For such a large, potentially menacing building, the Punakha Dzong sits remarkably lightly on the beautiful landscape. Positioned at the junction of the valley’s two rivers it combines huge strategic, architectural and religious importance. Visiting was a perfect finale to our visit to the Punakha Valley. But that’s getting ahead of things. Getting to the valley was an adventure in itself.
Nothing adequately prepares you for the view from Dochula Pass, the crest
of the fiercely steep and sharply curvaceous road between Bhutan’s capital Thimphu and the Punakha Valley. As soon as you crest the peak everywhere seems dwarfed by the massive sweeping panorama of the Bhutan Himalayas, white tipped against an impossibly blue sky and