Lhuentse Dzong


Lhuentse Rinchentse Phodrang Dzong, as it is correctly known, sits high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Kuri Chhu valley, with near-vertical drops on all sides. It has been renovated several times, most recently to repair damage caused by an earthquake in 2009. A three-day tsechu fills the dzong to capacity in December/January.

Although Pema Lingpa's son Kuenga Wangpo established a small goemba on this site early in the 16th century, the dzong itself was built by the Trongsa penlop Mingyur Tenpa in 1654.

Visitors can visit seven lhakhangs, assuming you can find someone with the keys to gain access. The 100 or so resident monks see few tourists and are very friendly, which perhaps explains why visitors here have more freedom to explore than they do in any other dzong in Bhutan.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Guru Rinpoche Statue

4.46 MILES

Inside this enormous and highly decorated statue are three levels of chapels. The statue of Guru Rinpoche on the entrance floor has an open mouth and…

2. Ogyen Chholing Museum

18.57 MILES

The family that owns Ogyen (or Ugyen) Chholing has turned part of the complex into a museum to preserve its legacy and provide a place for religious…

3. Chorten Kora

19.32 MILES

Chorten Kora is large, but not nearly as large as the stupa of Bodhnath in Nepal, after which it was patterned. It was constructed in 1740 by Lama Ngawang…

4. National Institute for Zorig Chusum

19.64 MILES

This arts and crafts institute south of town was opened in 1997 to provide vocational training opportunities for those who aren't continuing in the higher…

5. Ngang Lhakhang

26.56 MILES

A bumpy 10km drive up the Chokhor valley from Thangbi Goemba is the small region known as Ngang-yul (Swan Land). The site was visited by Guru Rinpoche,…

6. Prayer Wheel

26.96 MILES

The large prayer wheel under the clock tower usually shelters a few of Mongar's old-timers shooting the breeze.

7. Clock Tower

26.97 MILES

The forlorn clock tower, with one clock face telling the wrong time and three clock faces missing, overlooks the small park near the old part of town.

8. Mongar Dzong

27.01 MILES

The Mongar Dzong was established in 1930 to replace the original Shongar Dzong, although the original utse (central tower) dates from an earlier age. It's…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "bhutan/eastern-bhutan/lhuentse/attractions/lhuentse-dzong/a/poi-sig/1366213/355827",
      "position": "superzone"
    }