The Journey
Cheri, the road was as beautiful as the name is. Cheri Monastery is on a hilltop approx half an hour drive from Thimphu. After a halt in Pangri Zampa Monastery, we immediately crossed a bridge over Wang Chuu and drove north along the river till we reached Dodeyna. The motorable road ended there. Cheri Monastery was an hour walk uphill from Dodeyna.
We crossed many small picturesque villages on our way. One and two-storied houses with smoke coming out from the roof, livestock grazing around, little stretches of farming fields beside the river, and locals busy in their daily lives – everything seemed like a perfect canvas of rural life. Thimphu Chuu accompanied us for our entire ride till Dodeyna. The road was through the tropical Himalayan forest at its last half. And we were lucky enough to spot some wild animals while crossing our road and going towards the river.
Read more: My guide on how to plan your first trip to Bhutan
At Dodeyna, we left our car in the parking lot. There were two trails from the parking lot: the straight dirt road was going towards Tango Monastery, and the other one went across the river towards Cheri Monastery. There was a wooden cantilever bridge to cross the river. It was decorated with colourful prayer flags.
Once we crossed the bridge, we reached a large meadow. There were one large stupa and a chorten in the centre with prayer wheels around it. The river was on our left side now, and we saw a few local people busy fishing. The path to the monastery started from the far end of the meadow.
The hiking trail was a zigzag dirt path through a forest filled with oak and pine trees. Horses were grazing around at the start of the trail. Once we start hiking up, we saw many rhododendron trees alongside the trail blooming with red flowers. My son was walking in front, and he was enjoying his role, acting as a guide for the two of us.
We were greeted with the sound of chirping birds, rustling leaves of the oak and pine trees and the burbling stream of Wang Chuu below. Occasionally we could hear chattering as we crossed locals, awakening our senses about human presence. We stopped so many times underneath the shadow of tall oak trees. We took a few deep breaths in the fresh air, clicked some pictures, regained our energy and moved ahead.
Read More: My guide to hike Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery in Paro, Bhutan
Almost midway, we found another stupa standing tall, from where we could see the monastery at the hilltop. We took a break there. There were two wooden benches with shades above to sit and relax for a while. We sat on a bench and finished the snacks that we carried from our hotel.
From midway stupa, the trail was steeper and narrower. Now the path was covered with dry fallen leaves. My son was walking at the same pace as us. It was almost 1 hour since we started on the bridge. Another sound added up now to accompany us – the crackling sound of fallen dry leaves beneath our hiking shoes. The sound of breeze across the tall trees became more intense. A group of young monks from Cheri Monastery crossed us and told us that it would take another ten minutes to reach the monastery.
We started to walk with a new zeal. Finally, we were there, around 100 meters from the monastery gate. From there, it was approx fifty rock-laden stairs to the gate. But this time, my little son told me that he is having pain in his leg and did not want to walk anymore. And so we decided to stop there. I took a few pictures of the monastery from there. We rested for ten minutes there and then started to descend. After another thirty minutes, we came back to the meadow.
We could not reach the top. Neither we entered the monastery. We were just one slope down from the gate of the monastery. It was not more than 100 meters from the gate. We were so close yet did not complete the hike.
Yet we did not have any regret that we could not make it till the end. Rather we preferred to hike as long my son could walk himself. And I was quite impressed with my five years old son’s performance. We were a team, and our team did a decent job considering that it was our first hike ever. We really enjoyed every moment of our hike to Cheri Monastery, and it was one of the best experience we ever had together.
About Cheri Monastery
Cheri Monastery (a.k.a. Chagri Dorjeden Monastery) is a Buddhist monastery in Bhutan established in 1620 by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the founder of the Bhutanese state. This monastery is now a major teaching and retreat centre of the Southern Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
According to Bhutanese religious histories, the place was first visited by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. In the 13th century, it was visited by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, the Tibetan Lama who first established the Drukpa Kagyu tradition in Bhutan.
Cheri Monastery was the first monastery established in Bhutan by Ngawang Namgyal in 1620 when he was 27 years old. The Zhabdrung spent three years in strict retreat at Cheri and resided there for many periods throughout his life. It was at Cheri in 1623 that he established the first Drukpa monastic order in Bhutan.
How to Reach Cheri Monastery
You can hire a car from Thimphu and reach Dodeyna. The motorable road ends at Dodeyna, surrounded by the mountain on all three sides. This is the northern border of the Thimphu District.
Cheri and Tango monasteries are on two adjacent hilltops. For Cheri Monastery, you have to cross the river and then start hiking. There was only one trail that went up to the monastery gate. It takes approx 1 hour to reach the monastery and 30-40 minutes to come down.
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Hiking Details of Cheri Monastery
Difficulty level: Moderate
Maximum Elevation: 2800 meters
Elevation gain : 400meters
Hiking Distance: 2.5 km
Hiking Time: 2 hours
Tips to Remember
- This is a moderate hike. If you are not an experienced hiker, go slow, take several pauses and enjoy nature. This hike works as a warm-up before attempting the hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery.
- If you want to go to both Tango and Cheri monastery, then start early from Thimphu. Complete one hike before lunch.
- There is no entry fee for Cheri/Tango monastery.
- Carry packed lunch with you. Enjoy your lunch by the side of Wang Chuu.
- Wear your hiking shoes. You must carry an umbrella with you.
Places to see en-route
- Pangri Zampa Monastery
- Begana rock painting
My son – starting his first hike My little hero – at the end of the hike
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Book your trip: Resources
- Flight
Use Skyscanner or Google Flights to book your flight.
- Accommodation
Tripadvisor and Agoda are perfect for booking your hotel. If you want to stay in a hostel, then Hostelworld would greatly help you find one at your convenience.
- Travel Insurance
World Nomads is perfect for travel insurance. You can get comprehensive protection from them. Let them take care of unexpected situations while you concentrate on your trip.
- Package Tour and Activities
You can book a package tour from G-Adventures and Viator. They are a reputed company arranging small group tours and customising them per your requirements. You can also use Get Your Guide to book your private transport, city tours, heritage walks, food walks and other experiences like a cooking lesson or a Yoga session.
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