The monastery is located more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor at an elevation of over 10,000 feet.

Start of trek to Taktshang

Taktshang's Perch

The trek up took about two hours.  After crossing the open area in the picture above, the trail climbed in the pines

A cool glen in the pines

Walk to Guru's glory! Take back memories of a kingdom, for here in this kingdom rules an unparalleled benevolent king!

before reaching a set of switchbacks that led to a ridge with views of the valley.  About an hour into the trek we reached a parking lot with a large prayer wheel, a small chorten, some prayer flags, and a side path to a restaurant. 

Prayer wheel at parking area used by tour buses

Pelden with his umbrella

The monastery didn’t look to be that much closer.

Taktshang from half-way point

After more climbing

It was quite warm!

we reached a spring and a guesthouse.

A chorten at a spring

The previous Je Khenpo was born near here and his former residence is up the hill. 

Former residence of a previous Je Khenpo

At 3140m we reached the lookout point from which all the famous photographs of the monastery are taken. 

It's close, but now the trail gets tricky

Taktshang from lookout at almost 10,000'

It looks close, but because it is on the other side of a deep chasm one must descend some steep steps

The descent from above

The end of the descent from below

to a waterfall

Waterfall near Taktshang

spanned by a bridge

Finally a bridge!

before climbing back up. 

Starting back up to Taktshang

Just outside the gate the police took my camera, so no more pictures until I returned to the restaurant.

The Tiger's Nest

We were ready to leave camp at 7:30 a.m., but our local guide hadn’t shown up.  He finally arrived looking like a preppy in a white shirt, blue pullover, and tennis shoes.  We walked by his house where he at least changed into hiking boots.  In the village, the steep paths were muddy from the previous evening’s rain and very slippery.

Nimshong to road: 4 mi/6.5km; 3-4 hrs; alt. gain 2050’; alt. loss 2952’

After we left the village the path was not so muddy and slippery.  It alternated between steep declines and gradual lengths along a road in progress.  Then, as we neared the river we heard blasts and suddenly a huge cloud of dust came around the corner.  Everything—camera, binoculars—became coated in dust.  I quickly pulled up my buff.  The 3000’ descent to the Mangdichu (Mangde River) took about an hour.

When we got to where the road ended and they were blasting, we discovered the suspension bridge was inaccessible.  A temporary bridge had been erected just over the rocks. 

Final bridge over Mangde Chhu

More importantly, the road trail couldn’t be used.  One had to descend a huge pile of rocks.  Note the person getting ready to ascend the pile in the following photo.

Rocky descent from road trail to river

All the villagers thought nothing of traversing this pile loaded down with supplies, but it was not my cup of tea.  Peldenand the local guide moved rocks and created short stops for my feet to guide me down and then over another pile to the bridge.

Rock pile at river

Once across the Mangdichu we waited a bit for the other porters.  Only three had left with us—one woman and two old men.  But we soon gave up waiting and started the hot, dusty, 2000-ft. climb up the mountain to the road. 

We started around 7:45 and got to the road a little after 11.  Our driver was waiting, but the van was on the other side of the avalanche.  He had climbed over the huge pile of rock still on the road along with the driver for the cook and his helper.  We waited some more for the cook and the rest of the porters, but we soon gave up and headed for the rock pile in the road. 

Avalanche on road

 Some of the porters crossed without problem, so Pelden, the local guide and our driver helped me over.  It really wasn’t too bad except for the fear of further avalanche.  Of course, it was a long ways down.

Mangde Chhu Gorge

Dust from dropping rocks from road into Mangde Chhu gorge

The driver went back over again to help the other porters while we waited and waited and waited. 

Porters waiting and waiting

Finally about 12:30 Pelden served me lunch.  I was surprised we had my lunch with us. 

Serving lunch beside the road

The workers clearing the avalanche had been absent when we reached the road, but they returned from lunch around 1.  Then it got really dusty as they lifted loads of rock and tipped them over the side of the mountain. 

Excavator at rest

The cook, driver, et al arrived around 2:15.  The cook had waited at camp for more porters, but they never showed up.  Instead he had to go round up two people to act as porters plus carry a load himself.  They had finally left camp at 11, more than three hours after we did.  Our driver had gone down to the river and helped them move all the equipment across the river and up to the road.

 We finally headed for Trongsa around 2:30.  Along the way we saw more langurs.

