Phobjikha Valley

Phobjikha is one of Bhutan's most beautiful and ecologically significant valleys — a wide, treeless bowl at 3,000 meters ringed by mountains and protected as a conservation area. From late October through February, endangered black-necked cranes migrate here from the Tibetan Plateau, and the valley celebrates their arrival with an annual festival. Gangtey Monastery overlooks the valley from a ridge, and a network of easy trails crosses the marshland and farmland below. The quiet, rural character and the absence of dense settlement give Phobjikha a distinctive atmosphere unlike the tighter western valleys.