BT · Curated travel guide
Gangkhar Puensum, Kula Kangri, Jomolhari and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about Bhutan and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets.
Unclimbed mountain in Bhutan
Bhutan's highest mountain, 7,570 metres (24,836 ft) high with a prominence of 2,995 metres (9,826 ft), and the highest mountain on Earth never climbed. Its name, in Dzongkha, means "White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers".
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mountain in Tibet and/or Bhutan
A peak of the Eastern Himalayas rising 7,538 metres (24,731 ft), ranked 45th in height among the world's mountains and counted as one of the Himalayan Ultras.
Photo: Frederick Williamson, Public domain
Mountain in Bhutan/China
Also called Chomolhari (Wylie: jo mo lha ri), and sometimes "the bride of Kangchenjunga”, a Himalayan mountain on the border of Bhutan's Paro district and Yadong County, Tibet, China. Its north face climbs more than 2,700 metres above the bare plains.
Photo: Ernst Krause, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Fortress in Thimphu, Bhutan
A Buddhist monastery and fortress at the northern edge of Thimphu, Bhutan, on the Wang Chu's west bank. It has traditionally been the seat of the Druk Desi, head of Bhutan's civil government, a post joined to the kingship since the monarchy was founded in 1907, and the country's summer capital.
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY 2.5
Dzong in Bhutan
Also called Sangak Zabdhon Phodrang, a small dzong built in 1628 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who united Bhutan.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wildlife sanctuary of Bhutan
A wildlife sanctuary in northeastern Bhutan that takes in the old Kulong Chu Wildlife Sanctuary, covering 1,520.61 square kilometres (587.11 sq mi) between 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) and 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) up. It spans most of Trashiyangtse District, Bumdeling Gewog included.
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0
Valley in Bhutan
Written ཕོབ་སྦྱིས་ཁ, or Pho-sbis-kha, a broad U-shaped valley in central Bhutan, home to Gangteng Monastery of the Nyingma school, one of the impressive old Buddhist monasteries of the country.
Photo: stull17, CC BY 2.0
National Park of Bhutan
Bhutan's biggest national park, in the north of the kingdom, covering 4,914 square kilometres (1,897 sq mi) across five districts, including large parts of northern Wangdue Phodrang, Lhuntse and Bumthang. Tibet lies on its north, and tributaries of the Wong Chhu (Raidāk) basin mark its western edge.
Photo: Tambako The Jaguar, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Mountain in Bhutan and China
A Himalayan peak 7,534 metres (24,718 ft) high on the Bhutan–China border, at the southeastern end of land claimed by both.
Photo: dhaag23, CC BY 2.0
Memorial Stupa in Thimphu, Bhutan
A stupa in Thimphu, Bhutan, near Desuung Headquarters and above the Royal Bhutan Police Headquarters. Built in 1974 in honour of the third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972), it stands 108 feet tall, a city landmark with golden spires and bells.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, a landlocked South Asian country in the Eastern Himalayas, between India, on its south and southeast, and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, on its north and northwest. With 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi) and over 800,000 people (800,871), it ranks 133rd in area and 160th in population. Its system is a democratic constitutional monarchy: the king heads the state, and a prime minister the government.
Officially The Kingdom of Bhutan. Known locally as Druk Yul, འབྲུག་ཡུལ.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
This guide lists 10: Gangkhar Puensum, Kula Kangri, Jomolhari and Tashichho Dzong and others.
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in Bhutan that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Dzongkha. The currency is BTN.
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $4.46 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
TashiCell. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to TashiCell once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $4.46 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $5.37 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $10.20 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $11.90 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 30 days | 3 GB | 30 days | $12.64 | Get it → |
| 3GB per day | 3 GB | 1 day | $14.50 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.
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