Amankora Bumthang

Bumthang means “beautiful field”, and the valley is regarded as Bhutan’s spiritual heart, with 29 temples and monasteries – the ancient Jambay Lhakhang among them – and a deep tradition of Bhutanese art and painting. Amankora Bumthang stands in the town of Jakar, beside Wandichholing Palace, and marks the easternmost point of an Amankora journey.

The lodge has sixteen suites, a dining room with a fireplace, a courtyard terrace built around a firepit, a private dining room for up to 32 and a spa with three treatment rooms and a steam room. The valley is known as the country’s food basket, home to brewing, cheese-making and honey, and these cottage industries shape many of the lodge’s outings. Amankora stays are planned as tailored itineraries, and Bumthang is often combined with the brand’s other lodges in Bhutan on a multi-valley journey.

Hiking and biking trails start from the lodge, and bows and coaching are on hand for traditional archery. At Sey Lhakhang, a lama gives guests a Bhutanese name with a blessing and a butter lamp; at Jambay Lhakhang, monks perform a fire blessing, and 108 butter lamps can be lit as an offering. Other outings include beekeeping at the lodge, a visit to Jakar Dzong, a tasting at the country’s first brewery – still Bhutan’s only maker of wheat beer – and a local factory making Swiss-style cheese. In the evenings, folk tales come alive in performances of music, song and dance.