REGIONS OF BHUTAN

 

 

 

EASTERN BHUTAN:

For those with enough time on their hands, venture into eastern Bhutan for something quiet different. This is the Land of the Sharchops who speak their own language and nurture their own culture and weave beautiful textiles.

 

Trashigang: Elevation 1151m

Trashigang, the largest district of Bhutan is a 3-5 hours drivefrom Mongar and 547km from Thimphu. The historic Trashigang Dzong, atop a vertival hill above the sherichu river, is a fine example of the strategic role that these monastic fortresses played in keeping enemies out in ancient times.
The Trashigang town has cleverly expanded up the steep mountainside to provide basic essentials for a large population that come long distances to shop here.
Half an hour drive from Trashigang is Kanglung, a new town that has grown around the country’s only college, offering undergraduate degrees to about 1,000 students.

Trashi Yangtse : Elevation 1,830m

A 3.5 hour drive from Trashigang is Trashi Yangtse, the eastern home of the Black Necked Crane, bordering the Indian district of Arunachal Pradesh. Both Bhutanese and local tribes from across the border enjoy the Chorten Kora festival at Trashi Yangtse.

Mongar : Elevation: 1400m

Mongar is the district headquarters and hardly more than a stopping place surrounded by fields of Maize. It is also first town which is built on a mountainside instead of in a valley. This is characteristics of Eastern Bhutan where the valleys are usually little more than riverbeds and the mountain slopes which rise abruptly from the rivers flatten out as they approach their summits. Looking up at those steep slopes from the river, one would never imagine that the upper parts of the mountain were so densely populated. Mongar is the fastest developing dzongkhag in eastern Bhutan. The district boast of a newly constructed Referral Hospital and the region is bustling with many economic activities. Mongar is noted with its lemon grass,a plant that can be used to produce an essential oil.It also has a hydropower plant on the Kuri Chhu river.

 

The Southern Region

The southeastern town of Samdrup Jongkhar is a small border town, six hours drive from Trashigang. With generally warm weather, the district is ideal for Birdwatching.
Phuentsholing:

Phuentsholing is a true example of a frontier town where different ethnic groups mingle. Bhutanese in national costume, suffering from the hot climate; Bengalis in light dhotis; Nepalese wearing their characteristics hats; and indian businessmen carrying their breifcase. Phuentsholing is a bustling industrial town that is the southern gateway to India.
It’s the drive from Phuentsholing to Thimphuthat makes the journey from the south worthwhile as the highway takes you on a slow journey from the tropical plains through changing vegetation up to the higher altitudes of the Himalayan Kingdom.