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Merak–Sakteng Nomad Trek
Eight days in the far east among the Brokpa herders of Merak and Sakteng — a valley culture reached only on foot.
Duration
8 Days
Distance
60 km
Max altitude
4,100 m
Grade
Moderate
Group
8–12
Overview
In the far east of the kingdom, two high valleys stayed closed to visitors until 2010 — Merak and Sakteng, home of the Brokpa, semi-nomadic yak herders whose felt hats shed the rain in five directions and whose dialect is their own. This eight-day journey crosses from Trashigang into their country over the 4,100 m Nyakchung La, sleeping in village guesthouses and camps along the way.
It is a trek measured in encounters as much as kilometres: milking time at a yak camp, butter tea by a Brokpa hearth, and the masked ache dance if your dates are lucky. The walking is honest but never extreme — rhododendron forest and open pasture on the old trade paths that run toward Arunachal.
Day by day
Fly or drive east through Bumthang and over the Thrumshing La to Trashigang, the amiable capital of the far east, then up to the roadhead at Chaling.
Climb through pasture and dwarf rhododendron to the Brokpa village of Merak at 3,500 m — stone houses, prayer flags and herds coming home at dusk — with a day among the households and their looms.
The pass day: 4,100 m of wind and cairns, then down into the Sakteng valley, whose sanctuary was set aside partly for the migoi — the yeti — a fact its rangers report with a straight face.
Descend the warming gorge to the road at Phongmey and return to Trashigang — a night to celebrate before flying west from Yonphula.
What’s included
Included
- A licensed Bhutanese guide & camp cook
- All camping gear & meals on trek
- Pack ponies or yaks to carry the loads
- Permits & the Sustainable Development Fee
- Airport transfers in Paro
- A pre-trek briefing in Paro
Not included
- International flights to Paro
- Travel & medical insurance
- Sleeping-bag hire
- Tips for your crew
- Drinks & personal items
Best time to go
April to June, when the rhododendron forests between the passes are in flower, and again September to November for settled skies. Winter closes the Nyakchung La and the summer monsoon softens the trails. The ache festival dates shift each year — ask, and we will check them against your window.
Keep exploring
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Epic
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Ready to walk into the kingdom?
Tell us how much time you have and how high you’d like to stand. We’ll send back a tailored route — usually within two days.