By air
Paro (PBH), ~5–6 h by road
Nepal & Bhutan · Bhutan
Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
A glacial valley of black-necked cranes
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to February — the cranes are in
Don't miss
Gangtey Monastery
The crane information centre
The valley trails
Things to do
Crane watching
The Crane Festival in November
Valley walks
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: stull17 · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Warm layers
A quieter corner
The Gangtey nature trail
Questions travellers ask
When are the black-necked cranes in Phobjikha Valley?
November to February, with the Crane Festival in November. Bring warm layers.
How far is Phobjikha Valley from Paro?
About 5 to 6 hours by road.
Is there a good walk in Phobjikha Valley?
The Gangtey nature trail, along with the other valley trails.
What else is there besides crane watching?
Visit Gangtey Monastery and the crane information centre, and enjoy a farmhouse meal.
About Phobjikha Valley
- Mountains
Where it is
Phobjikha is a wide, bowl-shaped glacial valley on the western slopes of the Black Mountains in Wangdue Phodrang district of central Bhutan, at about 3,000 m, with Gangtey Monastery on a ridge above its marshes.
History
Gangtey Monastery was founded on the ridge in 1613 by Gyalsey Pema Thinley, a grandson of the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa, and it remains an important seat of the Nyingma school. To protect the black-necked cranes that winter in the valley, conservationists have worked with villagers for decades, and electricity cables here were laid underground rather than strung on poles.
People
Phobjikha's villagers farm potatoes and graze cattle and yaks around the valley's edges, and Dzongkha is the main language. The yearly Black-necked Crane Festival at Gangtey Monastery, in November, welcomes the birds with songs and dances performed by local schoolchildren.
Known for
- Black-necked cranes in winter
- Gangtey Monastery
- The Gangtey nature trail
- The Black-necked Crane Festival
- Wide marshes and pine forests
Did you know?
The black-necked cranes that winter in Phobjikha fly in from the Tibetan Plateau, and local belief holds that they circle Gangtey Monastery three times on arrival and again before they leave.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.