Mongar
Eastern Bhutan

Mongar

The gateway to the east — lemongrass hills, a young dzong built the old way, and the road's great descent.

Altitude 1,600 m Best season October to April Worth 1 to 2 nights Getting there Six hours east of Bumthang over Thrumshing La

The road east from Bumthang climbs over Thrumshing La at nearly 3,800 metres and then falls, hairpin by hairpin, into another country — warmer, steeper, scented with lemongrass.

Mongar is where eastern Bhutan begins. Its dzong was built only in 1930, but entirely by traditional methods — no nails, no drawings — and it anchors a market town where the east’s roads meet. Nearby Drametse monastery gave the kingdom its most celebrated dance, the Nga Cham drum dance, recognised by UNESCO.

Few travellers make it past Bumthang. The ones who do find the Bhutanese unhurried in a different key — curious, hospitable, and genuinely surprised to see you.

While You Are Here

Things worth your time

  1. 01 Cross Thrumshing La The great pass between central and eastern Bhutan — fir forest, then rhododendron, then warm broadleaf in a single descent.
  2. 02 Mongar Dzong Proof the old building knowledge never left — raised in the twentieth century without a single drawing.
  3. 03 Drametse Lhakhang The monastery of the drum dance, above the Gamri valley — time a visit with morning prayers.
  4. 04 The market at Mongar Where the east trades: chillies, lemongrass oil, handwoven textiles and talk.

Mongar Tshechu each winter draws the eastern valleys to the dzong courtyard. Read about Mongar Tshechu

Fold Mongar into your journey.

Tell us when you would like to come and what matters to you. Our team in Thimphu will shape the route around it.

Plan your private journey