Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

HaaHeight above mean sea level 2,720 m

valley · Bhutan

A quiet valley over Chele La, opened to tourists only in 2002

Best Apr – May · Oct – Nov1–2 nights

Haa is a high, quiet valley in western Bhutan, with its town at about 2,720 m, reached from Paro over Chele La in 2.5–3 hours. It opened to foreign tourists only in 2002. Come for the White and Black temples, farmhouse stays, buckwheat hoentoe and the July festival. You need a route permit and a licensed guide.

Haa sits in the far west of Bhutan, a long valley of barley and buckwheat fields, blue pine and old farmhouses along the Haa Chhu. The town, Haa-Namjayling, stands at about 2,720 m, so it is a few degrees colder than Paro all year. The district borders Tibet and covers about 1,905 sq km with fewer than 14,000 people, which makes it the second least populated district after Gasa. Most visitors arrive over Chele La, the 3,988 m pass on the road from Paro, and drop down through forest into a valley that still feels like a working farm community.

Haa was closed to foreign tourists until 2002, when the valley was opened after the 79th session of the National Assembly. That late start shows. There are no hotel strips, few souvenir shops and very little traffic. The Indian Military Training Team, IMTRAT, has a long-standing base here, training the Royal Bhutan Army and the Royal Bodyguard, so you will see neat camps and soldiers near the town. Close by stands Wangchuck Lhodzong, the district's dzong, and less than a kilometre to its south is Lhakhang Karpo, the White Temple, which local historians date to the 7th century.

We send people to Haa for slow days rather than a list of sights. Sleep in a registered farmhouse, take a hot stone bath, eat hoentoe, the buckwheat dumplings the valley is known for, and walk between villages with your guide. Two nights is right for most trips; one night works if you are short of time, and a day trip from Paro is possible but rushed. Haa needs a route permit on top of the standard Thimphu–Paro entry permit, and you must travel with a licensed guide. Your operator arranges both. Rules are being revised, so check current status before you travel.

Don't miss

Highlights of Haa

Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo

The White and Black temples, which local historians date to the 7th century, sit a short distance apart at the edge of town. Go in the morning, walk clockwise, keep long sleeves on, and ask your guide to tell the pigeon legend in front of the three hills it points to.

Chele La on the way in

The road from Paro climbs to 3,988 m at Chele La, with long strings of prayer flags and, on clear mornings, Jomolhari to the north. Leave Paro by 7 am for the best chance of a view, then drop 26 km down through forest into the Haa valley.

A night in a farmhouse

Registered farmhouse homestays in the villages give you a wooden room, home cooking and often a dotsho, a hot stone bath in which river stones heated in a fire are dropped into a wooden tub. It is the most Haa thing you can do, and often cheaper than a hotel.

Hoentoe, the Haa dumpling

Hoentoe are buckwheat dumplings filled with dried turnip leaves, cheese and butter, and they are the dish Haa is known for. Ask your homestay a day ahead and they will often make a batch; it takes hours, so do not expect them on demand in town restaurants.

The Haa Summer Festival

Held every July, the festival celebrates the valley's farming and herding life, with local food, songs, dances and traditional games. Dates change each year and the monsoon brings cloud, but the valley is at its greenest and alpine flowers are out on the high slopes.

Walks between villages

With your guide you can walk easy farm tracks between villages, along the Haa Chhu, or up to small temples such as Katsho Goenpa. Paths are mostly gentle, but you are at 2,700 m, so go slowly on the first day if you came straight from the plains.

Told in the hills

Two pigeons, two temples

The best-known story in Haa is about its two old temples, and it is a legend, told in several ways. One version says that a white pigeon and a black pigeon, emanations of the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, who ruled in the 7th century, flew south from Tibet and came down in this valley. Where the white bird landed, people built Lhakhang Karpo, the White Temple. Where the black bird landed, they built Lhakhang Nagpo, the Black Temple. Another version replaces the birds with rays of light, bright and dark, that streamed from the king's body to mark the two sites.

A third telling says the temples were built by three groups of people who came out of the three hills above the valley, known as Miri Phünsum, the 'three brother' hills. Local historians date both temples to the 7th century, the same period that tradition gives Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro. Lhakhang Karpo was extensively restored and partly rebuilt around 2011, so much of what you see is recent work on a very old site. Lhakhang Nagpo, a short distance away, is smaller and quieter, and holds a small pool associated with Mahakala, the protector deity.

Haa has a modern story too. Gongzim Ugyen Dorji, the first chief minister under King Ugyen Wangchuck and the man who ran Bhutan's affairs from Bhutan House in Kalimpong, was also Penlop, or governor, of Haa from 1907 to 1916. His grandson Jigme Palden Dorji, later Bhutan's first prime minister, was appointed administrator of Haa in 1928, when he was nine years old. Ask your guide about the Dorji family's place in the valley's memory; it is one of the threads that ties Haa to the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills.

Pinned to the board

Did you know

Haa was opened to foreign tourists only in 2002, after the 79th session of Bhutan's National Assembly.

Gongzim Ugyen Dorji, Bhutan's first chief minister, was also governor (Penlop) of Haa from 1907 to 1916.

The Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), based in Haa, trains personnel of the Royal Bhutan Army and the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan.

Things to do

Four ways to spend a day in Haa

1.5–2 hours Haa's White and Black temples Haa · Free or a small fee; offerings welcome,…

Overnight A farmhouse night with hoentoe Haa · ₹2,000–4,000 per person with meals; hot…

1–2 days Haa Summer Festival in July Haa · Free to watch; usual SDF, guide and car…

2 hours A slow walk through Haa town Haa · Free

Getting there

How to reach Haa

Reserved carFrom Paro, a Bhutan-registered tourist car with driver takes 2.5–3 hours over Chele La (≈ 65–70 km). From Thimphu, allow about 4 hours. A lower road from Chhuzom, the river confluence on the Thimphu–Phuentsholing highway, is used when snow closes the pass. Expect ₹4,500–6,500 a day for the car, indicative, 2026; check current status before you travel.

