Stone towers
On the hill.
Christopher J. Fynn — CC BY-SA 4.0 · No machine-readable author provided. Greenmnm69 assumed (based on copyright claims). — CC BY 2.5 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · User: (WT-shared) Pradyot at wts wikivoyage — Public domain
A fortress-monastery in the upper Paro valley, built in 1649 at the order of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to celebrate victory over a Tibetan invasion; its name means fortress of the victorious Bhutanese. It guarded the old route over the mountains to Tibet. The dzong burned in the mid-20th century, and its ruins stood for decades on a rocky, tree-covered hill, with stone towers and broken walls. A project then began to rebuild it to celebrate the birth of the crown prince, and parts of it have risen again using traditional methods. The hill looks over the upper Paro valley, its rice fields and villages, and on clear days the snowy summit of Jomolhari appears on the horizon. The dzong stands at the end of the paved road, close to the start of the long mountain treks. The site is generally free, visited with your guide. Most visitors to Bhutan pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night, fixed until August 2027, and a licensed guide is required at dzongs and major temples.
On the hill.
Rice fields.
On the horizon.
Upper Paro valley, about 14 km north-west of Paro
To celebrate victory over a Tibetan invasion in 1649 and to guard the old mountain route to Tibet.