Eastern Bhutan

Few tourists make it east, which is exactly why you should. The landscape shifts rapidly — subtropical gorges give way to pine forests and high passes within a few hours of driving. The people here speak different languages, weave different patterns, and maintain traditions that feel older and less polished than in the west.

Mongar

A transit town for most travellers, but worth a stop for Drametse Lhakhang, a 16th-century monastery famous for its masked drum dance (now a UNESCO Intangible Heritage item). The surrounding hills produce fine bamboo crafts and textiles.

Trashigang

The largest town in the east, built around a Dzong perched on a cliff above the Drangme Chhu river. The weekly market draws Brokpa herders from Merak and Sakteng — semi-nomadic yak herders who wear distinctive clothing woven from yak hair and speak their own language.

Trashi Yangtse

Home to the Zorig Chusum Institute where young artisans train in Bhutan's thirteen traditional arts, from painting to bronze casting. Nearby Bumdeling valley is a winter sanctuary for Black-Necked Cranes, and the impressive Chorten Kora stupa draws pilgrims from both sides of the Indian border.

Lhuntse

The ancestral home of the royal family, tucked into a valley so remote it took a week to reach by mule until the road arrived. The Dzong here guards the Kurichhu river, and the nearby village of Khoma produces some of the finest hand-woven textiles in the country.