The Jhomolhari trek is to Bhutan what the Everest Base Camp route is to Nepal: It’s one of the most trodden routes in the country, and almost 40% of all trekkers who come to Bhutan end up following the Jhomolhari routes. The first three days of the trek follow the Paro chhu valley to Jangothang, climbing gently, but continually, with a few short, steep climbs over side ridges. It crosses a high pass and visits the remote village of Lingzhi, then crosses another pass before making its way towards Thimphu.
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The trek is possible from April to early June and September to November; April and October are most favorable. The daylight hours are normally warm, but nights can be very cold, especially above Jangothang. Snow usually closes the high passes mid- November onwards, and they don’t reopen until April.

Summary

The shorter and easier version of the main Jhomolhari trek goes to the Jhomolhari base camp at Jangothang, returning either via the same route or by an alternate trail.

The Trek at a Glance

Duration: 9 days
Max Elevation: 4930m
Difficulty: Medium- Hard
Season: April to June, September to
November
Start: Drukgyel Dzong (Paro)
Finish: Dodina (Thimphu)
Access Towns: Paro, Thimphu

Day-1: DRUKGYEL DZONG (2,580m) to SHANA ZAMPA (2,850m)

17km. 4-6 hours – (360m ascent, 80m decent)
Today you will be starting the trek after visiting few sights in Paro valley, most probably after lunch. The trek traditionally starts from the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong (although a SUV vehicle can drop you further up the trail at Shana Zampa on a feeder road).From Drukgyel Dzong, the trek starts with a short, 80m descent to the Paro Chhu river. Upstream is the small settlement of Chang Zampa, with an outreach clinic and a shop. A zam (bridge) crosses to river left here and drive through the fields of potatoes and wheat. After a while the route enters an area of apple orchards and blue pine and fir forests leaving a single house at Chobis at 2800m, soon the valley widens and you reach the army post of Gunitsawa (3810m) close to the border with Tibet, with a primary school and a shop. All army personnel and civilians are required to report to the check point; your trek permit will be checked and endorsed here. The large dormitory-style buildings across the river are the quarters for enlisted men and their families. After 10 minutes drive we reach to the camp site.

(Dinner & Overnight at the Camp: (Shana Zampa 2850m)

Day-2: Shana Zampa (2850m) to Thangthangka (3,610m)

22km. 7-8 hours. (770m ascent, 10m descent.)
Gear up yourself for a long, hard day with lots of ups and downs, made worse by all the rock-hopping required to avoid mud holes. Begin the day by climbing through conifers and rhododendrons flanking the Paro Chhu through the Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Park. If the water is high, you might have to scramble over a few small hills to get around the river in places.
After about two hours of trekking through oaks, rhododendrons and ferns, and crossing several streams, you will reach Shing Karap, a stone house and a clearing at 3110m. Further ahead is the stone-paved trail leading left to Tremo La. This is the old invasion and trade route from Phari Dzong in Tibet, and still looks well- beaten since it’s used by army caravans to ferry rations to the border post. Beware; many trekkers have casually ambled down this trail in the past and made a long, exhausting side trip to nowhere.

Immediately after the trail junction is a wooden bridge over a side stream. Climb a short set of switchbacks over a little ridge, than descend and cross the Paro Chhu to river left on a wooden cantilever bridge at 3230m. Consider stopping here for lunch. The route now goes up and down a rocky trail through forests of birch and fir, followed by blue pine, maple and larch woods, crossing an old landslide along the way. About three hours ahead, there’s bridge back to the river right at 3560m. The trail climbs to a place where you can see a white chorten on the opposite side of the river. There is a bridge here that leads back across the river. Don’t cross it, or it’ll take you up the Ronse Ghon Chhu towards Soi Yaksa. Follow the trail on river right, and climb over a small ridge as the Paro Chhu makes a noticeable bend. Fifteen minutes from the bridge is a lovely meadow with Jhomolhari looming majestically at the head of the valley? This is Thangthangka (3610m), with a small stone shelter and a Bhutanese-style house.

