Thimphu, Bhutan

Summary

Airport Rating n/a
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££

• The capital and largest city in Bhutan (but still very small)
• 2,300m above sea level, located in a beautiful valley
• Clean city with gorgeous landscapes surrounding it
• No issues as a Sikh during my time 
• Main Sights: Buddha Dordenma, Motithang Takin Preserve, Norzin Lam Street Market, Tashichho Dzong, Simply Bhutan, Wangditse Lhakhang, Chelela Pass

Thimphu - the capital

This is the second in my three-part series on Bhutan, you can read about my trip to Paro (and the Tiger's Nest) here.

While Paro is undoubtedly the tourist centre of Bhutan, Thimphu is the capital. The city doesn't have its own airport, but the journey from Paro is about an hour by car. The journey itself is beautiful as it follows the course of the river in the valley, ascending into the mountains and returning back into a valley. At times, the scenery is almost otherworldly as mountains frame the landscape. Small dogs and cows occasionally stray into the road, but much like Paro, the road to Thimphu is well paved and clean. The only issue is if you get even a little bit of car sickness, the journey be uncomfortable as you wind your way through mountains and valleys. Not ridiculous, but you'll be able to feel it.

Thimphu is a high-altitude city situated in a narrow valley in the western Himalayas at roughly 2,300 metres above sea level, slightly lower than Paro but high enough that if you are not used to altitude you might feel some effects. I was completely fine in both cities but this is about the height altitude sickness can kick off in some people.

Thimphu is built along the course of the Wang Chhu river, the city stretches in a long north to south corridor rather than spreading widely across flat land. Mountains rise sharply on both sides of the valley, limiting how far the city can expand and giving it a distinctive linear shape. Much of the urban area follows the river and the main road that runs parallel to it, with neighbourhoods extending up the slopes where terrain allows. You can see this quite well if you climb into the hills and mountains surrounding the city, as I did on several occasions.

Thimphu is a small capital city by global standards. The city’s population is about around 140,000 people, although the exact number fluctuates as people move between rural areas and the capital for work, education, and government employment. This makes the city smaller about 10x smaller than Birmingham, and more like the size of some towns in the Black Country like Dudley.

Historically, the area’s strategic location in the western Himalayas made it an important point along regional trade routes that connected mountain communities and so settled agriculture began there not long after the first people started arriving. Monastic institutions were established in the valley many centuries ago, and fortified complexes were constructed to serve as centres of administration and defence.

For most of its history the valley was not a capital city in the modern sense. Political authority and administrative activity moved between different locations depending on the season and the needs of the ruling elite. The transformation of Thimphu into a permanent national capital occurred in the mid-twentieth century when central government functions were consolidated there.

In the 1950s and 1960s the city was still little more than a small settlement with scattered government buildings and a handful of roads. Over the following decades infrastructure projects gradually reshaped the valley. Roads were expanded, administrative offices were built, and public housing appeared to accommodate civil servants and workers relocating to the capital. As government ministries and agencies clustered in the city, Thimphu became the focal point for national administration.

As soon as I got into the city limits and the mountainous road gave way to an urban are, the first thing that struck me was just how clean and orderly everything seemed. Unlike neighbouring countries, traffic flow is steady, there is no crazy driving, and the streets are immaculately clean. There seems to be a strong social contract in this country where people take care of their city and surroundings which was nice to see. It's not a huge city by population or by area, but it's big enough that it is a commercial and political centre with shops, markets, businesses etc. Thimphu is also (I'm told) the only capital city in the world without traffic lights. At some busy junctions you have guards at their posts directing traffic.

Thimphu City Centre

If you want to do some shopping in Bhutan, Thimphu is a better option than Paro as it's both bigger and cheaper. You have some global brands (I saw Adidas and Puma stores) but most seem to be locally owned. I wouldn't call the central area busy, but there are people doing their shopping and walking around some of the central commercial areas during all times of the day.

There are a few larger markets too. My favourite is the Norzin Lam Street Market, which runs along Norzin Lam, the main road through the centre of Thimphu. The market is made up of a row of small wooden huts and stall structures lining the pavement. They sit directly along the street, so when walking down Norzin Lam you pass a continuous stretch of shopfronts selling handicrafts, souvenirs, and locally made goods. Shopkeepers are happy to haggle on the price, and while some of it is tourist focused souvenirs, there are some genuinely good bargains to be had, especially on weaved clothing with is a speciality in the region.

