The dzongs, valleys and viewpoints most tour packages are built around — and the places worth going out of your way for.
Most tour packages combine three or four of these in a single trip — Paro and Thimphu are on almost every route, while Bumthang, Haa and the east are reserved for longer itineraries.
Paro Valley
Where almost every trip begins and ends — the mountain airport, Paro Dzong, and the trailhead for Tiger’s Nest Monastery.
Thimphu
The capital, and the only one in the world without traffic lights. Tashichho Dzong, the weekend market, and the Buddha Dordenma statue.
Punakha
Bhutan’s former winter capital, home to Punakha Dzong at the meeting of two rivers — widely considered the kingdom’s most beautiful fortress.
Bumthang
Four valleys that form Bhutan’s spiritual heartland, dense with the oldest temples in the country.
Gangtey & Phobjikha
A glacial valley and winter home to the endangered black-necked crane, with no power lines to preserve the birds’ habitat.
Haa Valley
One of the least-visited valleys in the kingdom, opened to tourism only in 2002.
Trongsa
Central Bhutan’s fortress town, seat of the ancestral home of the royal family, perched above a dramatic gorge.
Trashigang
Eastern Bhutan’s largest town — remote, rarely visited, and a gateway to some of the kingdom’s most traditional villages.