Punakha Suspension Bridge
One of Bhutan's longest suspension footbridges, strung with prayer flags across the Po Chhu below Punakha Dzong.
- Coordinates
- 27.589°, 89.870°
Current Weather
The Punakha suspension bridge carries a footpath across the Po Chhu downstream of Punakha Dzong, linking the valley road to the villages and fields on the far bank. It is one of the longest suspension bridges in Bhutan, and it is a working crossing rather than an attraction — schoolchildren, farmers and monks use it daily.
What it is like
The deck is steel mesh over a light frame, so you can see the river through your feet, and it moves. Prayer flags are tied along both handrails for much of its length and hang down over the water. From the middle, the view is upstream to the confluence and the dzong, and downstream to the braided gravel bars of the Punatsangchhu.
Visiting
Fifteen to thirty minutes for the crossing and back, and it is free — which in Punakha makes it the natural pairing with the dzong just upstream. It is exposed and there is no shade, so it is hot at midday and best in the morning or the late afternoon. Anyone uneasy about height or movement should know that the deck flexes under a group.
Location
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