Punakha Valley.

Punakha Dzong.

Punakha.

PUNAKHA VALLEY
Altitude: 1,310m / 4,300ft.

The first stop after leaving Thimphu on the journey east is Dochu La (la means pass) at 10,007ft. Only an hour's drive from Thimphu, it offers visitors their first glimpse of the Eastern Himalayan range. The best time to reach Dochu La is early morning when the mountain views are clear and one can enjoy a spectacular panoramic views of the Bhutanese Himalayas. 


From the pass the road curls its way down into the relative lowlands of the Punakha Valley. Before Thimphu was made the permanent capital of Bhutan, Punakha was the Winter Capital because of its more temperate climate. The Je Khenpo (leader of Bhutan's religious order) and his council of monks still come to pass the Winter months here.

Punakha Dzong was strategically built at the confluence of the Pho Chu (male) and Mo Chu (female) rivers by the first Shabdrung of Bhutan, Ngawang Namgyel in 1637. It has been damaged by four fires and an earthquake in 1897 and has been devastated by flood water coming from the great northern glaciers. The Dzong has now been fully restored to its original splendor.

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