Black-faced Langur

 After a relatively short downhill from Nabji, we crossed the river on logs. 

Crossing river on logs

Then the trail climbed only a short way up the mountain before contouring around the mountain on a wide flat trail.  We passed individual farms, rather than a village.

Most of the bridges on the trail are simple affairs.

There were a few rocky places before we took a break about 10:30.  Then we began a small climb with the porters out in front.

The terrain was easier than on previous days as the trail passed through lush broadleaf forest without any steep climbs or declines.

We ate lunch (12:30-1:10) at a chorten on a hill just before reaching the village of Nimshong. 

Of course, to get to the village we had to  walk down and then up.  Nimshong is a small farming village of about 58 households (465 people).

The camp (4397’) was located above Nimshong near the school.  We arrived around 2 p.m. 

From here we could see the road—blocked by an avalanche—and two huge excavators working to remove the rock.  Every so often the machines would move away and there would be blasting, throwing up huge plumes of dust.  To find the blue excavator look about half-way up about one-third of the way towards the right from the left side of the picture.  The road essentially bisects the picture.  The yellow excavator is obscured by the dust.

Unfortunately, the avalanche was between the end of the trail and where our driver would pick us up.  How were we going to get around it?

If the humidity hadn’t been about 99%, this would have been a lovely walk.  The air just seemed to hang with the clouds, dark and heavy.

The vegetation in areas cleared of trees but no longer farmed was thick with brush.

I saw my first hornbill,

more marijuana,

waterfalls,

and great views down to the Mangde Chhu.

The trail reminded me of the Appalachian Trail–lots of leaves, rocks, and tree roots.

The elevations were higher than the AT in Maryland and Pennsylvania where I’ve the most miles, but the vegetation was far more tropical.

Banana Palms

Enormous Philodendrons

With two breaks and a lunch stop, it took me about 6 1/2 hours to reach Nabji, which was very different than the small Monpas villages of Jangbi and Kudra.  The people of Nabji live in a cluster of homes on a small hill above their extensively terraced rice fields.

From the point where these photos were taken, it was another 3/4-hour walk downhill to the village as the fields extend quite a ways to the right of my photos, and it was down!

We left Jangbi at 7:30a; it was cloudy. 

Marijuana along trail

We headed down and stopped after an hour at a chorten.  

Chorten along trail below Jangbi

Before we left this resting place, the cook and Pelden did some pack readjustments on the ponies while the local guide watched. 

Pack readjustment

It was the first day of March and I expected to see wildflowers in this temperate climate.  But alas, there were few to be seen, so this was a rare find. 

For the most part, the forest consisted of broadleaf trees, 

but occasionally there was a small grove of chir pine. 

Then it was down some more along a stream 

before crossing a bridge (10am) to start up again.  

Before crossing the bridge we passed along a rocky cliff face. 

The sure-footed, barefoot villagers have used these trails for centuries, but they do not resemble our well-groomed trails. 

After climbing for about an hour we reached some fields.  The building was not a house, at least not one used year-round. 

After another 15 minutes of climbing we found the porters taking a rest.  Many of the porters were women.  As to why some things were transported on ponies and others were carried on people’s backs, I don’t know. 

There was one more final push towards the top. 

Well, it really wasn’t the TOP, but soon we began to descend along the cliff face. 

Guru Rinpoche passed this way when he traveled from Nabji to Bumthang, and he left imprints of his footsteps, dagger and phallus in the rocks.  But all Pelden ever pointed out was Guru Rinpoche’s foothold.  

As the trail continued its route around and out of the ravine, there was a good view of the trail along the cliff face. 

Cliff face with Guru Rinpoche's foothold

Just before we stopped for lunch around 12:15-12:30, we saw two black-faced langurs.  

Not long after lunch it started to rain, so I have no more pictures for the day.  

It was very hot and HUMID walking in the dense forest with a poncho on.  By the time we reached camp 1 1/2 hours later at about 2:45, I was as wet inside as out. 

At Kudra (1500m), they pitched my tent under the thatched pavilion roof.  I at least had lots of space to spread out my stuff to dry, which of course it didn’t as it rained most of the night. 

I had popcorn(!) with my tea, but no meat with my remaining meals since there was a month-long Buddhist prohibition against meat. 

