Rinpung Dzong

Rinpung Dzong, whose name means “fortress on a heap of jewels”, rises in tiers above the Paro Chhu river. Built in the 1640s under Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, it still serves as the district’s administrative centre and as a monastery.

You approach on foot across Nyamai Zam, a traditional covered cantilever bridge, then climb into courtyards with finely painted galleries and temples. Each spring the dzong hosts the Paro Tshechu, a festival of masked dances that ends with the dawn unveiling of a huge thangka, a sacred painting on cloth.

Above the dzong, the old watchtower of Ta Dzong houses the National Museum, with masks, textiles and art. Visit in the late afternoon, when the light is warm on the walls, and walk down to the bridge for photographs.