Places to visit in Gangtey
Set in the heart of the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, Gangtey is a charming town in the beautiful glacial valley of Phobjikha. One of the most beautiful destinations in Bhutan, Gangtey is a popular trekking trail in the Himalayas. It’s a surprising sight as the wide, flat valley without any trees after the hike through dense forests is an extremely rare experience in Bhutan.
Gangtey is home to an important religious site of Gangtey Goempa Monastery dating back to the early 17th century. Situated at the head of the valley, at the height of 2800 m above sea level, the monastery is also blessed with exceptional views. Also known as Gangtey Goenpa, it is an important monastery of Nyingmapa school of Buddhism, the main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition.
The heavenly beauty Gangtey also supports many birds that migrate to escape the winters. It is mainly popular as the winter home to a group of globally endangered black necked cranes that arrive every year from the Tibetan Plateau. The region boasts various nature trails as well as a Crane Information Centre to educate visitors.
The most important of tourism delights in Gangtey includes the Gangtey Nature Trail. The 5.5 km trail is a pleasurable walk that provides opportunity to get nice feel of Phobjikha valley. The fairly easy hike takes almost 2 hours at the most. From the small hilltop overlooking Gangtey Goemba, you head downhill through flower meadows to Semchubara village and from here through beautiful forests and into open valley.
Phobjikha valley
Phobjikha Valley is small and quiet valley is the winter home of the migratory Black necked Cranes, who come all the way from the dry plains of Tibet to the warmer climate of Bhutan.
Nyingmapa monastery
Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery is the largest teaching centre of Nyingmapa, the lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. The monastery belongs to the Sangha community and it is here that the teachings of Lord Buddha are preserved intact for worldwide propagation. It was founded by His Holiness Pema Norby Rinpoche in 1963 as the second seat of the Palyul monastery (one of the six great Tibet Nyingma Mother monasteries).
