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The
Yutongla Pass and
a series of hair-raising bends at 11,500 feet separates
the valleys of Tongsa and Bumthang. Views of Tongsa
valley on the ascent are superb.
Bumthang
has an individuality that charms its visitors and separates
it from other regions.Comprising of four smaller valleys,
the deeply spiritual region of Bumthang is shrouded
in religious legend.
In the center of Bhutan, Bumthang encompasses four major
valleys; the main one, Choskhor,
is home to the most important dzongs, temples and palaces.
Jakar is at the
foot of the Choskhor valley and likely to be your base.
Jakar Dzong is the largest in Bhutan with a circumference
of more than 1500m (4920ft), and was founded in 1549.
Wangdichholing Palace was formerly the humble abode
of King Uygen Wangchuck.
Apart
from the Dzong at Jakar smaller temples can be found
throughout the hills. Tales of Padma Sambhava dominate
these holy shrines. Teh valley is home to the sacred
Jampa and Kurje Monasteries where bodily marks of Guru
Rimpoche are impressed upon a rock.
 Further
along Choskhor Valley, the temple of Jambey
Lhakhang was built in 659 and hosts one of
the kingdom's most spectacular festivals, the Jambey
Lhakhang Drup, in October. Kurjey Lhakhang is named
after the body print of Guru Rimpoche which is preserved
in a cave inside the oldest of the three buildings which
has stood since 1652. If you're feeling dzonged out
and have had your fill of old, sacred buildings, take
to the countryside. Here, the great majority of Bhutanese
live as they have for thousands of years.
Bumthang
is also the traditional home to the great Buddhist teacher
Pema Lingpa to whose descendants the present dynasty
traces its ancestry.
The town of Jakar is the largest between Thimphu in
the west and Tashigang in the east. Jakar is famous
for its honey production, cheese, apples and apricots. Its
arable land and Swiss and German aid projects have helped
the local economy to dramatically improve over recent
years. A number of modern houses are evidence of
the valley's increased prosperity.
Visitors
to Jakar should plan to spend a few days taking advantage
of the valley's relatively gentle slopes to hike to
nearby medieval temples and glimpse Bhutan's mostly
rural population.
The
eastern most valley in central Bhutan before the Thumsingla
pass is the Ura valley with the village of Ura at its
center. A small but old Dzong and cobble stoned
paths give the village a medieval feel. Elderly
women can still be seen walking around Ura wearing sheepskins
on the ground and sleep on them).
Ura
is the last settlement before the climb to the highest
pass (12,465 feet) in the kingdom at Thumsingla.
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