(Dinner & Overnight at the Camp: Thangthangka (3,610m)

Day-3: Thangthangka(3610m) to Jangothang (4,080m)

19km. 5-6 hours. (480m ascent )
Today is not a long day, but you will be left breathless due to the significant elevation gain at high altitude. Wake up early for good views of Jhomolhari, which will disappear behind a ridge as you climb beyond camp. Less than an hour ahead, at 3730m, there’s an army post with rough stone barracks housing personnel from both the Bhutan army and the Indian Military Training team (IMTRAT). A short climb leads to a small chorten on a ridge. You are now entering yak country and will see these huge beasts lumbering across hillsides and lazing in meadows. Above the trail is the village of Soi. You cannot see it until you are beyond and above it, but you may meet people herding yaks near the river. One hour beyond Soi is Takethang, a cluster of stone houses on a plateau at 3940m. The villagers grow barley and a large succulent plant called Kashaykoni that is fed to yaks during winter. The trail follows straight across the plateau, high above the river, crossing a little stream on a bridge made of big stone laid on logs.On the opposite side are a white chorten, an outreach clinic and the few houses of Dangochang. The people of this village raise yaks and a few sheep, and some households grow potatoes, turnips and radishes. This area is snowbound from mid- November until the end of March. From here, its slow going uphill beside a side stream to the camp at Jangothang (4080m), offering a spectacular view of Jhomolhari.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp: Jangothang (4,080m)

Day-4: Acclimatization Day(4080m)

Today you should spend a day lazing in Jangothang for acclimatization, a day in Jangothang is the highlight of the trek; the views don’t get any better than here. The horsemen also take the day off, and can be seen lazing around and playing dego, a traditional discus game.

There are four major possibilities for day hikes from Jangothang. The first, and best, is a four-hour excursion up the ridge to the north of the camp. There’s no trail, but it’s a broad open slope and you can just scramble up. The ridge seems endless, but after an hour or so, you get an excellent view of Jichu Drakye. Jhomolhari is hidden behind the ridge here, but becomes visible if you continue to the highest point at 4750m. You are likely to encounter gazing yaks, and occasionally, blue sheep, on the upper slopes.

An alternative, which can be combined with the walk up the ridge, is to trek up the main valley towards the last house, then continue up the valley towards Jichu Drakye. This is the same country you’ll be walking through if, later, you decide to continue trekking over the Nyile La to Lingzhi.

A third hike goes up towards the head of the valley in the direction of Jhomolhari. There is a very rough overgrown trail that cuts across moraines and bush, leading to the foot of the mountain. You can’t get very far, but there are good views in the upper part of the valley.
The last alternative is an expedition to Tshophu, a pair of lakes that sit high on the opposite side of the river to the east, with a good supply of brown trout. To get to the lakes, follow the trail north to the last settlement in the valley. It takes about one hour to get to the ridge and then another 30 minutes following a stream to the lake.

(Dinner & Overnight at the Camp)

Day-5: Jangothang(4080m – Lingzhi(4010m)

18km. 6-7hours (840m Ascent, 870 Descents.)
Today you will pass three stone houses inhabited by yak herders, this is the last settlement in the valley and it’s extremely isolated. Around a corner there’s a spectacular view of Jichu Drakye. Descend and cross a log bridge at 4160m to the left bank of the Paro Chhu, then start up a steep traverse heading back down-stream. The trail crests at the foot of a side valley and goes eastwards. Jichu Drakye towers above the Paro Chhu valley and soon the top of Jhomolhari appears over the ridge above the camp at Jangothang. The snow peak in the middle is a secondary summit of Jhomolhari.

At 4470m, the trail traverses under the big rocks that were visible from the camp, leads left and enters a large east-west glacial valley with numerous moraines. Apart from a few small gentians it’s just grass, tundra and small juniper bushes that grow here. You may spot blue sheep on the hill-side above and see marmots darting into their burrows. Past a false summit with a cairn at 4680m, the trail approaches the ridge and you can see Jichu Drakye to the northwest. The trail dips and then climbs back up a moraine, offering spectacular views of the sharp ridge jutting out from Jichu Drakye. The final pull is up to Nyile La (4870m), about four hours from camp. You can climb higher to the northwest Jhomolhari 2 and Jichu Drakye on one side and Tserim Kang (6789m) on the other. Nyile La is frequently very windy, so descend quickly through the hillside, down to a stream on the valley floor at 4450m. There is some vegetation here, mostly grass, juniper and cotoneaster. It’s an excellent lunch spot.

