Gasa Dzong (Trashi Thongmoen)

Bhutan

A round fortress on a ridge at 2,800 metres, guarding the pass to Bhutan's last nomadic settlements — and two hours below it, hot springs that Bhutanese families travel for days to reach.

Description

Gasa Dzong breaks the usual pattern. Where most Bhutanese fortresses are rectangular, this one is circular, with three watchtowers set around it and the utse raised directly above a thirteenth-century meditation cave. The second Druk Desi built it in the 1640s as a bulwark against Tibetan incursions, and it still houses the district administration and monk body. Its formal name honours Trashi Thongmoen, the local protective deity. Jigme Dorji National Park closes in around the ridge — blue pine, hemlock and rhododendron, takin and blue sheep somewhere above. Of the places to visit in Gasa, the fortress and the springs anchor everything else.

Best time to visit

March to May and late September to November; the unpaved road from Punakha is seasonal and monsoon landslides regularly close it.

Traveller tip

Stay overnight rather than attempting a day trip from Punakha — the road is rough and the descent to the Gasa Tshachu on the Mo Chhu takes time you won't have otherwise. Carry a towel and change of clothes for the pools, and go with the local rhythm: Bhutanese soak in short sessions over several days, not one long one. If you can time it, mid-October brings the Royal Highlander Festival at Laya, where the yak-herding Layap communities come down for archery, horse races and highland trade.

For permits, route access and the Sustainable Development Fee, check the official Bhutan tourism portal: bhutan.travel

Gasa works best as a northern extension after Punakha — BreakBag Holidays can build the dzong, the hot springs and the Laya route into customised Bhutan tour packages.

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