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Amankora Bumthang is the easternmost of the five Amankora lodges, set in the Choekhor valley (the principal Bumthang valley) immediately adjacent to the Wangduecholing Palace heritage site — the summer palace of His Majesty the Second Druk Gyalpo. The principal base for the Bumthang religious circuit, the country's most concentrated single area of important Buddhist sites.
Aman · Choekhor valley, adjacent to Wangduecholing Palace (walking distance from Jakar) · Bumthang · 16 rooms
The lodge is sited next to Wangduecholing Palace — a heritage building that was the summer palace of His Majesty the Second King and remains one of the principal heritage sites of the central Bhutanese valleys. The lodge's architectural style references the palace and the broader Bumthang vernacular; the buildings are arranged along the edge of the palace grounds with substantial gardens between. The Bumthang Choekhor valley is broad and agricultural — apple orchards, buckwheat fields, the traditional Bumthang farmhouse architecture. Cool-temperate climate (higher than Punakha, comparable to Thimphu) with harsh winters.
Bumthang is the country's most densely-religious valley. The principal sites within easy access of the lodge: Kurjey Lhakhang (the temple complex on the cliff where Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint; one of the country's most sacred sites); Jambay Lhakhang (the 7th-century temple, one of the 108 temples built by Songtsen Gampo); Tamshing Lhakhang (the Pema Lingpa monastery); Mebar Tsho in the adjacent Tang valley (the 'Burning Lake' — the Pema Lingpa treasure-revelation site); the Bumthang Cheese Factory (the country's first, Swiss-Bhutanese cooperation, 1968); and the Bumthang Brewery. A typical programme is three nights — enough to cover the principal sites without rushing, with one day for the Tang valley excursion.
The sixteen suites follow the principal Aman pattern with a more elaborate Bumthang-vernacular interior register — the woodwork is more pronounced than at the other Amankora lodges, referencing the local farmhouse tradition. King bed, sitting area, private terrace, bath with hot-stone bath, bukhari heater (substantial in the cold Bumthang winters). Views include the palace grounds, the lodge gardens, and some valley outlook.
Bumthang hosts three principal autumn festivals — Tamshing Phala Choepa (late September/early October at Tamshing Monastery); Jambay Lhakhang Drup (October at Jambay Lhakhang — famous for the Mewang fire dance and the Tercham midnight cham); and Prakar Tshechu (late October at Prakar Monastery). The September-November window is the principal Bumthang festival season; Amankora Bumthang is the natural base for festival-focused central-circuit itineraries.
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