Picnic Lunch Black-Necked Crane Festival Gangtey Monastery

Embrace Bhutan Cultural Tour

Gangtey | Bhutan

11 Nov 2019 | Mon

Day 05 of 13

Drive – Punakha to Gangtey
Tea at Hotel Kuenphen Norbuding Restaurant
Lawa La Pass
Picnic Lunch Black-Necked Crane Festival Gangtey Monastery
Gangtey Nature Trail – Black Neck Cranes
Black-Necked Crane Education Center
Wangchuk Dem Village Homestay Gangtey

Picnic Lunch Black-Necked Crane Festival Gangtey Monastery

Change of Plans

We arrived at Gangtey Monastery in Phobjikha Valley around lunchtime. We were originally scheduled to attend the famous Black-Necked Crane Festival that was taking place today but our guide Tashi told us that it’s very difficult to see the actual dances due to overcrowding. Since we were already scheduled to see the last day of Prakhar Tsechu in Bumthang (dances here are considered some of the best in Bhutan), we all agreed with Tashi that it would be best to skip the Black-Necked Crane Festival at Gangtey Monastery.

So instead, we had a wonderful picnic lunch in a beautifully scenic spot near Gangtey Monastery (prepared by the same family that we would be staying with that night – Wangchuk Dema Village Homestay).

Black-Necked Crane Festival at Gangtey Monastery

Black-Necked Crane Festival – We join the locals in their Crane Festival, held in the courtyard of 17th century Gangtey Monastery. The festival includes cultural programs such as folk songs and dances (some with black-necked crane themes) and mask dances performed by the local people, crane dances and environmental conservation-themed dramas and songs by the school children.

– Embrace Bhutan Travel

People Walking to Black-Necked Crane Festival at Gangteng Monastery

The Gangteng Monastery, generally known as Gangtey Gonpa or Gangtey Monastery, is an important monastery of Nyingmapa school of Buddhism, the main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition. located in the Wangdue Phodrang District in central Bhutan. The Monastery, also known by the Gangten village that surrounds it, is in the Phobjikha Valley where winter visitors – the black-necked cranes – visit central Bhutan to roost, circling the monastery three times on arrival and repeating this circling when returning to Tibet. The Monastery’s history traces to the early 17th century and back to the prophecies made by the well-known Terton (treasure finder) Pema Lingpa in the late 15th century.

– Wikipedia Gangteng Monastery

Picnic Lunch With Breathtaking Views

We totally agree with all of the accolades of being the most beautiful valley in Bhutan – after seeing it in person, Phobjikha Valley was truly breathtaking!