Travel: Finding a sense of belonging in Haa Valley
A writer revisits their childhood home in Bhutan’s Haa Valley, now on lists of 25 ‘must-visit’ destinations for 2025
As an eight-year-old, I recall having to convince another child I was playing with in Hubli, Karnataka, that I lived in Haa. Fiddlesticks and fairytales, he said, for there’s no such place. I agreed with him about the fairytale aspect. Life in the quaint Bhutanese hamlet was idyllic: running in green meadows, climbing up small hills and loping along Haa Chu, the river that ran behind our house.
Haa, which translates to “the hidden valley of rice", is one of the 20 dzongkhag, or districts, of Bhutan. The second least populated dzongkhag in the country after Gasa, the isolated Haa district largely remains off the tourist map as travellers typically land in Paro and head to Thimphu, Punakha and lately, Bumthang.
My childhood connection with Haa, which has been opened to international visitors only in the last 20 years, was because of my father’s posting to Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), an Indian Army mission responsible for the training of Royal Bhutan Army and Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan personnel.
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I returned to Bhutan recently, keen to go back in time and discover whether my childhood utopia lived up to my memories. I asked for a seat on the left side of the aircraft, supposedly the best place to see the descent into Paro, a landing so tricky that only 50 pilots are qualified for it. It was thrilling to see the plane find firm footing on the short runway between two 18,000-foot peaks.
As we drove away from Paro International Airport, I looked around: blue sky, high mountains, pine trees, clear river and distinctive architecture. The landlocked Himalayan kingdom was as beautiful as I remembered. The drive to the valley is stunning: we crossed the 3,988m Chele La, the highest motorable point in Bhutan, and stopped to admire the view: the clear waters of the Haa Chhu (Haa River) splitting the valley in half, the mountains of Sikkim visible in the west, Mount Jomolhari, “the bride of Kangchenjunga", Tibet to the north, and the patchwork fields of the Paro valley in the east.
Earlier called Has, the Haa Valley, which spans an area of about 1,700 sq. km, is located along the western border of Bhutan and bound by Tibet’s Chumbi Valley to the north-west. In an article titled History of Haa Valley in Journal of Bhutan Studies by Pema Tshewang, chief abbot, Nimalung Monastery, Bumthang, notes that “Has" connotes “esoterism: the valley was blessed as a hidden land by Guru Rinpoche, and is therefore like a mirror covered by the vapour of one’s breath". Despite the advent of modernisation and the spread of the internet, Haa thromde (town), the seat of Haa district, has preserved vestiges of the past.
My guide, Tshewang Phunstso, tells me that Haa Valley is known for its rich cultural heritage, including traditional Bhutanese architecture, monasteries and various festivals. The district has a population of barely 14,000 people, with agriculture, mainly buckwheat, barley and wheat, yak rearing and cheese-making forming the mainstay of the economy. “And now, of course, there’s tourism," says Phunstso.
I am more than ready for a hot meal when we drive into the Kinley Wangchuck Homestay, to a warm welcome by Kinley and his wife Wangmo. After a cup of hot tea and homemade khabsey (deep-fried cookies), my hosts invite me to help prep the evening meal. We pluck turnips and spinach from the kitchen garden and settle down in the living room to make hoentay, buckwheat dumplings stuffed with a mix of spiced turnip leaves.
The rustic meal is delicious and wholesome: perfectly steamed hoentay, stir-fried meat, greens and red rice. The genial host brings another clay pot from the kitchen. “Try the ema datshi, even your Deepika Padukone loves it," he smiles.
The spicy Bhutanese stew that combines hot chillies and cheese is delectable, but the ezay is my favourite. The traditional Bhutanese chutney, made by hand-pounding roasted red chillies, garlic cloves, tree tomato, ginger and salt, is served with every meal and is explosively addictive. “Apart from adding a spicy kick to every meal, ezay also has health benefits. It helps with digestion, boosts metabolism and warms your insides," Wangmo says. I take her advice and reach for the ezay the next morning to spice up my traditional Bhutanese breakfast: fluffy buckwheat pancakes and kewa datshi (a spicy potato and cheese stew).
My agenda for the day includes the exploration of two seventh century temples, Lhakhang Karpo (White Temple) and Lhakhang Nagpo (Black Temple), both located in the foothills of nearby mountains. “Local lore says that Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo released two doves to find auspicious locations. Lhakhang Nagpo was built at the place where the black dove landed; Lhakhang Karpo was constructed where the white bird landed," Phunstso says.
Lhakhang Karpo, the largest temple in the Haa valley, is an imposing structure. Constructed in a C-shape around a central lhakhang, the temple showcases traditional Bhutanese architecture, with its expansive courtyard, sloping roofs, wooden details and vivid paintings.
Phunstso points out statues of the Tse-la-nam Sum trinity and of local protector App Chhundu, and says the temple houses the district monastic body. “The king visited the temple in 2009 and followed it up with an order to restore it. That’s when these drashags (monks’ quarters) were added for the 100 resident monks." Lhakhang Nagpo is much smaller, but as beautiful. “The Black Temple is said to have been built on top of a lake. A doorway on the floor of the temple is said to be route to the underworld of a water spirit," Phuntso tells me.
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We head to the town centre—a small street lined with small shops and eateries on the banks of the Haa Chhu—in search of lunch. As I lean into my bowl of steaming noodle soup, Phuntso says that red rice, buckwheat and maize are Bhutanese staples. He points out a stark difference to Indian food: “Bhutan has no desserts or sweets; we only focus on the mains."’
Sated, I head for a walk by the river and end up at the lofty Haa Dzong, the historic fortress monastery that serves as the headquarters of IMTRAT. The whitewashed walls set off the intricately designed wooden balconies and colourful paintings. I walk around the peaceful complex. Buried memories surface when I visit my childhood home and school. A day when I fell into the river, my first sighting of snow, weekly movies at the small theatre, picnics with fresh trout and soft drinks, and days spent lying on the lawn counting clouds in the sky.
Prayer flags flutter furiously as I head up the Haa suspension bridge the next day. My vantage point allows me a look at the town surrounded by green farmland, alpine forests and lofty peaks. There’s no shortage of postcard-worthy vistas in Bhutan, I think, but there’s no place like Haa Valley.
Teja Lele writes on travel and lifestyle.
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