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PARO TAKTSANG - PARO

It was the 6th of May when i was at Paro, a valley town situated at the western part of Bhutan.

Just arriving there on the day before made me feel at ease with its serene environment and a rather unique landscapes. The most striking feature that is noticed upon reaching here is the shallow valley upon which the town is situated.

Since being the most easily accessible part of the country and a landscape that features remarkable plain lands; it also witnessed the only international airport and perhaps the first airport ever built in the country. Paro International Airport is the hub for Bhutan Airlines and Druk Air. Paro Airport is considered as one of the most challenging airports of the world with peaks surrounding it elevating as high as 5,500 m. Less than two dozen pilots are qualified to land at this airport.

Paro International Airport, Paro.

Paro also features some of the most famous religious places of the country, the most famous being the Paro Palphung Taktsang. Visitng Paro taktsang was an unforgettable experience thanks to its majestic and a very unique location. Taktsang is also a very fine tourist attraction centre in the country with almost all of the tourists being very keen to visit the place.

Taktsang which translates to Tiger's Nest is the most famous monastery and a heritage. It is believed that this is the place where Guru Padmasambhava flew on the back of a tigress from Tibet and mediated for four months. Guru Padmasambhava is a Buddhist master and widely venerated as ‘Second Buddha'. Padmasambhava is credited to have introduced Buddhism to Bhutan and is tutelary deity of the country.

Paro Taktsang


Situated at 10km outside of town, it is also the most dangerous place as the monastery itself clings to a cliff at 3,120 m above sea level. The way to the monastery is a mountainous path and no; you cannot go by a vehicle. Its either by walking or a horse ride.

On April 19, 1998 a fire started in the monastery and burned it down completely. Due to its location, it was hard to access and emergency assistance could not be provided.

The refined architectural structure of the monastery today is the best representation of its Buddhists culture. Taktsang has four main temples and several dwellings. It was truly a remarkable sight to see.


A 16-kilometre road passes up the valley to the ruins of another fortress-monastery, DrukyelDzong, which was partly destroyed by fire in 1951.

Ta Dzong

Paro is also the home to the country's tallest building, Ta Dzong which is 22m in height and has 6 floors. It was completed in 1649. Ta Dzong served as a castle before in the times of war and now is a museum and features some of the oldest relics of the country.

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