Nearby, is the Centenary Farmers Market, commonly referred to locally as the Weekend Market. It sits on the eastern bank of the Wang Chhu river, just across a bridge from the central part of the city. The market occupies a large two-storey riverside structure built specifically for trading agricultural produce and local goods. Although it operates every day in a limited way, it becomes significantly busier from Friday through Sunday, when farmers and traders travel in from surrounding valleys to sell their goods directly to residents of the capital. So you have every type of fruit and vegetable you would want, as well as other types of food and even a small section of non-food goods.

You also have the more traditional, functional shops throughout the city, and while there are bargains, some of the larger stores can be more expensive. There are plenty of restaurants throughout the city, but the quality of food can be inconsistent and this is a region where if you eat the wrong food you can get pretty sick for days. I was generally lucky during my trips to Bhutan and was careful where I ate, mostly sticking to the larger hotels and established restaurants, but I did eat in a couple of smaller local huts and felt fine.

The nightlife is good, although obviously given the size of the city it's not exactly filled with options. Karaoke and live music seem to be popular and generally you can move from place to place without a cover charge. I went out a few times at night and the streets were relatively quiet (mostly curious youngsters) and it felt completely safe. I also walked around the streets during the day and again, very easy to get around, extremely walkable, and on sunny days you can walk quite far and find things to see and do. 

Tashichho Dzong

Bhutan is split into different regions, and each region as its own Dzong. The main dzong in Thimphu is Tashichho Dzong and it is one of the most important administrative and religious buildings in the city. Much like the one I wrote about in Paro, the dzong functions simultaneously as a fortress, a monastery, and the centre of government administration, reflecting a longstanding institutional structure in which religious and civil authority operate side by side within the same complex.

A monastery existed in this part of the valley as early as the thirteenth century, founded by followers of a Tibetan Buddhist teacher named Phajo Drugom Zhigpo. Over time the location developed into an important religious centre within the valley. As political authority consolidated in the region during the seventeenth century, the monastery was expanded and fortified into a dzong under the leadership of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the figure credited with unifying the territory that would eventually become the modern state.

The dzong built during the seventeenth century served both defensive and administrative functions. Dzongs across the Himalayan region were designed to act as strongholds that could protect religious institutions and local authorities during periods of conflict. Thick stone walls, inward-facing courtyards, and strategic hilltop or riverside locations made them difficult to attack..

Over the centuries the building was damaged by fires and natural wear. and so a lot of reconstruction was carried out during the twentieth century. In the 1960s the building underwent major restoration under the direction of the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. The reconstruction preserved the traditional architectural style while modernising the internal layout so the dzong could function as the headquarters of the national government.

Architecturally, the complex is similar to what I saw in Paro. A high outer wall surrounds several large courtyards that organise the internal layout. Entry leads into the primary courtyard used for ceremonies and official gatherings. Surrounding this space are administrative offices, assembly halls, and monastic quarters arranged across multiple levels. Wooden galleries and stairways connect the different sections of the complex, while elaborately painted beams and carved window frames decorate the upper structures.

The central tower, known as the utse, forms the spiritual core of the complex and houses important religious chambers and in this complex it really stands out thanks to its steep stairs. Within these spaces are shrines, prayer halls, and sacred objects used by the monastic community that resides in the dzong.

Because the dzong contains both government offices and monastic quarters, access to the interior is partially restricted. You can easily visit certain courtyards and exterior sections but many rooms remain reserved for official functions or religious use. The building’s dual purpose means it operates both as a place of governance and as an active monastic centre rather than purely a historical monument.

The large courtyards inside the complex play an important role in public events. The Thimphu Tsechu festival, the biggest in the country, takes place in the courtyards of Tashichho Dzong. The festival is held each year in the large courtyard inside the dzong, usually over three days in the autumn according to the lunar calendar. The central courtyard of the dzong is the main stage for the ceremonies and temporary seating is added to accomodate the influx of people both foreign and local.

