Punakha to Gangtey

This am we checked out of Zhingkham Resort, Punakha after breakfast and drove 3hrs, through a stunning gorge, over an elevation of 3220m before dropping down into the Phobjikha Valley.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobjikha_Valley

Gangtey is famous for the Black-necked cranes that migrate here from Tibet for the winter. Up to 450 of these rare and endangered birds flock here for the months of October- March.
We visited the Black necked crane info centre run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature. Here we watched a video on these birds that stand 1.15m tall with a wing span of 2m.
There are known locally as heavenly birds and songs about the birds are popular amongst locals.
After lunch in a local restaurant we went for a v pleasant hours walk up to Gangte Goemba, a 450 yr old monastery complex. A lot of its intricate woodwork has been recently replaced but it’s 18 pillar prayer hall was another colourful sight to behold.
By now it was 4.30pm and we were dropped back to the v nice Dewachen Hotel for the night.
Tmrw it’s a 5 hour drive to Trongsa and more sightseeing.
Oh and we saw 2 x black necked cranes that flew in 2 days ago... they r a bit late this year!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangteng_MonasteryRead more