located in the northeast, lhuntse is one of the least developed districts of bhutan. there are few roads and the first gas station was opened as recently as september 2005. electricity is also not well distributed. the land is mostly covered in dense coniferous forests. the region is famous for textiles. kishuthara, a bhutanese textile which is highly prized, comes from this region. it lies at an elevation of 2,300 m.

places of interests

lhuentse dzong: this mighty fortress, popularly known as lhundub rinchentse sits upon a hill overlooking the kurichu river. it was constructed in 1654 by the trongsa penlop chogyal minjur tempa upon the site of an older temple built by nagi wangchuk in 1552.  today the dzong is the administrative and the religious centre of the district.

jangchubling monastery: this monastery was founded in the 18th century by pekar gyatso. till recently, the monastery was under the patronage of the 16th karmapa rangjung rigpe dorji. as a nun, ashi wangmo (daughter of the 1st king), lived in this monastery. the monastery is connected by a feeder road.

short day trips

kilung lhakhang: the kilung lhakhang is situated in the tiny village of kilung inhabited by the tshanglas, which is a twenty minutes of drive from the dzong. the lhakhang is located on a ridge overlooking the kurichhu river. this temple houses the sacred chain mall that was once used to recapture a statue that miraculously flew away from the lhuentse dzong.

dungkar nagtshang: the dungkar nagtshang was the ancient home of the dungkar chojie, one of noble lineages from kurtoe. this was also the home to the trongsa penelop, jigme namgyal, the father of the wangchuck dynasty. it stands on the slopes of the mountains overlooking the tiny dungkar village.

gangzur village: around two kilometers from the lhuntse dzong is the small village of gangzur. the village is famous for pottery and the women of the village are skilled artisans of this art. while at gangzur you shall come across women displaying their skills.

khoma village: located at a distance of about two hours walk from the lhuntse dzong, this village known throughout the country for its signature woven textile, the kishuthara and it is a main destination for those tourists who are on a bhutanese textile tour. the walk to the village is a pleasant jourey through gentle slopes amongst the pine trees. women of the village site in a makeshift textile cottage, weaving the intricate designs and patterns of the kishuthara. the kishuthara is one of the most expensive textile and buying one from here could be reasonable.