Wangchuck Centennial National Park
Bhutan's largest national park, 4,914 square kilometres of the high north across Bumthang, Lhuntse and Wangdue Phodrang. It borders Tibet and links with the neighbouring parks, so that most of northern Bhutan lies within protected land.
- Where
- Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.8119, 90.6578
Get the Wangchuck Centennial National Park stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Wangchuck Centennial National Park. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Bumthang volume with your photos and a note.
Near Wangchuck Centennial National Park
Kurjey Lhakhang 22 km
A temple complex in the Bumthang valley built around a rock said to bear the body imprint of Guru Rinpoche, which gives it its name. It is the final resting place of the first three kings of Bhutan, and a great tree behind one temple is believed to be a terma left by Padmasambhava.
Tamshing Lhakhang 26 km
A Nyingma monastery in Bumthang founded by Pema Lingpa, Bhutan's great treasure revealer, and still closely tied to him and his line of incarnations. It is the seat of Sungtrul Rinpoche, the speech incarnation of Pema Lingpa, and keeps some of the oldest wall paintings in Bhutan.
Könchogsum Lhakhang 26 km
A small, old Buddhist temple in the Bumthang valley of central Bhutan, also known as Tsilung, a short walk from Tamshing Monastery. It is one of the cluster of ancient temples around Jakar visited by pilgrims on the valley's temple circuit.
Jambay Lhakhang 27 km
One of Bhutan's oldest temples, in the Bumthang valley near Jakar, said to be one of 108 temples built by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in 659 in a single day. It is dedicated to Maitreya, the future Buddha, and was raised to pin an ogress to the earth forever.
Jakar Dzong 30 km
The dzong of Bumthang District, on a ridge above Jakar town in the Chamkhar valley. It stands on the site of a temple founded by Yongzin Ngagi Wangchuk in the 16th century, and with walls more than 1,500 metres round it is one of the largest dzongs in Bhutan.
Membartsho 34 km
A sacred pool in a river gorge of Bumthang, where Pema Lingpa, Bhutan's greatest treasure revealer, recovered terma of Guru Rinpoche in the 15th century. Its name means Burning Lake, after the legend that he dived in holding a lit butter lamp and came out with it still burning.
Trongsa Dzong 36 km
The largest dzong in Bhutan, spread along a spur above the gorge of the Mangde River in the centre of the country. A temple stood here from 1543, and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal built the first dzong in 1647, enlarged again and again through the 18th century.
Chendebji Chorten 48 km
A large white stupa beside a stream, 41 kilometres west of Trongsa at 2,430 metres. It is built in the Nepali style, modelled on Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, with painted eyes looking out from its dome.
More hidden gems in Bumthang
Questions
Where is Wangchuck Centennial National Park?
Wangchuck Centennial National Park is in Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kurjey Lhakhang (22 km), Tamshing Lhakhang (26 km), Könchogsum Lhakhang (26 km).
How do I get the Wangchuck Centennial National Park stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Wangchuck Centennial National Park and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Bumthang volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Wangchuck Centennial National Park before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Bumthang volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.