As they say"The Journey is More Beautiful Than The Destination": So apt for our Hike to Cheri Goemba

The Journey

Cheri, the road is as beautiful as the name is. The road from Thimphu goes north along the Thimphu Chuu and stops at a place named Dodeyna. The motorable road ends here. There are small villages enroute, perfect places to get a glimpse of rural life. Along the whole journey, in one side Thimphu Chuu is flowing along and on other side there is tropical Himalayan forest with small villages in between. During our journey towards Cheri, we had noticed animals (mountain goats, deers) crossing the road and going down towards the river. There are few popular picnic spots as well for locals alongside the river.

At Dodeyna we left our car at parking lot. There was one dirt road going straight from the parking towards a hilltop, this was the road for Tango monastery. And on our left side we saw a beautiful small cantilever bridge crossing the river and going to other side. This was the way that we had to follow to reach Cheri Monastery.

After we crossed the bridge we reached a large meadow. There was one large stupa in the centre with prayer wheels around. The river was on our left side where we saw locals busy in fishing and small group of young people enjoying picnic by riverside. The path to the monastery start from the right end of the meadow.

The hike trail was a zigzag dirt path through forest filled with oak and pine trees. Horses were gazing around at the start of the trail. Once we start hiking up we see many rhododendron trees alongside the trail. We were hiking up with sound of birds chirping, wind blowing across the oak and pine trees and sound of flowing stream of Wang Chuu below. It was first hike for my 5 year old son and still he was the most energetic between three of us. We stopped many times underneath the shadow of tall pine trees, caught our breath, clicked pictures and moved ahead.

Almost midway we found another stupa standing tall from where we could see the monastery at the hilltop. We took a pause there. We sat on a bench and had snacks that we carried from our hotel.

From midway stupa the trail was steeper and narrower. From there the path was covered with dry fallen leaves. My son was really enjoying the hike and he was walking in same pace with us. It was almost 1 hour since we started from the bridge. We met locals on our way to monastery and they encouraged us every time with smiling faces. We were almost there, around 100 meters from monastery gate. But this time my little son told that he is having pain in his leg and did not want to walk further. So we sat there on a rock, waited for 10 minutes and started to descend. After another 30 minutes we came back to the bridge.

We could not reach at the top. We did not enter the monastery. But we have no regret. We hiked as long my son could walk himself. We were really happy for him that he could hike within 100 meters of the monastery. We enjoyed every moment of that hike and it is one of the finest memory we ever had together.

About Cheri Goemba

Cheri Monastery (a.k.a. Chagri Dorjeden Monastery), is a Buddhist monastery in Bhutan established in 1620 by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche,the founder of the Bhutanese state. This monastery is now a major teaching and retreat center of the Southern Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

According to Bhutanese religious histories, the place was first visited by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. In the 13th century it was visited by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo the Tibetan Lama who first established the Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Bhutan.

Cheri Monastery was the first monastery established in Bhutan by Ngawang Namgyal in 1620 when he was 27 years old. The Zhabdrung spent three years in strict retreat at Cheri and resided there for many periods throughout the rest of his life. It was at Cheri in 1623 that he established the first Drukpa monastic order in Bhutan.

How to reach

You can hire a car from Thimphu and reach Dodeyna. The motorable road ends at Dodeyna surrounded by mountain in all three sides. This is the northern border of Thimphu district. Cheri and Tango monasteries are on two adjacent hilltops.

For Cheri Monastery you have to cross the river and then start hiking. It takes approx 1 hour to reach the monastery and 30-40 minutes to come down.

Hiking details

Difficulty level : Moderate

Maximum Elevation: 2800 meters

Elevation gain : 400meters

Hiking Distance : 2.5 kms

Hiking Time : 2 hours

Tips to Remember

1. This is a moderate hike. If you are not an experienced hiker, go slow, take several pauses and enjoy nature. This hike works as a warm-up before attempting hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery.

2. If you want to go to both Tango and Cheri monastery then start early from Thimphu. Complete one hike before lunch.

3. There is no entry fee for Cheri/Tango monastery.

4. Carry packed lunch with you. Enjoy your lunch by the side of Wang Chuu.

5. Wear your hiking shoes. Carry umbrellas with you.

Places to see en route

Pangri Zampa Monastery

Begana rock painting