Chelela Pass is a beautiful mountain pass (alt 3,988 m) with a spectacular view of Mount Jumolhari and Jitchu Drake on a clear day. One can see beautiful rhododendrons and primulas blooming in spring.

It is located in the south of Paro town. The tower-like temple has a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni, Guru Rinpoche and Chenrizig.

The main altar room in the monastery has a great story about how the Guru Rinpoche broke the rock and made a cave for his meditation in the mid 8th century.  One can drive up close to the temple or hike up from the main road.

Drugyel Dzong was built in 1646 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to commemorate his victory over the Tibetans in 1644. Drukgyel means “the fortress of the victorious Drukpas”. The Dzong, with a delightful village nestling at its foot and Mount Jumolhari (Alt 24,000 feet) appearing as a backdrop on a fine weather is an awe-inspiring sight.

Also known as Tshongdoe Naktshang, the quiet and peaceful Druk Choeding is the town temple. It was built in 1525 by Ngawang Chhogyel (1465-1540), one of the prince-abbots of Ralung in Tibet and an ancestor of the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. The main statue is of a seated Jampa (Future Buddha).

The unusual Dungtse Lhakhang is conceived as a ‘mandala’ with the different floors corresponding to different levels of initiation and has a remarkable collection of some of Bhutan’s most interesting paintings.

The Dzongdrakha Lhakhangs is often called the ‘mini-Taktsang’ since the lhakhangs are built on the cliffs above Bondey village in Paro. The hike up is not as strenous as the hike to Taktsang. Legend has it that one of the temples was built around a levitating monument to keep the levitating monument from flying away into the sky.

This magnificent cluster of temples built on the cliffs have been home to nuns for a long time. Kila in Sanskrit means a subjugating spiritual dagger that destroys the negativities. Hike up this temple and subjugate all the negative energies within you. Even if it does not give you the spiritual satisfaction you desire, you will feel physically rejuvenated after the hike.

Built in the 7th century by the famous Buddhist Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. As the name suggests, the temple is a reservoir of peace, where you will really feel at peace. Next to the temple is the house that is now turned into a museum dedicated to the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. One can come across photographs and other artifacts belonging to the Rinpoche.

The dzong’s correct name is Rinchen Phug Dzong but has been shortened to Rinpung Dzong. The name means ‘fortress of the heap of jewels.’ It was built in 1644 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel on the foundation of a monastery built by Guru Rinpoche. Some of the scenes from the film ‘Little Buddha’ by Bernardo Bertolucci in 1995 was filmed at the Paro Rinpung Dzong.

Located on the base of a mountain across the Paro chu (river) on the Paro-Thimphu highway, Tamchog Lhakhang is a ‘must-visit’ temple. The lhakhang was built by the great master architect Thangtong Gyalpo in the 14th century. The temple houses some very unique statues. To get to the temple, one will have to walk over the iron chain suspension bridge that spans over the Paro chu.

It was originally the watchtower for the Paro Dzong and stands imposingly on a hillock overlooking the Paro valley. In 1968, it was inaugurated as the National Museum, and now holds a fascinating collection of arts, relics, religious thangka paintings, Bhutan’s exquisite postage stamps, coins, handicrafts, and a small natural history collection.

Taktshang meaning the ‘Tiger’s Nest’ is one of Bhutan’s most venerated pilgrimage sites and a very popular site for all tourists visiting Bhutan. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche miraculously flew here on the back of a tigress, meditated in a cave here for three months and converted the whole of Paro valley to Buddhism. Resting at an altitude of 900 meters above the valley, Taktshang is an architectural wonder.

It is the only modern pottery in Bhutan. They have 2 production series based on the clay body. The first one is overglaze on porcelain and the second series is based on imported Indian clay that they mix with Bhutanese red clay locally mined from Paro.

This fertility temple is dedicated to the famous teacher, Drukpa Kinley (also known as the ‘Divine Madman’) with whom the phallic symbol is associated. The Divine Madman sits there though a statue this time. Do not miss the master’s deeds painted on the walls.  Couples usually visit this temple to be blessed with children. Parents also take their babies here to get them named.