By air
Paro (PBH), ~4 h by road
Nepal & Bhutan · Bhutan
Punakha, Bhutan
A riverside dzong in jacaranda season
Getting there
Best time to visit
March to May — the jacarandas bloom
Don't miss
Punakha Dzong
The Dochula Pass
The Punakha suspension bridge
Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
Things to do
Crossing the Dochula Pass
Rafting
The suspension bridge
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple, through the rice fields
Questions travellers ask
When do the jacarandas bloom in Punakha?
March to May, when the riverside dzong is in jacaranda season.
How long is the drive from Paro to Punakha?
About 4 hours by road from Paro (PBH).
What can I do in Punakha?
Cross the Dochula Pass, go rafting and walk the suspension bridge. Bring layers.
What is Chimi Lhakhang?
The fertility temple, reached through the rice fields.
About Punakha
- Riverside
Where it is
Punakha is a valley town in western Bhutan, at about 1,200 m where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, reached from Thimphu over the Dochula Pass.
History
The Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal built Punakha Dzong at the meeting of the rivers in 1637–1638, and Punakha served as Bhutan's capital until the 1950s. The first king, Ugyen Wangchuck, was crowned here in 1907, and the dzong remains the winter home of the central monastic body.
People
Punakha's farmers grow red and white rice on terraces in the warm valley, and Dzongkha is the main language. The Punakha Drubchen festival re-enacts a 17th-century victory over Tibetan forces, with local men dressed as pazaps, the militia of the time.
Known for
- Punakha Dzong at the river confluence
- Jacaranda blossom in spring
- The Punakha suspension bridge
- Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple
- Rafting on the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu
Did you know?
A shrine inside Punakha Dzong, the Machey Lhakhang, holds the preserved remains of the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the 17th-century founder of the Bhutanese state.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.