All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Jomolhari
Trekking / Hiking in Jomolhari
A remote high-mountain area in Bhutan's far west below Jomolhari, a 7,300 metre peak sacred to Bhutanese and Tibetans. The Jangothang base-camp meadow sits at about 4,000 metres among yak pastures, herders' camps and glacier-fed streams, reached only on a multi-day trek from the Paro valley.
Why here
The Jomolhari trek is Bhutan's classic high walk, a route to the base of a 7,300 metre peak that Bhutanese revere as the abode of a protective goddess. From the road head above Paro the trail follows the Paro Chhu up through blue-pine and rhododendron forest to the yak-herder camps and army post at Jangothang, the base-camp meadow at around 4,000 metres, where the north face of Jomolhari rises straight ahead. Walkers spend a rest day here for acclimatisation and side hikes to glacial lakes and ridgelines with blue sheep and, higher up, the chance of a Himalayan griffon overhead. Longer versions cross high passes to Lingzhi and Laya. This is real mountain country, cold and thin-aired, and it stays quiet because Bhutan caps visitor numbers and everyone walks with a guided camp crew.
Best months
The trekking window is April to June and September to October, either side of the summer monsoon. Even then, nights at Jangothang drop below freezing and weather on the high passes turns fast. The route reaches about 4,000 metres at base camp and higher on the passes, so acclimatisation days and a slow pace matter. Trails can be muddy and streams high after rain, and snow can close the upper passes early or late in the season.
Getting there & around
The trek starts and ends near the Paro valley, a short drive from Bhutan's only international airport. Trips run five days or more and are fully supported with a guide, cook and pack horses, since independent trekking is not permitted. You book through a licensed Bhutanese operator who arranges permits, staff and camps, and you pay the Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per adult per night (the 2026 rate, in force to August 2027) on top of tour costs. A base-camp permit is required and is handled by the operator.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Bhutan Mountain Holiday
OutfitterBhutan Mountain Holiday is a Thimphu tour operator led by Karma Gyeltshen, a tourism professional with decades in the field. It was the official tour company for Bhutan's Guinness World Record tree-planting event in June 2015. The firm runs a fifteen-day Jomolhari trek and other Himalayan routes, supported by licensed guides, camp crews and pack animals, and is recommended in Lonely Planet by the guidebook author Bradley Mayhew.
Yangphel Adventure Travel
OutfitterYangphel Adventure Travel, based in Thimphu, is one of Bhutan's oldest private tour companies, operating since 1988 when the country first opened to private operators. Over more than three decades it has guided upward of 50,000 visitors on cultural trips, birding tours and high-altitude treks. Its trekking arm runs the classic Jomolhari routes with its own guides, cooks and pack animals through the western valleys.