Chele La Pass

The Chele La Pass, located between the valleys of Haa and Paro, is Bhutan's highest motorable road pass at 3988 meters. The Chele La Pass is an undisturbed refuge of huge landscape and rich flora and animals, with spectacular views of the splendid Himalaya. The breathtaking vistas of Mount Jomolhari, Bhutan's most sacred peak at an elevation of 6706 meters, Jichu Drake. The gorgeous scenery of the Tsherimgang Mountains can also be seen from here. The hypnotic sights of the rare White Poppy, located on the surrounding mountain slopes, and rainbow trout, found in enormous lakes, greet and excite travelers to visit this pass again and again. North Bengal Guide's well-planned Bhutan Tour Package lets travelers explore Chele La Pass and its surroundings quite conveniently.

Places to Visit near Chele La Pass

There are many popular and attractive places you can visit near Chele La Pass. The major ones are as mentioned below.

Haa Valley

One of the best places to visit near Chele La Pass is Haa Valley. Haa Valley, located just a few kilometers from the beautiful Chele la Pass, is known as Bhutan's heaven. Haa valley, near Chele La Pass in Bhutan, is a popular tourist attraction with a plethora of scenic beauty. Chele la Pass is moreover 27 kilometers away from Haa Valley, and it takes about 50 minutes to get there.

Taktsang Monastery

Taktsang Monastery, also known as Tiger's Nest, is a popular tourist site near Chele La Pass and one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country, located on the edge of a terrifyingly high cliff. Guru Rinpoche, the Father of Bhutanese Buddhism, is claimed to have arrived here over a million years ago on the back of a tigress and meditated. The trip to the monastery is entirely uphill and takes about 2-3 hours, with a cafe on the crest where you may rest and refuel. The 'cafeteria,' a wooden teahouse-restaurant offers a stunning view of the monastery.

Rinpung Dzong

The Rinpung Dzong Monastery, often known as Paro Dzong, is a magnificent Buddhist religious site near Chelela Pass. The structures were built with great precision, and they are still standing today. These structures have a unique feature in that they are securely attached. Rinchen Pung Dzong is a diminutive of Rinpung Dzong, which translates to "Fortress atop a Heap of Jewels." This fort has previously demonstrated its worth by defending Paro valley against Tibet assaults on multiple occasions. It may now be found on exquisite woodcarvings, paintings, and statues from the period. In short, you will love exploring this monastery prior to traveling to Chelela Pass.

National Museum of Bhutan

Visit the National Museum of Bhutan to discover more about Bhutan's myths and stories and to learn more about the country's historic splendor. The museum's name is Ta Dzong, which means "watchtower." The conch shell-shaped structure is spherical and contains seven levels. This structure was reopened as a cultural museum in 1968, with the goal of preserving Bhutanese architecture, values, and lifestyles. It was created as a shield to protect the dzong and later used as a prison before being renovated and turned into a museum that now has Thangka paintings, ancient weapons, 17th-century household goods, rare relics, traditional items, and some ancient antiquities. In short, the National Museum of Bhutan is truly worth exploring.

Kyichu Lhakhang

The Kyichu Lhakhang is a must-see site near Chele La Pass. The temple is one of the oldest in the Himalayan region and is rich in religious importance. A huge garden with numerous brilliant flowers and apple trees complements the temple. The temple and its grounds are perfectly kept, in addition to their charm and grandeur. There is also an orange tree inside the temple. Surprisingly, it yields fruit all year long. The twin temples of Kyichu Lhakhang are one of Bhutan's most sacred sanctuaries and one of the 7th century's most popular attractions.

Things to Do in Chele La Pass

The following are the activities you can do during your trip to Chelela Pass. The most prominent ones are:

Go for Hiking

The hiking between Chelela Pass and Paro is one of the best activities one can do because of the pleasant weather and breathtaking scenery. Various religious monuments and old architectural marvels along the path can be visited throughout the trip. Hikers also come to meet many other locals along the path, which allows them to interact with them and learn more about Bhutanese culture and the way of living. The greatest time to go hiking here is between May and November when the weather and surrounding scenery are at their most beautiful.

Participate in Haa Festival

During the summer, the Haa Festival is a popular event that happens in Bhutan. Along with your Chele La Pass Tour plan, you can add to witness the magnificent Haa Festival. It's a colorful celebration with Bhutanese traditions on show. It includes a variety of religious performances, delectable selections of Bhutanese food, traditional sports, and a demonstration of nomadic culture festivals. Locals celebrate their traditional way of life, natural alpine flowers, and many other ancient relics created by brilliant curators throughout the area.

Visit the nearby Monasteries

Near Chele La Pass, there are many monasteries you can explore. Seek the blessing of Buddha at Taktsang Monastery after trekking for around 2 hours. The walk to this location is difficult, with steep slopes, and the high altitude further adds to the unease. The gorgeous monastery, on the other hand, makes the journey worthwhile. You can also go for a visit to Rinpung Dzong. With its high walls and wooden decorations, it excellently exemplifies traditional Bhutanese architecture. It is regarded as one of Bhutan's most important tourist destinations you can visit near Chelela Pass.

Go for Birding

Go for birding to see a variety of bird species in the area surrounding the twisting roads from Chelela Pass to Paro is early in the morning. It's a well-known place for seeing gorgeous blood pheasants, whose squeaky calls may be heard throughout the valley. The colourful birds like White-winged grosbeaks, long-crested monals, laughing thrushes, White-browed rosefinch, mountain finches, nutcrackers, and a variety of other birds may be seen flying through the canopy of the conifer trees here. The view is spectacular, with snow-capped mountains and a variety of birds fluttering around will also make your birding a memorable one.

Discover Bhutan's Rich History

One of the best things to do during your Chele La Pass Tour is to visit the National Museum of Bhutan to discover the rich history of this splendid country. This spherical museum, shaped like a conch shell, sits above Paro Dzong. A stunning collection of current and ancient Thangkas, frightful facial masks used in tsechu dances, an egg laid by a mule, Guru Rinpoche's horse horn, and a few authentic Tamchhog bridge linkages can be found here. The one drawback is that cameras are not permitted inside the museum, so one cannot photograph the stunning works of art on show.

Best Time to Visit Chele La Pass

The weather of Chele La Pass varies every season. Here is how the weather stays throughout the year.

April to June: Visitors may see the bright vision of blossoming rhododendron splayed in the valleys enclosing Chelela Pass at this time of year, in addition to the nice weather of Chelela Pass. It's the finest time to go picnicking at Chelela Pass.

July to September: Apart from the occasional rain, the monsoon season is an excellent time to explore Bhutan's Chelela Pass. However, we usually do not recommend visiting the pass during monsson.

October to March: Chelela Pass is best visited during the winter season to see the snow-capped Himalayan range looming above the valley while being surrounded by the freezing air. Chelela Pass is best visited during the winter season to see the snow-capped Himalayan range looming above the valley while being surrounded by the freezing air.

F.A.Q about Chelela Pass Tour