Buddha Dordenma

There is one thing that dominates Thimphu from across the city and that is a giant statue of the Buddha on a mountainside, overlooking the city. No matter where I went in Thimphu, I would always look up to see the Buddha and more of then than not I would see it. Think Christ the Redeemer in Rio. The statue is on a hill in Kuenselphodrang Nature Park above the southern side of the valley. It's probably the most recognisable landmark in the city, and at night when it is lit up, it feels oddly comforting. Honestly, loved it!

But the cool thing is that you can visit it up close, and believe me, it's even more beautiful when you're standing directly in front of it. The road to the site climbs steadily from the central part of Thimphu up into the hills above the valley. The journey takes around 10 minutes by car - I actually tried to walk it the first time but after over an hour in the baking sun I realised it wasn't the best idea.

As the road ascends, the city gradually becomes visible below, revealing the narrow valley in which Thimphu is built. Any time you climb up a hill or mountain surrounding Thimphu, the views of the city are spectacular.

My first impression was purely the scale of the statue. Buddha Dordenma stands approximately 51 metres tall, making it one of the largest seated Buddha statues in the world. The figure depicts Shakyamuni Buddha seated in meditation, facing outward toward the valley and the city below. The statue has a gold-coloured exterior that reflects sunlight strongly during clear weather, making it visible from considerable distances across the valley.

It sits on a broad stone terrace that functions as both an observation area and an open public space. From this terrace there are wide views across the Thimphu valley. Because the city occupies a narrow corridor between steep mountains, the view clearly shows how development follows the river and the main road through the centre of the valley. 

The statue itself is not solid. Inside the structure there is a large interior hall used as a temple space. Within this hall are more than 100,000 smaller Buddha statues, each made of bronze and gilded which look incredible. These statues are arranged along the walls and on raised platforms around the interior chamber. I visited twice and both times it was relatively quiet, with the few people that were there conducting prayers.

The area around the statue includes paved walkways and viewing points with some viewpoints looking like sheer drops until you get very close and notice stairs or the hill below. You can see the statue from multiple angles while also seeing the backdrop of the mountain. Hands down, this is one of the most incredible landmarks that I have ever visited.

Museums in Thimphu

You've also got a handful of museums in the capital. While none of them are quite as good as the National Museum of Bhutan in Paro (which you can read about here), there is an interesting interactive museum called ​Simply Bhutan Museum. The museum is more like a living heritage centre rather than a conventional museum with static displays (a bit like the excellent Black Country Museum, which you can read about here). 

The museum is on the outskirts of central Thimphu, and the architecture is designed to resemble a traditional Bhutanese village. Instead of a single exhibition hall, the museum is basically several reconstructed buildings arranged around open courtyards and pathways. These buildings replicate the appearance of rural homes and farm structures that historically exist in different parts of the country.

It's a short but pretty full on experience. You get a guide, a traditional welcome drink (which can alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and then you get taken around this reconstruction of a farmhouse in the middle of the city. You see how people cook, clean, and generally live. There are a few souvenir shops inside, and a large hall where you get a cup of butter tea, a small snack, and watch a traditional dance. At the end of the whole thing you get a chance to do some archery, but with some pretty flimsy bows.

The people that work there were excellent, they knew their stuff, and put a lot of energy into their performances and demonstrations, but the whole thing just felt a bit, plasticky. If you're with younger kids I can definitely see why they may enjoy it.

Changyul Park

​A relatively new public space in Thimphu is Changyul Park, a landscaped park developed along the Wang Chhu river on the southern side of the city. The park occupies land that was previously used largely as an informal parking and storage area but was redesigned and transformed into a park in the city.

Changyul Park covers roughly seven acres and is built along the river which provides a relatively open environment compared with the more built-up parts of the city centre. The park has several different zones designed for different uses. There a central square for gatherings and community events, and landscaped paths and gardens where people can walk through planted areas or sit on benches overlooking the river. These pathways connect the different sections of the park and many people go for a run along these paths.

Many of the structures in the park use natural materials such as wood and stone. Pathways, benches, and small pavilions were designed to blend into the surrounding environment rather than create a heavily built urban space. Because the park sits directly beside the river, the design also incorporates pathways that follow the riverbank, allowing visitors to walk along the water and view the landscape of the valley.

