Punakha is a 3 hours drive east of the capital Thimpu. It is blessed with a temperate climate and is home to one of the country's most important dzongs (Buddhist monastery). Punakha Dzong is placed strategically at the junction of the Pho Chu (male) and Mo Chu (female) rivers. The monastery was built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to serve as the religious and administrative centre of the region. Damaged over the centuries by four catastrophic fires and an earthquake, it has been fully restored in recent years by the present monarch and is a breathtaking and glorious site on first glimpse from the road. The altitude of Punakha is 1,300 metres.
Bhutan, Bhutan