Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [179]
The third druk desi, Mingyur Tenpa, who ruled from 1667 to 1680, built the dzong in Lingzhi. It is on a hill about 200m above Lingzhi village and is quite close to the Tibetan border. The dzong was destroyed in the 1897 earthquake, but was rebuilt in the 1950s to serve as an administrative headquarters.
It’s quite small, with a few offices along the outside wall and a two-storey utse (cen-tral tower) in the centre. Some years ago the basement was used as a jail to house murderers and temple robbers, but the facilities were quite primitive and the dzong is no longer used for this purpose. There are only a few monks staying in the dzong.
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There is a direct route that stays level along the side of the hill, but you can take a short diversion and climb to Lingzhi Dzong, which sits at 4220m atop a ridge that separates the main valley from a side valley.
Walk down the ridge from the dzong and rejoin the lower trail. The Lingzhi La at the head of the valley was a trade route between Punakha and the Tibetan town of Gyantse and was also used by Tibetan armies during various attacks on Bhutan. The name of Lingzhi’s dzong is Yugyel Dzong; it was built to control travel over the Lingzhi La.
The largest part of Lingzhi village is hidden in a valley formed by the ridge upon which the dzong was built. There are fields of wheat and barley in the upper part of the side valley. The trail crosses the lower part, where there are a few houses, a school and post office (with a telephone) at 4080m. The Lingzhi region has a wide variety of herbs, many of which have medicinal value. The National Institute of Traditional Medicine in Thimphu has a large herb collecting and drying project here. Because of the high elevation, the only other major crop that grows well is barley.
After a look around the village, walk out of town on a level trail. It’s a pleasant hike on a good trail along a hillside covered in wildflowers and junipers. Far to the north you can see Jhari La and some of the sharp hills you must cross to get to Laya.
The trail traverses high above the river, which flows in a valley so steep that there are very few houses. The path descends to cross a small stream, then continues along the side of the valley, climbing gently. This area is the source for many plants of medicinal value and the entire hillside looks like a colourful herb garden.
About one hour from Lingzhi the trail reaches a cairn and prayer flags on a ridge at 4140m. The route turns into another side valley and makes a long gradual descent to the pleasant settlement of Goyul (3870m). In this compact village the stone houses are clustered together, unusual in Bhutan. Surrounding the village are large fields of barley.
Goyul is at the side of a stream with dramatic rock walls towering above. Leaving Goyul, the trail climbs then traverses for an hour to a chorten that overlooks another side valley. A short descent leads into the spectacular Chebisa valley, with a frozen waterfall at its head. The camp site is on a meadow opposite Chebisa (3880m). Upstream of the camp is the twin village of Chobiso.
Day 7: Chebisa to Shomuthang
17km / 6-7 hours / 890m ascent, 540m descent
The route climbs the ridge behind Chebisa, passing a few houses above the main part of the village, then makes a long, steep climb up a featureless slope. There are large herds of blue sheep living in the rocks above, which you are sure to spot. Watch for bearded vultures and Himalayan griffons flying overhead. At about 4410m the trail levels out and traverses to Gogu La (4440m). It’s not really a pass; it just crosses a ridge that leads off the top of the hill. From the ridge the trail descends into a side valley through a deep forest of rhododendrons.
It’s a long descent to a stream at 4170m, then the trail climbs again over a small ridge through a cedar forest, passing several places where the hillside has been burned. The trail crests the ridge at 4210m and descends on a muddy path into the main Jholethang Chhu valley in a deep forest of fir and birch. There’s a little climb past