Bhutan · City Guide
Paro
Paro is Bhutan's most scenically beautiful valley, home to the legendary Tiger's Nest Monastery perched on a cliff face 900 metres above the valley floor, the National Museum of Bhutan in a restored dzong, the dramatic Paro Dzong fortress and the gateway to the country's only international airport. The beautiful valley of buckwheat fields, apple orchards and traditional farmhouses provides the perfect introduction to Bhutan's extraordinary natural and cultural landscape.
Elect's take
"Paro is where Bhutan makes its first and most powerful impression. The Tiger's Nest is genuinely extraordinary, the dzong architecture is beautiful and the valley scenery creates an immediate sense of having arrived somewhere entirely different from anywhere else in the world."
The Tiger's Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang) is Bhutan's most sacred and celebrated religious site, built against a vertical cliff face at 3120 metres where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated in the 8th century. The hike to the monastery takes approximately 2-3 hours through beautiful rhododendron forest and provides increasingly dramatic views of the monastery clinging to the cliff. Rinpung Dzong, the fortress monastery guarding the Paro Valley, is a magnificent example of traditional Bhutanese architecture reflected in the moat below. The National Museum above the dzong provides excellent insight into Bhutanese culture, history and art. The valley is beautiful for cycling and walking through traditional farming communities.
Best time to visit
How to get there
What to expect
Tiger's Nest Monastery
Bhutan's most sacred site, a cliffside monastery built at 3120 metres above the valley.
Rinpung Dzong
A magnificent fortress monastery reflected in its moat, guarding the beautiful Paro Valley.
National Museum
An excellent introduction to Bhutanese culture, history and art in a restored round tower.
Paro Valley
A beautiful agricultural valley of farmhouses, apple orchards and rhododendron forest.
Tiger's Nest Hike
A 2-3 hour hike through forest with increasingly dramatic views of the cliff monastery.
Bhutanese Village Life
Traditional farming communities providing authentic cultural encounters throughout the valley.
