Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [173]
There are two versions of this trek and DOT counts them as two separate treks. About 40% of Bhutan’s trekkers follow one of the Jhomolhari trek routes, but this represents fewer than 25 groups a year.
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THE TREK AT A GLANCE
Duration 9 days
Max Elevation 4930m
Standard Medium–hard
Season April to June, September to November
Start Drukgyel Dzong
Finish Dodina
Access Towns Paro, Thimphu
Summary Bhutan’s most popular trek offers spectacular views of the 7314m-high Jhomolhari from a high camp at Jangothang.
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The trek is possible from April to early June and September to November, but the best chance of favourable conditions is April or October. Days are normally warm, but nights can be very cold, especially above Jangothang. There is a lot of mud on this trek and it can be miserable in the rain. Snow usually closes the high passes in mid- to late November and they don’t reopen until April.
Day 1: Drukgyel Dzong to Sharna Zampa
17km / 4-6 hours / 360m ascent, 80m descent
The trek starts from Drukgyel Dzong at 2580m. On a clear day you can see the snow-covered peak of Jhomolhari in the distance. There is a rough unpaved road that travels a few kilometres up the valley. If you are travelling in a 4WD vehicle, you can drive to Mitshi Zampa and start the trek there.
If you’re walking from Drukgyel Dzong, the trek starts with a short downhill walk on the road. After descending about 80m, you reach the river. Look back and see how well positioned the dzong was to keep watch over this valley.
A short distance upriver is the small settlement of Chang Zampa, where there’s an outreach clinic and a little shop. A zam (bridge) crosses to river left here. Don’t cross it. The trek stays on the south bank (river right). The fields on this side of the river are planted with potatoes and wheat; on the opposite side of the river, it’s red rice.
Thirty minutes of walking takes you to the settlement of Mitshi Zampa. Here the route leaves the road and crosses to the left bank of the clear, fast-flowing Paro Chhu via a Swiss-built suspension bridge at 2540m.
The trail climbs very gently, traversing through well-maintained rice terraces and fields of millet. It’s a well-worn trail with lots of round stones and irrigation water running down it. A short walk through a forest of blue pine leads to a small stream and a white chorten. Beyond is Sangatung, a pleasant farmhouse surrounded by fields.
The route now enters an area of apple orchards and blue-pine and fir forests, and the trail is littered with rocks sticking out of the mud. On some parts of the trail, logs have been placed in washboard fashion. In other places it’s necessary to leap from rock to rock to keep your feet dry. If you are lucky, your guide will lead you along a less-muddy, alternative route that cuts across fields, following a telephone line. Don’t cross the cantilever bridge that leads to the south; stay on river left, climbing gently to Chobiso, a single house at 2800m.
Soon the valley widens and you reach the army post of Gunitsawa at 2810m. There is also a primary school and a shop here. This is the last stop before Tibet; all army personnel and civilians are required to report to the checkpoint. The trek permit that your tour operator arranged will be checked and endorsed here; wait for your guide so the registration formalities can be completed. The large dormitory-style buildings across the river are quarters for enlisted men and their families.
Below the shop at Gunitsawa the trail crosses the Paro Chhu to river right on a wooden cantilever bridge at 2790m. It then climbs to Sharna Zampa, a camping place in meadows surrounded by trees at 2850m. On the opposite side of the river you can see a helicopter pad and archery field.
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