About four hours’ drive from Wangduephodrang is the central district of Trongsa, at an elevation of 2000 m. It is the ancestral home of Bhutan’s royal family and from where the first two kings ruled the kingdom.

Long before you reach it, you see the resplendent Trongsa Dzong in the valley centre. Its labyrinth of temples, corridors, offices and living quarters for the monks add up to a masterpiece in Bhutanese architecture preserved through professional restoration in 2004.

Trongsa is a convenient place to halt for the night if you are travelling to the east or the south of Bhutan. The Trongsa Tsechu (festival) usually falls between late November and
mid-December.