I visited during the night and the day. There is a small charge for entry, the equivalent of around 20 pence, and the park is beautiful and peaceful. You can see Buddha Dordenma from across the park, and hear the soothing sounds of the Wang Chhu river. There is a small wooden restaurant / bar build over the river where you can sit and relax, and honestly, the whole vibe was just perfect.

The park opened to the public in 2024 and the construction was led by young volunteers. Volunteer programmes play a huge role in civic life in Bhutan, particularly among younger people. The DeSuung programme, for example, is a national service programme that encourages citizens to take part in community projects and emergency response efforts. People receive basic training and then help with activities such as disaster relief, public health campaigns, environmental clean-ups, and infrastructure projects like the park. You can see people dressed up in orange all around the city as uniforms for the programme.

I really like this aspect of the country. It creates a strong social contract, something that is beginning to fall apart in other countries. People genuinely seem to come together and create lifelong experiences and friendship. I spoke with a few locals who had been through the programme, and they told me it bought together people from different regions and tribes.

Takin Reserve

​Pretty much every country has a national animal, but I can't imagine many or stranger or less well known than the Takin, the national animal of Bhutan.

The takin just looks weird, like the head of a goat, and the body of a cow. The animal has a large body, a broad head, and curved horns that grow outward and upward from the skull. Its thick coat is various shades of brown, and takins can weigh several hundred kilograms and are well adapted to steep terrain and cold climates.

Takins are native to the eastern Himalayas and surrounding mountain ranges. In the wild they typically inhabit alpine forests and high mountain meadows at elevations between roughly 1,000 and 4,500 metres above sea level. They are herbivores and feed on grasses, leaves, bamboo shoots, and other vegetation found in mountainous environments.

You're not going to really see any in the wild unless you're very lucky and hiking those mountains, but Thimphu has the Motithang Takin Preserve which was established to protect the takin. The reserve is located on the hills surrounding the city and its a short 10 minute car journey to the entrance. The reserve covers a section of forested hillside that provides the takins with space to move and graze. Wooden fencing surrounds the area, and you can follow a walking path along the edge of the enclosure. From these paths you can see the animals, fairly close, but in a semi-natural state which I think is kind of cool.

The reserve also has other animals like deer, but its the taking that dominate the area. They're even stranger up close and they have a funky smell that is hard to describe. The whole reserve is very nicely set up, and again, during my visit it was very quiet. It's definitely worth a visit.

Temples and Monasteries

Bhutan is famous for its temples and monasteries, and I've already written about its most famous one, the Tiger's Nest in my previous article. But Thimphu isn't short of temples either. My favourite was the Wangditse Lhakhang which is on a mountain very close to the centre of Thimphu. The temple sits on a forested hillside overlooking the city and the valley below. 

The temple was originally built in 1715 by the eighth Desi (secular ruler) of Bhutan, Druk Rabgye, around the same time when many religious institutions were being established across the region. 

The temple is easily reachable from the city, in fact, one of the most common approaches begins near the Buddha Dordenma site above the city. From there a forest trail runs along the hillside toward the temple, taking roughly thirty to forty minutes to walk. The trail passes through pine forest and open clearings, gradually reaching the temple on the ridge.

Because of its position on the hillside, Wangditse Lhakhang offers one of the clearer viewpoints over Thimphu. During the walk to the temple, there are small openings in the forest where you can see incredible views of the city below. The walk is relatively straight forward, nothing too taxing. Although it is relatively close to the city centre, the temple receives fewer visitors than some of the more prominent sites in Thimphu. Its hillside location and the short walk required to reach it mean that it often feels quieter than other landmarks. It was for this reason that Wangditse Lhakhang was probably my favourite place to visit in Thimphu.

From the temple grounds you can see the city stretching along the valley floor with the Wang Chhu river running through the centre. The surrounding mountains form a backdrop behind the city, and the view changes depending on weather and time of day. Honestly, the view is jaw dropping and worth the walk along.

Architecturally, Wangditse Lhakhang follows the style typical of other Bhutanese temples. The building has thick whitewashed walls, timber beams, and intricately painted wooden windows. The roof is layered and decorated with traditional patterns and colours. Inside the temple are prayer halls and shrines containing statues and religious paintings associated with Buddhist teachings and protective deities.