The porters who had carried our baggage to this point began their trip home to Jangbi at 3:30.  It had taken me 7 hours with several stops to get here, but it had taken them less and they were returning with empty backs. 

Like at Jangbi, I had visitors in Kudra even though only three households lived there.  A mother and son, along with a woman neighbor who lived 15-20 minutes away, brought me red-boiled eggs and two bottles of brew.

Nabji Trail Map

Within the boundaries of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, the Nabji Trail uses pathways long traversed by the villagers living in Jangbi (Zhangbi, Shangbi), Kudra (Kubra, Kuda), Nabji, Korphu, and Nyimshong (Nimshong).  The trail opened in November, 2006, and is the first community-based ecotourism project in Bhutan.  The villagers manage the trail and provide services for trekkers, including camping sites, porters, ponies, and guides. 

Trailhead for Nabji Trail

 Day 1:  Tongtonphey to Zhangbi (Jangbi, 4560’); 3-4 hrs.; 5mi/8km; alt. gain 3116’; alt. loss 1968’ 

Tongtonphey to Jangbi map; note the zigzags in the road and in the trail

The local guide, Pelden and I left the trailhead at Tongtongfey (3,537’ or 3,280’) around 10:30 a.m.  The cook, his assistant, the porters and the ponies with their drivers followed later, giving us time to make the long 1800′ descent to the suspension bridge over the Mangde Chhu (11:10a).   

Crossing the Magde Chhu

Note that for trekking, Pelden wore western-style clothes.   We met quite a few people on the descent and for a while after we crossed the bridge.   There were houses scattered here and there on some of the mountainsides. 

Scattered homes on the mountainsides

 It was hot and dusty with little shade for the first hour or so of walking, but we eventually reached the forest. 

Local guide leading the way through the forest

Note that the local guide was barefoot, as were some of the porters.  The path climbed gradually for a short while, but eventually we began to climb in earnest.  We stopped several times as we caught up with the porters, et. al.  Around 12:30 p.m., we stopped for lunch at a place where the trail was reasonably level and there were a few rocks to sit on. 

The local guide and cook's assistant at lunch spot

The food for lunch on the trail was no different than in a hotel.  There was rice and a selection of four or five dishes that were carried in metal pans that fit in the large grey thermos by the cook’s assistant’s right knee.  And there was tea.  They also gave me a juice box first thing when I stopped.  Nobody but me carried water. 

The rocky trail up to Jangbi

After lunch the trail climbed steeply to Jangbi, which we reached around 2 p.m.   The campsite was very nicely situated with a view over the Mangde Chhu valley. 

I was served tea in front of my tent with a view.  The porters had brought a canvas folding chair for me to sit on.

Jangbi

 Zhangbi is a Monpas village with a community school.  The Monpas are thought to be the first settlers in Bhutan.  According to one source, there are only 42 households with just over 250 Monpas left in region.  For more on the Monpas, see this scholarly article.

A house at Jangbi

I think the green strips in the following photo are bamboo.

Bamboo drying on fence

The village-provided campsite included a cookhouse with a kitchen-area and a sleeping area for the cook, his assistant, and the trekkers’ guide.

Cookhouse at Jangbi

Note the solar panels which provided enough electricity for recharging Pelden’s cellphone and my camera battery, along with a single light bulb.  Next to the cookhouse was a similarly constructed latrine.

After dinner which was served on a tray table, six local women came to visit, bringing a bowl of oranges and sugar cane, as well as three bottles of their home brew.  With a little persuasion they drank some of the liquor.  Since neither Pelden or I drank the stuff, I’m not sure what happened to the rest.

After the driver dropped us off, we crossed to the other side of the river

on a suspension bridge

where there was a wayside shrine.

We walked a wide, dusty track

passing prayer flags and a mani wall.

I saw men erecting a new row of prayer flags

and a man plowing fields.

Farmers use bamboo to weave baskets and fence sections which are then left in the fields to dry.

With no paved roads, mules and donkeys are used for transporting goods.

Note the khonying (walk-thru) chorten over a parallel spur path.  In this area, just one chorten is not enough.

After cross another suspension bridge, we entered a pine forest with an occasional view of a mountain top.

We passed through an area that seemed more like a rain forest with lots of lichen and moss.  It reminded me of the Olympic Peninsula.

