Jigme Dorji National Park is the largest of Bhutan’s national parks. At 1,679 square miles, it is about the size of Olympic National Park in the United States. Within its boundaries, which span three climate zones, are some of the highest peaks of the Himalaya, including Jomolhari, and rare animals like the snow leopard, red panda, blue sheep, and Bengal tiger. Originally designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1974, it became a national park in 1993.
One entrance to the park, the one usually used for exiting the Jomohari Trek, is just north of Thimphu. On the drive to the park along the Wang Chhu, we passed a rock painting which Lonely Planet describes as “a large gold-painted petroglyph of Chenrisig.” Hardly!
Rock Painting in Wang Chhu Valley near Begana
There were several cars parked near the park entrance, but we never saw anyone else on the trail.
Jigme Dorji National Park Sign
If you look behind the sign, you’ll see the river.
The trail started out nice and flat, following the river
We followed it for about an hour, stopping to look for birds.
Waterfalls mean the trail is no longer flat
We didn’t see any birds, but we did see lots of Daphne. During my sightseeing tour of Thimphu, we had stopped at a handmade paper factory where the basic raw material was the woody pulp of the Daphne.
Daphne
Black-faced Laughingthrush
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
At the trailhead, we were greeted by a–
- Cow at the trailhead
Blue Whistling Thrush