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.
- Where
- Paro, Paro, Bhutan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.3697, 89.3473
Get the Chele La stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Chele La. 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 Paro volume with your photos and a note.
Near Chele La
Kyichu Lhakhang 8.4 km
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.
Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang 9.8 km
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.
Rinpung Dzong 9.8 km
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.
National Museum of Bhutan 10 km
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.
Paro Taktsang 14 km
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.
Drukgyal Dzong 15 km
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.
Tachogang Lhakhang 16 km
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.
Phajoding Monastery 26 km
A monastery high on the slopes above Thimphu, founded in the 13th century by the Tibetan lama Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who brought the Drukpa Kagyu teachings to Bhutan. Most of its buildings date from 1748, and the climb up from the city takes a few hours.
More hidden gems in Paro
Questions
Where is Chele La?
Chele La is in Paro, Paro, Bhutan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kyichu Lhakhang (8.4 km), Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang (9.8 km), Rinpung Dzong (9.8 km).
How do I get the Chele La stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Chele La and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Paro volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Chele La before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Paro 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.