We forded a small stream, but compared to the trails I regularly hike, stream fording was a rarity in Bhutan.  On the other hand, loose domesticated animals were not a rarity.  Fences were amazingly scarce, which is why there were cows on the roads (see my previous post) and donkeys in the streams. 

I assumed this was a laborer’ camp, although it was far nicer than the typical road crew’s hovels, and there were no roads around. 

Nowhere else did I see such an orderly row of latrines.

We eventually reached a high point with a spectacular view of the valley.

I’m assuming this was a lhakhang, but there were a number of buildings in a cluster here.

After a gradual descent along more dirt tracks covered in inches of dust, we recrossed the river.  Note Pelden’s use of an umbrella for shade since he cannot wear a hat.  It’s only furled because of the  bridge wires.

From here we walked at least another mile on the dusty, dirt road until we met our driver.

The only new bird for the day was a black-billed magpie.

Phobjikha Valley panorama

 The lower 10-15m of the hills or mounds in and around the valley (kame terrace) is composed of sandy silt (48% silt, 52% sand) saturated with water that seeps out in contact with the impervious clay glacial moraine of the valley floor turning it into a marshy wetland with scattered shallow ponds–ideal habitant for the wintering cranes.  They forage on plant roots and tubers, insects, snails, shrimp, fish, frogs, lizards, voles, and waste grains.

I spent a day in the valley hiking, birding, and visiting the Black-Necked Crane Information Center and a nearby monastery.  Before breakfast we strolled along the paved road on the west side of the valley hoping to see the cranes leave their rookeries to begin a day of grazing in the fields.  For some reason I expected something akin to the the dawn takeoff at Bosque del Apache  in New Mexico when large groups of birds leave the ponds for the fields.

Morning Take-off at Bosque del Apache

 Instead, the cranes mostly left in small groups of two and three; the largest I counted was seven.  Since the rookeries were on the other side of the valley and it was dark and slightly foggy, I have no pictures.

After breakfast we rambled along the Gangte Nature Trail, a 2.5-mile semi-circular trail that crossed the valley and then followed the edge of the valley along the hillsides until it reached Gangte Goemba.  We stopped to identify birds unknown to us, take pictures, watch the cranes, and generally enjoy this beautiful place on a warm, sunny day.

Gangtey Nature Trail Map

The center of the valley was very marshy. 

Marshy wetlands of Phobjikha Valley

We often had to jump from tussock to tussock to get to the Khewang Lhakhang.  The lhakhang was built in the late fifteenth century by Thulku Penjor Gyeltshen, the reincarnation of the Tibetan saint Kuenkhen Logchen Rabjampa, using Tibetan laborers.

Khewang Lhakhang

The monks who have lived in the old Tibetan-style building for centuries

Old Khewang Lhakhang

are getting new Bhutanese-style quarters.

New building at Khewang Lhakhang

Nearby there is a very old chorten and a small hillside village.

Village and Chorten

In this part of the valley we saw many Oriental Skylarks

Oriental Skylark

and passed several farmhouses.

Phobjikha Valley Farm

Farmers were out working in their potato fields–the primary cash crop for the valley.  This was one of the few places I saw tractors during my entire trip.

Farmers in their fields

Trailside Chorten and Prayer Flags

From here we had a good view of the cranes grazing in the fields.

Black-Necked Cranes Grazing

Every once in a while a small group would take off, heading for one of the higher, shadier and, therefore, cooler side valleys.

Black-Necked Cranes Aloft

While we were sitting and watching the cranes, a few women walked by carrying huge bundles of dead ferns, pine needles and other forest detritus to be used for feeding their farm animals.

Walking Trees

Hillside trail above the crane rookery

Soon thereafter the trail entered the forest (blue pine, fir, hemlock, larch, birch, rhododendron and maple) where clearly years of harvesting the understory for forage had left it picked clean.

Pine forest free of understory

Many trees were draped in a lichen called “Old-man’s Beard,”

Old-man's Beard

and we saw a Grey-Crested Tit.

Grey crested Tit

When we emerged from the forest we walked along a farm track, some of which was covered with several inches of dust.

Valley Farm

Then we climbed again to the road leading to Gangte Goemba where there was a large chorten.

Chorten near Gangte Goemba

As we walked down to meet our van and driver, we saw a White-browed Wagtail.

White-browed Wagtail

Driving back to the hotel, we found a group of three cranes, including a juvenile, in a farmyard along the road.

Pair of Cranes with Juvenile