Haa

Haa is one of the quietest valleys in Bhutan, closed to outside visitors until 2002 and still well off the main circuit — a narrow run of alpine meadow, pine and the Haa Chhu, tucked against the Tibetan border in the far west. Most travellers arrive from Paro over the Chele La, at 3,988 metres the highest road pass in the country, its saddle strung with prayer flags and, in spring, banked with rhododendron.

At the valley’s heart stand its twin temples: Lhakhang Karpo, the white chapel, and Lhakhang Nagpo, the black, said to have been sited where a white and a black pigeon came to rest. Above them rise the three hills the locals call Rigsum Gonpo, for the three protective bodhisattvas, and the valley keeps a strong herding and nomadic culture largely untouched by tourism.

The walking here is the draw. From the Chele La a ridge path climbs to the Kila Nunnery, clinging to the cliffs, and longer routes drop through forest into the valley with views back to Jomolhari. The Haa Summer Festival, held in July on the high pastures, is a working celebration of nomad life — yak products, local sports, and food cooked over open fires.

Spring brings the rhododendrons to the Chele La, and July the summer festival; the valley stays cool and green through the warmer months. Because it sees so few visitors, Haa rewards travellers who want Bhutan with the volume turned down.