Trashigang District, Bhutan Travel Guide

Discover the untamed beauty and rich cultural heritage of Trashigang District, the Jewel of Eastern Bhutan, where ancient traditions meet stunning landscapes.

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Trashigang District

Nestled in the eastern part of Bhutan, Trashigang District is a captivating blend of natural beauty, rich culture, and ancient traditions. This region is often referred to as the Jewel of Eastern Bhutan, offering visitors an authentic glimpse into the country's heart and soul. The district is known for its lush landscapes, terraced fields, and vibrant festivals that reflect the deep-rooted customs of Bhutanese life. One of the highlights of Trashigang is the Trashigang Dzong, a majestic fortress that stands proudly on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Drangme Chhu and Gamri Chhu rivers. This dzong, built in the 17th century, is not only an architectural marvel but also a significant religious and administrative center. Visitors can explore its intricate murals, courtyards, and temples while soaking in the panoramic views of the surrounding valleys. Trashigang is also the gateway to several remote yet enchanting villages such as Merak and Sakteng. These villages are home to the Brokpa people, a semi-nomadic community known for their unique culture and lifestyle. Trekking to these high-altitude settlements offers an unparalleled experience of Bhutan's untouched wilderness and the chance to witness traditional practices that have remained unchanged for centuries. For nature enthusiasts, the district offers numerous trekking and hiking opportunities. The Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, with its diverse flora and fauna, is a haven for birdwatchers and wildlife lovers. The sanctuary is also believed to be the habitat of the elusive yeti, adding an element of mystery to the adventure. Whether you're seeking spiritual solace, historical insights, or outdoor thrills, Trashigang District promises a memorable journey through the lesser-explored treasures of Bhutan.

From Eve

Know before you go

Hi, I'm Eve. Here are a few practical things to know before exploring Trashigang District.

Visit during the Trashigang Tshechu festival held in November for a vibrant display of Bhutanese culture and masked dances.
Carry warm clothing as temperatures can drop significantly in the evenings, especially in high-altitude areas like Merak and Sakteng.
Hire a local guide for trekking to remote villages to gain insights into the unique Brokpa culture and ensure a safe journey.
Try the local cuisine, particularly the Ema Datshi (chili cheese) and Ara (traditional alcoholic beverage) for an authentic taste of Bhutanese flavors.
Respect local customs and dress modestly when visiting religious sites and interacting with the local communities.

Explore Trashigang District: Things to Do, Places to Eat, Hotels & More

Handpicked recommendations for top attractions, local dining, accommodations, and more

Best attractions in Trashigang District

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Best Attractions

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Chowki Picnic Spot

Explore the serene beauty and thrilling adventures at Chowki Picnic Spot in Manas National Park, Assam's natural retreat for all travelers.

4.2

Jamphel Lhakhang བྱམས་་པ་ལྷ་ཁང་།

Explore the tranquil beauty and spiritual significance of Jamphel Lhakhang, a stunning Buddhist temple in Jakar, Bhutan.

4.8

Bhutan Chowki Photoshoot Spot (2)

Discover the breathtaking Bhutan Chowki Photoshoot Spot in Assam, a serene paradise for photographers and nature lovers alike, ideal for capturing stunning landscapes.

5.0

Chenla Trail

Experience the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan at Chenla Trail, a serene hiking area perfect for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.

5.0

Best landmarks in Trashigang District

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Chowki Picnic Spot

Discover the serene beauty of Chowki Picnic Spot in Manas National Park, Assam, where nature and adventure blend seamlessly for an unforgettable experience.

4.2

National Memorial Chhorten རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་རྗེས་དྲན་མཆོད་རྟེན།

Experience the serene beauty and rich cultural heritage of Bhutan at the National Memorial Chhorten, an iconic Buddhist temple in Thimphu.

4.5

Indo-Bhutan Border Gateway

Discover the Indo-Bhutan Border Gateway, a stunning cultural crossroads with breathtaking views and rich traditions, perfect for travelers seeking unique experiences.

4.3

Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary.

Experience the untouched wilderness and rich culture of Bhutan at Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, a must-visit park for nature enthusiasts and adventurers.

4.3

Best restaurants in Trashigang District

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Damala Restaurant and Lodge

Discover the essence of Bhutanese flavors at Damala Restaurant and Lodge in Daifam - where tradition meets taste.

3.4

Gomthey Restaurant And Bar

Experience authentic Bhutanese flavors at Gomthey Restaurant And Bar, where culinary tradition meets contemporary charm in an unforgettable setting.

4.5

Yangchhag Hotel & Restaurant

Experience authentic Bhutanese hospitality at Yangchhag Hotel & Restaurant in Nganglam - where comfort meets local flavor.

4.7

Kuenjung Pizza

Discover the flavors of Bhutan at Kuenjung Pizza in Samdrup Jongkhar – where every slice tells a story.

3.9

Best bars in Trashigang District

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Lepcha Hotel

Discover authentic Bhutanese flavors at Lepcha Hotel in Trashigang, a charming restaurant offering a warm, cultural dining experience.

