Places to visit in Paro, Bhutan
10 places to visit in Paro, Bhutan, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Drukgyal Dzong, Paro Taktsang, Chele La and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your Paro volume.
1 Heritage site · 1 Famous place to visit · 8 Hidden gems
Heritage sites in Paro (1)
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Drukgyal Dzong
A fortress and monastery at the head of the Paro valley, built by Tenzin Drukdra in 1649 at the behest of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Its name means 'the fortress of the victorious Drukpas', marking a victory over an invasion from Tibet.
Famous places to visit in Paro (1)
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Paro Taktsang
A cluster of temples clinging to a sheer cliff high above the upper Paro valley, reached by a steep hike through pine forest. Tradition says Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in the cave around which the monastery was later built.
Hidden gems in Paro (8)
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Chele La
The highest motorable point in Bhutan, a pass at 3,988 metres on the road between the Paro and Haa valleys. Prayer flags crowd the ridge, and on clear days the view reaches the snows of Jomolhari.
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Dobji Dzong
A dzong on a ridge above the highway from Thimphu to Haa, a few kilometres south of Chuzom, where the Paro and Thimphu rivers meet. It now houses a monastic school of about 35 monks and appeared in the 2003 film Travellers and Magicians.
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Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang
A temple built in the form of a chorten, a shape very rare in Bhutan, on a hill edge between the Paro and Dopshari valleys across the bridge from Paro town. Its interior paintings are considered a unique record of Drukpa Kagyu iconography.
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Jomolhari
A great Himalayan peak on the northern frontier of Bhutan, sometimes called the bride of Kangchenjunga. Its north face rises more than 2,700 metres above the plains, and its southern side feeds the Paro Chu; trekkers see it from the meadows of Jangothang.
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Kyichu Lhakhang
One of the oldest temples in Bhutan, a small shrine with golden roofs in the Paro valley said to date from the 7th century. Tradition links it to the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, who is said to have built 108 temples across the Himalaya to pin down an ogress.
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National Museum of Bhutan
The country's national museum, based in the Ta Dzong, a round watchtower on the hill above Rinpung Dzong in Paro. Its collections cover Bhutanese art, religious objects, textiles and everyday life, an introduction to the whole kingdom in one place.
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Rinpung Dzong
A massive dzong, part fortress and part monastery, rising above the Paro Chu and reached by a covered wooden cantilever bridge. It still houses the district monk body alongside the government offices of Paro, so robed monks and civil servants share its courtyards.
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Tachogang Lhakhang
A small temple on the far bank of the Paro Chu, reached by an iron chain footbridge from the road between Paro and Thimphu. It is linked to Thangtong Gyalpo, the 15th century Tibetan saint and bridge builder famed for his iron chain bridges across the Himalaya.
Collecting in Paro
What are the best places to visit in Paro?
LOQAH lists 10 places in Paro. The best known include Drukgyal Dzong, Paro Taktsang, Chele La, Dobji Dzong and Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in Paro?
10, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in Paro?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in Paro before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Paro and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
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