially confirmed. See all festivals
