Haa Dzong

Wangchuklo Dzong, usually just Haa Dzong, stands on the floor of the Haa valley rather than on a ridge, which already makes it unusual among Bhutan's dzongs. It was built in 1915, so it is also one of the youngest.

What you can and cannot see

The dzong is used by the military and is not generally open to visitors. What Haa offers instead is the exterior and the valley: the red-roofed dzong among the buildings of Haa town, the wooded slopes on both sides, and — a few kilometres down the valley — the Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo, the white and black temples, which are open and are the reason most people come to Haa.

Visiting

Haa is reached from Paro over Chele La, and the pass is the better part of the day out. The valley was closed to foreign visitors until 2002, and it still sees a fraction of Paro's traffic. Plan Haa as a day from Paro or an overnight, with the two temples and the dzong exterior as the fixed points.