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.
- Where
- Paro, Paro, Bhutan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 27.4287, 89.4255
Get the National Museum of Bhutan stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at National Museum of Bhutan. 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 National Museum of Bhutan
Rinpung Dzong 0.3 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.
Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang 1.4 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.
Kyichu Lhakhang 5.1 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.
Paro Taktsang 9.3 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.
Chele La 10 km
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.
Drukgyal Dzong 12 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 13 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 16 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 National Museum of Bhutan?
National Museum of Bhutan is in Paro, Paro, Bhutan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Rinpung Dzong (0.3 km), Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang (1.4 km), Kyichu Lhakhang (5.1 km).
How do I get the National Museum of Bhutan stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at National Museum of Bhutan 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 National Museum of Bhutan 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.