Over the centuries the temple underwent several periods of repair and reconstruction. One of the biggest restoration projects took place after an earthquake in 2011 caused serious damage to the structure. The temple was rebuilt using traditional construction methods and the work was completed several years later.

I had an excellent experience. I watched young Buddhist circumnavigating the temple while meditating on prayer beads. A monk provided me with a blessing, and I sat inside the temple and experienced incredible peace. Outside, I sat on a bench overlooking the city, the sun gently warming the area while a nice cool breeze blew past me. It was as close to perfection as I felt on the entire trip.

There are also a couple of important monasteries close to Thimphu and a short drive away and I visited the base of them both. Tango Monastery sits on a mountainside overlooking a forested valley about 9 miles outside the main city. The monastery is built into the slope of the mountain, a bit like Paro Taktsang, with its white walls and tiered roof structures rising above the surrounding trees. The monestery dates back to the thirteenth century, when a meditation site was established in the area by a Tibetan Buddhist master named Phajo Drugom Zhigpo. Over time the meditation site developed into a larger religious complex as additional buildings were built and monks began to live there. The present structure of Tango Monastery was largely built in the seventeenth century. 

Cheri Monastery is located a short distance from Tango but lies deeper within the mountains along the same valley and was founded in 1620 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a key historical figure who played a central role in establishing the political and religious foundations of Bhutan in the seventeenth century. The monastery was built as a retreat centre for meditation and religious practice. Cheri Monastery is also known as the place where the first monastic body in Bhutan was formally established in the seventeenth century. 

You can visit the monasteries using a walking trail that climbs through forest from the valley floor below. It takes about half an hour through forested paths and isn't anywhere near as tiring as the hike to the Tiger's Nest.

Chelela Pass

The views from the hillside surrounding Thimphu are great, whether its on the outskirts of the Buddha Dordenma, the Takin Reserve, or Wangditse Lhakhang. But if you want real spectacular views over the Himalayas, then you have to travel a little further outside the city to Chelela Pass.

If you get travel sickness, this isn't for you. The only way to get there is through a steep winding road that takes about an hour in the car. On the way the city gets more distant, houses and people become sparse, and the forested roads become home to grazing animals like yaks. 

Chelela Pass is one of the highest mountain passes in Bhutan. The pass lies at an elevation of approximately 3,988 metres above sea level and connects two different valleys. At the summit the pass opens into a relatively wide clearing on the mountain ridge. The area includes a roadside space with a small hut where cars can stop and it's the perfect place to step out and take in the spectacular views. 

Because of its elevation, Chelela Pass has views across the surrounding Himalayan mountains. On clear days it is possible to see distant peaks rising above the lower ridges that surround the valleys below and I was lucky to visit during a relatively clear day. One of the mountains visible from the pass is Mount Jomolhari, a prominent snow-covered peak located on the border between Bhutan and Tibet. The mountain is over 7,300 metres tall and is one of the highest peaks visible from the region.

The pass has views into two different valleys. Looking eastward from the ridge, the terrain slopes down toward the Paro Valley, while the western side descends into the Haa Valley. The contrasting landscapes of these valleys was incredible, one more mountainous and whiter, the other more hilly, forested, and greener.

Some people do long hikes in the surrounding valleys and mountains, I settled for a short walk to the peak of the pass. About half way up the summit is a stupa / chorten which sits very lonely overlooking the valleys below. It's surreal, like something you'd see on a 90s TV show like Stargate - just this strange but beautiful structure on top of a mountain with nothing else in sight. The air is definitely thinner, and climbing toward the peak was quite challenging, the shortness of breath took me back to my hike in Peru (which you can read about here). 

Would I recommend visiting Thimphu?

Yes. No visit to Bhutan is complete without visiting the capital and, to me, it's one of the more beautiful capitals in the world. Now much of your experience will depend on your age. If you're in your twenties, you're not going to be find huge places to go out, but there is enough to keep you occupied for a short stop. In my thirties, I thought this city was absolutely perfect. The people, the food, the culture, the landscapes, I'll almost certainly do a third trip.