Paro River
The Pa Chhu runs the length of the Paro valley, from under Jomolhari in the north to the confluence at Chuzom in the south. It is not somewhere you visit; it is the thing you are looking at for three days. There is no ticket and nothing to arrange.
What you’re actually looking at
The river made this valley and it still explains it. The flat land either side of it is why Paro grows red rice where most of Bhutan grows barley, and the paddies stepping down to the water are what everybody photographs from the plane on the way in.
It rises in the far north of the district, under the Jomolhari massif, and runs south past everything you will see: the willows and the Nyamai Zam cantilever bridge below Rinpung Dzong, the iron-chain crossing at Tachog Lhakhang, and finally Chuzom — the name means confluence — where it meets the Wang Chhu coming down from Thimphu and the two go south to India together.
You cross that junction on the drive between Paro and Thimphu. It is worth knowing what it is, because it is the point at which you leave one valley’s water and join another’s.
When the valley looks its best
October and November. The red rice is ripe, the water is low and clear, and the post-monsoon light is the best of the year. This is when the valley looks like the photographs.
June to September is the monsoon: the Pa Chhu runs high, fast and brown with melt, and the paddies are a hard green rather than gold. Still beautiful, entirely different.
Winter is low water, bare fields and the clearest mountain views of the year — which is a fair trade if you are here for Drugyel Dzong and Jomolhari at the head of the valley.
What to do with it
Mostly, notice it. There are level riverside paths through Paro town, and the walk between the town and the dzong across Nyamai Zam is ten minutes and worth doing on foot rather than driving — it is the best view of the fortress there is, and it is free.
The water is glacier-fed and cold in every month. Walk beside it; do not get in it.
See things to do in Paro for how the rest of the valley compares.
Tours that visit Paro
Frequently asked questions
What is the river in Paro called?
The Pa Chhu, also written Paro Chhu. It rises under the Jomolhari massif in the north of the district and runs the length of the valley before meeting the Wang Chhu — Thimphu's river — at Chuzom, whose name means "confluence".
Can you swim in the Paro river?
It is glacier-fed and cold year-round, and it runs fast and high through the monsoon. This is a river to walk beside, not to get into.
What is the best time to see the Paro valley paddies?
October and November, when the red rice is ripe and the water is clear. In June to September the river runs high and brown with monsoon melt and the paddies are green rather than gold.
Tailor-made travel
Begin your journey to the Last Shangri-La
Every Little Bhutan itinerary is private and tailor-made. Tell us what draws you to Bhutan — festivals, treks, monasteries, food — and we will design the journey around it.