Wangduephodrang lies at south of the Punakha valley. Two and half hour drive from Thimphu, it is home for endangered species of birds like Black Necked Cranes and White Belled Herons.

Wangduephodrang Dzong

In 2012, this Dzong was tragically razed to the ground by a fire.

This is the third Dzong built by the Shabdrung in 1638 AD. There are two legends, which explain the origin of the Dzong. One story says that the Protective Deity Mahahala appeared to Shabdrung in his Dream and made a prediction. “At the top of a rocky spur where two rivers meet, at the place where a flock of ravens will fly over from the rocky spur into four directions, there you will build a dzong.” In 1638, Shabdrung came to the place, and true to the prophecy, ravens flew into the four directions from the rocky spurs. This inspired him to build the Dzong on the ridge shaped like a sleeping elephant. He named it Wangduephodrang meaning, “Place where four directions are gathered under the power of Shabdrung”.
The other story, says the name “Wangdi, was derived from the name of a little boy who was building sandcastle by the river. A Lama (teacher) asked the name of the boy and he said he is Wangdi. So the Lama named the Dzong as Wangdue

Phobjikha Valley

Phobjikha Valley is also known as the Valley of Black Cranes and is 2900m above sea level. It is a 2 hour drive from Wangduephodrang.

It is the popular winter home of the endangered Black Necked Cranes. These cranes migrate from Tibet in November and return in March. It is considered holy by Bhutanese and one can see paintings of the crane on the walls of temples, monasteries and fortresses.

The valley is one of the most important wildlife preserves in country. Buckwheat is the main food crop and locals also rear yaks and cows. Potato is the main cash crop.

Gangte Gonpa Monastery

Gangte Gonpa is located on the north western part of Phobjikha, overlooking the entire valley. This site was founded by Pema Thinley and the present monastery was later built in 1613 AD by his second reincarnation, Tenzin Lakpai Dhendup. This is the only Nyingmapa Monastery in western Bhutan and is an important seat of the Pedling tradition in Buddhism. Today it is headed by Gangtey Trulku and around 400 monks reside here.