Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten

Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten is a four-storey stupa on a ridge above the Mo Chhu, north of Punakha Dzong. Getting there is a climb of 45 minutes to an hour and a half through rice terraces and pine — the best short hike in the district, and the view from the top is the one people describe when they get home.

The walk up

You drive a short way north of the dzong, cross the Mo Chhu on a footbridge, and start climbing: rice terraces first, then pine forest, then out onto the ridge.

It takes most people 45 minutes to an hour and a half each way, and that spread is honest — it’s a sustained climb and pace varies enormously. Allow two to three and a half hours for the whole outing including time at the chorten. The trail is unpaved with no vehicle access, so this is one to skip if walking uphill is difficult.

Go in the morning if you can. It’s cooler, and the valley haze burns off.

What’s at the top

The chorten itself is worth the climb — four storeys, built to traditional teachings, with painted walls carrying Buddhist teachers and the tutelary deities of Bhutan. It’s one of the clearest examples anywhere of what contemporary Bhutanese religious art looks like with no expense spared and no shortage of skill.

But the view is the reason to be up here. The whole Punakha valley lies below with both rivers running through it, terraced fields stepping down to the water, and the dzong somewhere in the middle distance. Give yourself time to sit.

It was built by Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck for peace and harmony for all living beings and for the health and long life of the King, and consecrated in December 1999. Dress covers shoulders and knees and shoes come off inside, as at any Bhutanese temple.

How it fits your trip

This is a second-day attraction. Punakha’s first day belongs to Punakha Dzong, Chimi Lhakhang and the suspension bridge; the chorten is the reason to stay a second night.

It pairs particularly well with the river: the Mo Chhu rafting put-in is at the same bridge you cross to start the climb, so you can raft down in the morning and walk up in the afternoon, or the reverse. If the climb is too much for someone in the group, the nuns’ college on the ridge above Wolakha is the shorter second-day alternative — a view over three valleys for a fraction of the legwork.

Entry is included in your tour. See things to do in Punakha for how the valley’s sights compare on time and season.