Paro Valley Scenic Drive and Viewpoints
Drive through the lush Paro Valley — one of Bhutan's most fertile and scenic landscapes — stopping at viewpoints, old temples, traditional villages, and the dramatic gorge where the river exits the mountains toward the Indian plains.
- 1
Paro International Airport View
One of the world's most challenging airports, Paro's airstrip sits in a narrow valley requiring pilots specially certified for the dramatic approach — watch landings from the hillside above.
- 2
Upper Paro Valley Rice Fields
The upper valley in late summer is a mosaic of green and gold rice terraces, traditional farmhouses, and prayer flag-decorated hilltops — among the most photogenic agricultural landscapes in Bhutan.
- 3
Shaba Village
A traditional village in the lower valley where the old farmhouse architecture is intact, residents still weave traditional textiles, and the pace of life follows the agricultural calendar.
- 4
Chele La Pass Road Start
The beginning of the road climbing to Chele La Pass (3,988m) — the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, with views of Bhutan's highest peak Jomolhari on clear days.
- 5
Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang
A three-storey cylindrical temple on a rocky promontory at the valley's edge, believed to suppress an underground demoness, with remarkable interior paintings depicting the realms of existence.
- 6
Paro River Gorge
Where the Paro Chhu narrows into a rocky gorge cutting through forested ridges — a scenic spot with a small suspension bridge and the sound of rushing glacial water below.