The cliff
A fortress above the valley.
muddum27 — CC BY 2.0 · Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium — CC BY 2.0 · muddum27 — CC BY 2.0 · muddum27 — CC BY 2.0 · Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium — CC BY 2.0
Lhuentse Dzong is a fortress and Buddhist monastery in Lhuentse District, eastern Bhutan, on the east bank of the Kuri Chhu, perched on a spur at the end of a narrow valley. It lies about 51 km in a straight line from Trashigang Dzong. It was first known as Kurtoed and is the ancestral home of Bhutan's royal House of Wangchuck. Though it lies in the east, its cultural roots are central Bhutanese, because before roads arrived the way in ran over the Rodang Pass trade route. Legend says a son of Pema Lingpa was sent to find a ridge shaped like an elephant's trunk on which to build it. The white fortress with red wooden windows sits on a cliff among towering green mountains, with the Kuri Chhu flowing in the valley below. Visitors climb to it on a stone-flagged path, and a carved wooden gateway stands over the steps. The drive from Mongar takes about 3 hours over 74 km, so plan to stay a night in the area. Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees, walk clockwise around the temple, and take no photos inside the halls. Most visitors to Bhutan pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night, and a licensed guide is required at dzongs and major temples.
A fortress above the valley.
Above the steps.
Flowing below.
Kuri Chhu valley, Lhuentse District, eastern Bhutan
It is the ancestral home of the royal Wangchuck family.
By road from Mongar in about 3 hours.