3.6

Tun Tun Restaurant

Discover the authentic flavors of Radi at Tun Tun Restaurant, where local cuisine meets a warm and inviting atmosphere.

5.0

Dubjor Hotel

Experience authentic Bhutanese flavors and warm hospitality at Dubjor Hotel in Trashigang, where every meal is a celebration of local culture.

5.0

Goktey General Shop & Bar

Discover the charm of Goktey General Shop & Bar - a cozy bar in Bhutan perfect for relaxing and enjoying local flavors.

5.0

Best nightclubs in Trashigang District

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Charo Zomsa Karaoke Pub

Experience the vibrant nightlife at Charo Zomsa Karaoke Pub, where karaoke, local cuisine, and unforgettable memories await in Samdrup Jongkhar.

4.8

B.B.K. Boom Boom Karoake

Experience the vibrant karaoke scene at B.B.K. Boom Boom Karaoke in Deothang, where singing and fun go hand in hand in a lively atmosphere.

5.0

HUNGZA KARAOKE

Experience the thrill of karaoke in Mongar at HUNGZA KARAOKE, where rock music meets vibrant nightlife for unforgettable memories.

3.5

Jigyel Karaoke འཇིགས་རྒྱལ་སྤྲོ་གླུ་ཁང་།

Experience the vibrant nightlife of Trashiyangtse at Jigyel Karaoke, where music and laughter come together to create unforgettable memories.

5.0

Best shops in Trashigang District

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Kota Shopping Center

Explore the vibrant Kota Shopping Center in Trashigang for your hardware needs and discover local crafts that celebrate Bhutanese culture.

3.7

Pema general shop

Explore local flavors and essentials at Pema General Shop, a grocery store in Trashigang offering a taste of Bhutanese culture.

4.5

PEMA LHENDRUP HANDICRAFT

Explore the artistry of Bhutan at PEMA LHENDRUP HANDICRAFT, where traditional craftsmanship meets modern design in a delightful shopping experience.

4.8

S. T Garments. (new Shop)

Explore S. T Garments in Trashigang for a unique shopping experience featuring traditional Bhutanese fashion and local artisan crafts.

3.8

Explore Trashigang District on the Map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in Trashigang District, mapped for you.

Trashigang District Essentials

Trashigang District is located in the eastern part of Bhutan. The nearest international airport is Paro International Airport, which is approximately 600 kilometers away. From Paro, you can take a domestic flight to Yonphula Airport, which is about 30 kilometers from Trashigang town. Alternatively, you can travel by road from Thimphu or Paro, which is a scenic but long journey, taking around 2-3 days. Buses and taxis are available for this route.
Within Trashigang District, local taxis and buses are the primary modes of transportation. The roads can be narrow and winding, so it is advisable to hire a local driver if you are not familiar with the terrain. For shorter distances, walking is a feasible option, especially within Trashigang town and nearby villages. Renting a car is also an option, but ensure it is a vehicle suitable for mountainous roads.
The official currency in Bhutan is the Ngultrum (BTN). Indian Rupees (INR) are also widely accepted. Credit cards are accepted in some hotels and larger shops, but it is advisable to carry cash, especially in smaller establishments and rural areas. ATMs are available in Trashigang town, but it is wise to withdraw sufficient cash before traveling to more remote areas.
Trashigang District is generally a safe destination for tourists. However, it is always advisable to take standard precautions. Avoid walking alone at night in unfamiliar areas and keep an eye on your belongings in crowded places. There are no specific high-crime areas targeting tourists, but staying vigilant and aware of your surroundings is always best.
In case of emergency, dial 113 for medical emergencies and 110 for the police. The local hospital in Trashigang town provides basic medical services, but for more severe cases, you may need to be transported to larger facilities in Thimphu. It is recommended to have travel insurance that covers medical emergencies. For minor health issues, there are pharmacies in Trashigang town where you can purchase over-the-counter medications.
Fashion: Do dress modestly, especially when visiting religious sites. Avoid wearing revealing clothing. Religion: Do respect local customs and traditions. Always remove your shoes and cover your head when entering temples and monasteries. Public Transport: Do be respectful and give up your seat to elderly passengers. Don't eat or drink on public transport. Greetings: Do greet people with a polite bow or a handshake. A traditional greeting in Bhutan is 'Kuzuzangpo la'. Eating & Drinking: Do try local delicacies and accept food offerings graciously. Don't refuse hospitality, as it is considered impolite.
To experience Trashigang District like a local, visit the local markets where you can buy fresh produce and traditional Bhutanese goods. Engage with locals, as they are often friendly and willing to share stories about the area's history and culture. Don't miss visiting the Trashigang Dzong, a prominent fortress with historical significance. For a unique experience, take part in local festivals and observe traditional dances and rituals.

When is the best time to visit Trashigang District?

With Eve

Useful Local Phrases for Trashigang District

You don't need to speak the language perfectly. Even learning a few simple words can make conversations warmer—and locals usually appreciate the effort.

