First was a short drive to the suspension bridge.

Punakha Suspension Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan measuring 180 m in length. From the bridge, you get a spectacular view of the Po Chhu river (male river) and the valley.

I enjoyed the walk across but David felt it was a bit too wobbly. Apparently in the afternoon winds pick up so it really swings side to side. I am glad we were morning visitors.

We then took a roughly three hour drive to our next valley.

The terrain changed to thicker trees as we moved up higher in the mountains and the weather cooled. Of course the road was windy and we had fantastic views of the valley floor below. The photos do not capture depth well but in reality it’s a long way down.

Later we began to see the snow cover Himalayan mountains in the distance.

It was a beautiful drive.

We stopped and had lunch along the way.

Finally we moved off the paved roads onto dirt on a newly widened stretch of road and we jig jig jiggled and bounced around ALOT. A lot of oyes popped out of my mouth.

We then reached the pass where we stopped for photos of the views, a close up with the friendly yaks, and a little browsing in tarp covered temporary stalls.

The primary mountain pass on the road from Punakha to the Phobjikha Valley is Lawala Pass (also spelled Lawa La), located at an altitude of approximately 3,300 meters (10,800+ ft). It marks the boundary for entering the Phobjikha region, characterized by dense forests turning into dwarf bamboo.

Fortunately the pavement began again soon as we moved down into the valley.

Before reaching the lodge we stopped at the Black-Necked Crane center.

Phobjikha Valley sits some 3,000 meters above sea level with winter temperatures reaching -4ᵒC. Despite the cold, Phobjikha houses the largest concentration of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan during the winter months, with upwards of 600 birds observed last year. The water levels in this high-altitude marsh provide everything that these birds need, from the insects and small animals that they eat, to protection from mammalian predators.

The Black-necked Crane Education Center sits right below the lodge and houses two rescued cranes. They educate people about the birds, and protect the cranes.

They say that when the cranes arrive in the fall they circle the temple three times before landing in the marshes. Therefore they are seen as holy and are revered.

Unfortunately they return to Tibet in the Spring and we missed them by a week or two.

We made the one minute drive to the lodge where we were greeted by a flute player and a red scarf which signifies warmth. Given the higher elevation and associated cooler temperatures we will need them!

The lodge here is called the Traditional Birdwatching Bridge as the design incorporates a bridge and it has a perfect view of the valley (and the birds in season). It’s tiny with only 8 lodge rooms and one two-bedroom villa. Currently only 3 rooms are occupied so we are receiving even greater attention, which truly is hard to believe given the excellent attentive service at Six Senses.