The trail now goes north, contouring along the hillside high above the valley. It’s a good trail with a few small ups, but mostly down and level. Eventually you can see an army camp near the river below; the white tower of Lingzhi Dzong is visible in the distance. Following a long walk to a lookout at 4360m, the trail now descends into the large Jaje Chhu valley, making many switchbacks through rhododendrons and birches to a yak pasture on the valley floor. Jichu Drakye and Tserim Kang tower over the head of the valley and you can see some remarkable examples of moraines on their lower slopes. The camp is at Chha Shi Thang (4010m).

If you take a spare day here, you can make an excursion to Chhokam Tsho at 4340m near the base camp of Jichu Drakye. During the hike you may encounter blue sheep and musk deer.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp)

Day-6: Lingzhi (4010m)- Shodu(4080m)

22km 8-9 hours (940m ascent, 920m Descent.)
Start early today; you have a long and tiring trek ahead of you. Climb towards a white chorten oin a ridge above the camp, then turn south up the deep Mo Chhu valley. The trail stays on the west side of the valley, about three hours from camp; it crosses the Mo Chhu and the route-finding exercise through hummocks of grass and slippery rocks.

The trail climbs steeply up the side of the main valley and crosses into a large side valley, climbing above a stream. It then makes an impressive climb up the headwall, zigzag through rocks to a large cairn atop Yeli La at 4930m. Avoid walking with the pack animals because the trail here is carved into a rock cliff and is quite narrow. From the pass, on a clear day, you can see Jhomolhari, Gangchhen Ta and Tserim Kang.

Descending to a hanging valley after passing a small lake at 4830m, the trail tracks the outflow from the lake, and goes down to another huge valley with a larger lake, Khedo Tsho, at 4720m. Watch for grazing blue sheep. The trail then crosses the upper reaches of the Jaradinthang Chhu and descends along the valley, following the river southwards, crossing several side streams. After crossing back to the east bank on a log bridge at 4340m, the trail reaches a chorten at 4150m where it turns eastwards into the upper Wang Chhu valley. Descending and crossing to the south bank (river right) on a log bridge, the trail traverses a narrow, sandy slope to a camping place at Shodu (4080m), just at the tree line.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp)

Day-7: Shodu (4080)- Barshong(3710m)

16km 5-6 hours ( 250m ascent, 670m Descent.)
Upon leaving Shodu, you cross to river left and pass an abandoned army camp and a small alternative campsite. The trail traverses under steep yellow cliffs with a few meditation caves carved into them, where the Zhabdrung supposedly spent some time. Down a steep stone staircase, the trail reaches the river, crossing it on a bridge at 3870m. for the next three hours, the trail crosses the river five more times, slopping through muddy cypress forests on the south slope and hugging the steep canyon walls and crossing large side streams on the north slope, eventually ending up on the north bank (river left) at 3580m.

The route climbs gradually for one hour to Barshong 3710m, where there is a dilapidated community hall and the ruins of a small Dzong, community school, BHU and RNR centre. The designated camp is below the Community school at 3740m, most groups elect to continue to a better camp by the river, about hour and half beyond.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp)

Day-8: Barshong (3710m)- Dolam Kencho(3320m)

15km 4-6 hours( 290m ascent, 640m Descent.)
The trail descends gently through a dense forest of rhododendrons, birches and conifers, and then drops steeply on a rocky trail to meet the Wang Chhu. 30 minutes of walking through a larch forest leads to a clearing known as Ta Gume Thang (waiting for Horses) at 3370m. Most groups camp here or 15 minutes further on at Dom Shisa (Where the Bear Died) instead of Barshong.

Stay on the river left, climbing over ridges and descending to side streams. From here, the rout then makes a steep climb to 3340m. After traversing for about 30 minutes through rhododendron forests, a trail leads off to the right. This descends to Dolam Kencho, a pleasant camp in a large meadow at 3320m. if your group has elected to shorten the trek and continue on to Dodina, stay on the left-hand trail, bypassing Dolam Kencho, and climb to a crest at 3430m.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp)

Day-9: Dolam Kencho(3320m)- Dodina(2640m)

8km 3-4 hours (500m ascent, 930m Descent.)
From the camp, a trail climbs back to the main trail, reaching a crest with cairn at 3430m. the trail descends to a stream at 3060m, then climbs again to a pass at 3120m. Another short descent and climb through bamboo forest leads to a rocky stream bed, which the trail follows down to the remains of a logging road along the Wang Chhu at 2720m. It is then a 15 minute walk south along a rocky route to the road head at Dodina (2640m), opposite the bridge that leads to Cheri Monastery.

(Dinner & Overnight at the camp)