— Eve

6 phrase groups English + pronunciation

Here are the phrases I use most often in Trashigang District. Try a few—you'll be surprised how far they go! 😊
❤️

- Helloཇོ ཇོ ཇོ
  [jo jo jo]
- Goodbyeཞིང་ཞིང
  [zhing zhing]
- Yesཡོད
  [yo]
- Noམེད
  [me]
- Please/You're welcomeཡངས་རང
  [yang rang]
- Thank youབཤདྲིས
  [shadri]
- Excuse me/Sorryདགའ་གར
  [dakar]
- How are you?ཁྱེད་རང་དེ་སྦར་སི?
  [khye rang de bar si?]
- Fine. And you?སྦར་སི. ཁྱེད་རང་དེ?
  [bar si. khye rang de?]
- Do you speak English?ཨིན་སྐྱིད་སྦར་སི?
  [in kyi si?]
- I don't understandངེས་མཐུན་མི
  [nges thun mi]
- I'd like to see the menu, pleaseམཐའ་བར་མིང་ཨེས་སྦར་སི
  [tha bar ming es bar si]
- I don't eat meatབྲི་མེད་མི
  [dri me mi]
- Cheers!རིགས!
  [rigs]
- I would like to pay, pleaseངེས་མཐུན་བར་མིང་ཨེས་སྦར་སི
  [nges thun bar ming es bar si]
- Help!ལས་མེ
  [la me]
- Go away!ལོ་མི
  [lo mi]
- Call the Police!ཟིར་གནས་ཨེས་སྦར་སི
  [zir gnas es bar si]
- Call a doctor!བྲིས་ཟིར་ཨེས་སྦར་སི
  [dri zir es bar si]
- I'm lostངེས་གསར་མི
  [nges gsar mi]
- I'm illངེས་བྲིས
  [nges dri]
- I'd like to buy...མཐའ་བར་མིང་...
  [tha bar ming ...]
- I'm just lookingངེས་མཐུན་སྦར་མི
  [nges thun sar mi]
- How much is it?བསྡད་ཚར་སི?
  [se da tsar si]
- That's too expensiveདེའོ་སིསས་སི
  [deo siss si]
- Can you lower the price?བསྡད་ཚར་དགད་མི
  [se da tsar dak mi]
- What time is it?དུས་ཚརེ་སི?
  [dus tsare si]
- It's one o'clockདུས་གཅིག་རེ
  [dus gchik re]
- Half past (10)གནམ་གཅིག་(༡༠)
  [nam gchik (10)]
- Morningརྙིང
  [nying]
- Afternoonདགོས
  [gosh]
- Eveningཉིན
  [nyin]
- Yesterdayཁ་རེ
  [kha re]
- Todayདེ་རེ
  [de re]
- Tomorrowསེར་རེ
  [ser re]
- 1༡
  [1]
- 2༢
  [2]
- 3༣
  [3]
- 4༤
  [4]
- 5༥
  [5]
- 6༦
  [6]
- 7༧
  [7]
- 8༨
  [8]
- 9༩
  [9]
- 10༡༠
  [10]
- Where's a/the...?ཛྷུས་ཀཡོ...?
  [zhuz kyo...?]
- What's the address?འཛིན་ཡོདོས་དུས་གཡུ?
  [dzin yo do gyo?]
- Can you show me (on the map)?བསྡད་གསི་ཨེས་སྦར་སི?
  [se da si es bar si?]
- When's the next (bus)?དུས་རིགས་ཧམས་དུ?
  [dus rigs hams du?]
- A ticket (to ....)དུ་ཛ་རེ...
  [du za re...]

History of Trashigang District

Trashigang District, located in the eastern part of Bhutan, is one of the country's oldest inhabited regions. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area has been settled for thousands of years, with early inhabitants practicing agriculture and animal husbandry. The region's remote location allowed it to preserve its unique cultural practices and traditions, making it a living museum of Bhutanese heritage.
Trashigang Dzong, a fortress-monastery built in 1659, stands as a testament to the region's historical significance. Constructed under the direction of Chögyal Minjur Tempa, the Third Desi of Bhutan, the Dzong served both as a defense fortification and an administrative center. Over the centuries, it has been the focal point for governance and religion, hosting annual festivals like the Trashigang Tshechu, which attract visitors from all over Bhutan.
Trashigang is also a spiritual hub, with numerous monasteries and temples dotting the landscape. One of the most important is the Gom Kora, a sacred pilgrimage site located near the town of Trashigang. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, meditated here during his journey to Tibet. Each spring, pilgrims from Bhutan and neighboring regions gather at Gom Kora to participate in the annual festival, reflecting the deep religious roots of the area.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Trashigang District experienced its first encounters with the British Empire. British explorers and surveyors, such as John Claude White, documented their travels through the region, providing a glimpse into the remote and enigmatic world of eastern Bhutan. These encounters, although limited, began to open up Trashigang to the outside world, laying the groundwork for future interactions and development.
The latter half of the 20th century saw significant changes in Trashigang District as Bhutan began to modernize. Infrastructure improvements, such as the construction of the East-West Highway, connected the district to the rest of the country. Educational institutions, including Sherubtse College, Bhutan's oldest college, were established, transforming Trashigang into an educational hub. Despite these advancements, the district has managed to retain its traditional charm and cultural authenticity.