Kharbandi Goenpa
Kharbandi Goenpa stands on the Rinchending hill above Phuentsholing, at 400 metres — a little over a hundred above the town itself — about twenty minutes up the switchbacks from the border. Thirty to forty-five minutes is what it takes, and most of that goes on the garden rather than the temple — because the garden is the point.
What is actually there?
A monastery in a garden of tropical plants and flowers, looking back down over the town and out across the plains. From up here Phuentsholing is laid out below you and the flat country beyond the border runs away to the horizon — the last of that view you get on the way up, or the first on the way down.
Inside are paintings of scenes from the life of the Buddha, and statues of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Guru Rinpoche.
Who founded it?
The Royal Grandmother, Ashi Phuntsho Choden, in 1967.
That date is worth holding onto, because nearly everything else you will visit in Bhutan is centuries older. This is a modern monastery, founded within living memory — and travel sites reach for “ancient architecture” here out of habit.
When should you come?
Any month — and it is reliably cooler up here than in the town, which from April through the monsoon is the recommendation that matters. Phuentsholing takes close to four metres of rain a year, and 40 °C has been recorded down there.
October to March is the comfortable window for the district as a whole.
Is there anything to pay?
No. The Department of Tourism’s monument-fee circular of 15 March 2023 names Rinchending Lhakhang among the sites that charge nothing at all — that is this monastery, under the name of the hill it stands on.
It is the only place in this district that appears on that circular either way, and entrance fees are included in every tour we run regardless.
See things to do in Chhukha for the rest of the district.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Kharbandi Goenpa, and when?
The Royal Grandmother, Ashi Phuntsho Choden, in 1967. That makes it a modern foundation rather than an ancient one — which is worth knowing before you arrive expecting the centuries you will find everywhere else in Bhutan.
Why stop at Kharbandi rather than just seeing the town?
For the view and the temperature. The garden looks back over Phuentsholing and out across the plains, and at 400 m it is noticeably cooler than the border strip below. It is the natural first or last stop on the climb.
Is there an entry fee at Kharbandi Goenpa?
No. The Department of Tourism's monument-fee circular of 15 March 2023 lists Rinchending Lhakhang — this monastery, on the Rinchending hill — among the sites that charge nothing. Entrance fees are included in every tour we run in any case.
Tailor-made travel
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