Permits and guideYour operator gets the route permit for Haa from the Immigration office in Thimphu on a working day (Mon–Fri) and provides a licensed guide, who is mandatory beyond the first checkpoint under the Department of Tourism notification of 8 April 2026. Build that working day into your plan, and check current status before you travel.

Rail / AirFly into Paro from Delhi, Kolkata or, seasonally, Bagdogra on Drukair or Bhutan Airlines, then drive to Haa the same or next day. Overland, take the train to NJP or Hasimara, enter Bhutan at Phuentsholing, and reach Haa via Thimphu or Paro over two days.

Paro to Haa

Costs in Haaindicative, 2026

Sustainable Development Fee, Indian nationals₹1,200 per person per night; US$100 for most other nationalities, check current status before you travel
Licensed guide₹2,000–3,000 a day, indicative, 2026
Car with driver, Paro–Haa–Paro₹4,500–6,500 a day, indicative, 2026
Farmhouse homestay with meals₹2,000–4,000 per person a night, indicative, 2026
Hot stone bath at a farmhouse₹1,500–3,000, indicative, 2026
Certified 3-star hotel, Haa town₹3,000–5,500 per room night with breakfast, indicative, 2026

Fares and fees change with fuel prices, season and local union rates. Check current rates before you travel.

Money-saving tip

Spend your Haa night in a registered farmhouse with dinner and breakfast included; it usually costs less than a 3-star room plus restaurant meals, and the food is better.

Where to stay

Sleeping in Haa

Haa has a handful of Department of Tourism-certified hotels in and around Haa town, mostly small 3-star properties with wood stoves or heaters, and a growing list of registered farmhouse homestays in the villages up and down the valley. We usually book a farmhouse for at least one night: rooms are simple and bathrooms can be basic or shared, but the food and the hot stone bath make up for it. Hotels suit families who want attached bathrooms and steady hot water. There are no luxury lodges in the valley, so premium travellers often stay in Paro and come for the day. Ask your operator for the current certified list, since only listed stays are allowed.

On the map

Drawn by Darjeeling Tour Plan from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). Borders as depicted by India. Not for navigation.

Next stations

Near Haa

All of Bhutan

Chele La3,988 m

Bhutan's highest motorable pass, between Paro and Haa

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Thimphu2,320 m

A capital without traffic lights, under a giant golden Buddha

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Festivals here

Haa Summer Festival · July, two days (check each ye…

Questions people ask

Haa: questions answered

Do Indians need a permit to visit Haa

Yes. Indian nationals need the free Entry Permit, which covers Thimphu and Paro, plus a route permit for Haa, issued by the Immigration office in Thimphu on working days. In practice your Bhutanese operator or guide gets it for you. Reports suggest the process is being simplified, so check current status before you travel.

Is a guide compulsory in Haa for Indian tourists

Plan on it. A Department of Tourism notification of 8 April 2026 says all tourists must be accompanied by a licensed guide beyond the first designated checkpoint, and we read this as covering Indian visitors too. Older advice that Indians can travel without a guide is out of date. Plan on a licensed guide for the whole trip beyond Phuentsholing, and check current status before you travel.

How far is Haa from Paro

About 65–70 km over Chele La, which takes 2.5–3 hours by car with a stop at the pass. Chele La is about 35 km from Paro and 26 km from Haa. In winter, snow can close the pass for a day or more, and a longer road via Chhuzom is used instead. Check current status before you travel.

Can I do Haa as a day trip from Paro

You can, but it is a long day: 5–6 hours of driving for the round trip, plus the pass and the temples, and you still need the route permit. We prefer at least one night in a Haa farmhouse, which gives you an unhurried evening, the hot stone bath and a clear morning on Chele La on the way back.

What is the best time to visit Haa

April–May and October–November are best, with mostly dry days and the clearest views from Chele La. July brings the summer festival and green fields but also monsoon cloud. December–February is very cold, with a recorded low of −14.5 °C, and snow can close Chele La. Check current status before you travel.

How much does a Haa trip cost for Indians

As a couple sharing a car and guide, a 2-night Haa add-on to a Paro trip costs roughly ₹13,000–20,000 per person, indicative, 2026. That covers the ₹1,200 SDF per night, a farmhouse or 3-star room, and your share of the car (₹4,500–6,500 a day) and guide (₹2,000–3,000 a day). Groups of four pay noticeably less each.

What is special about Haa

Haa opened to foreign tourists only in 2002, so it has few hotels, little traffic and a farming life that carries on regardless of visitors. It has the White and Black temples, dated by local tradition to the 7th century, the hoentoe dumpling, farmhouse stays and the drive over Chele La. Come for slow days rather than a list of sights.

Is Haa cold

Yes, colder than Paro. The town is at about 2,720 m and the record low is −14.5 °C, set in January. Even in May and October, nights drop to a few degrees above freezing, and Chele La on the way is colder and windy. Pack a down jacket, a warm hat and thermal layers, and ask for a room with a heater.

Where do you stay in Haa

In a Department of Tourism-certified 3-star hotel in Haa town or a registered farmhouse homestay in the villages around it. There are no luxury lodges in the valley. Farmhouses have simpler bathrooms but better food and the hot stone bath; hotels have attached bathrooms and steadier hot water. Ask your operator for the current certified list.