Punakha Tours & Holidays

The country’s former capital, Punakha lies amongst the fertile valleys of the Pho Chu and Mo Chu Rivers, where the surrounding farmlands produce oranges, bamboo and rice. Overshadowing this lush landscape is the magnificent 17th century monastic setting of the Punakha Dzong, once the seat of the Bhutan government, but today the winter retreat of the country’s chief abbot. Considered a particularly fine example of Bhutanese monastic architecture, the dzong houses some of the most sacred relics of the Drukpa Kargyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, including the remains of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unifier of the Bhutanese state during the 17th century.