BT · Bumthang District · 27.55°N 90.73°E

jakar

Bumthang's old temples, buckwheat noodles and quiet walks through a high farming valley.

Best time
March–May is good for spring walks, and October–November brings clear days, autumn colour and the Jambay Lhakhang festival. June–August is wet, and January–February is bitterly cold, with snow on the passes.
How long
3 days, plus travel time
Getting there
There's no regular direct flight from KL to Paro. Drukair runs direct charters on some dates (about 4.5 hours), mostly sold with tour packages; otherwise it's one stop, usually via Bangkok, on Drukair or Bhutan Airlines, which can mean a night in Bangkok. From Paro it's about 30 minutes on a domestic flight to Bumthang, or two long days by road with a night on the way. Bhutan is 2 hours behind KL.
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BT · Bumthang Districtjakar27.55°N 90.73°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Bumthang's old temples, buckwheat noodles and quiet walks through a high farming valley.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingJakarBT, Bumthang District
KLjakar
≈ 2,953 km from KL, as the crow flies
Jussi Rintanen

Photo: Jrintanen (talk) (Uploads) · CC BY 2.5

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Jakar is the main town of Bumthang, a group of high valleys in central Bhutan known as the country's spiritual heartland, full of its oldest temples. It's a longer trip than the Paro–Punakha circuit, with gentle walks between monasteries, farms and buckwheat fields.

Makan

  1. PutaBumthang's buckwheat noodles, tossed with mustard oil, chilli and vegetables.Map ↗
  2. KhuleBuckwheat pancakes eaten with chilli and cheese.Map ↗
  3. Bumthang cheeseSwiss-style cheese made in the valley since a Swiss project in the 1960s.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Jakar DzongThe fortress-monastery on the ridge above town, with views over the valley.Map ↗
  2. Jambay LhakhangA 7th-century temple, one of the two oldest in Bhutan, and the setting for a famous autumn festival.Map ↗
  3. Kurjey LhakhangThree temples around a rock said to bear the body print of Guru Rinpoche.Map ↗
  4. Tamshing LhakhangA monastery from 1501 with some of Bhutan's oldest wall paintings, across the river from Kurjey.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Malaysians need a visa arranged before travel, usually through a tour operator, plus the daily Sustainable Development Fee, and a licensed guide is required for the whole trip, Paro and Thimphu included.
  • Domestic flights depend on mountain weather, so the Bumthang flight is best not timed right before the international one home.
  • Halal meat isn't usual in Bhutan, but tour operators can arrange it with enough notice, and vegetarian dishes are easy.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.