Picture-Perfect Phobjika
Set against a backdrop of the Black Mountains, Phobjikha is unlike any other place in Bhutan. It is a mesmerizing hidden bowl-shaped glacial valley of vast expanses of green fields. Once there, your first view will be of the Gangtey Monastery perched slightly higher, as if floating in the clouds above the valley.
In Bhutan the belief is that valleys that are hidden or away from plain sight are auspicious. And the Gangtey Monastery is a fine example of how auspicious such hidden gems truly are. Every year, the endangered Black-Necked Cranes arrive at the valley from the Tibetan plateau and, every year, the cranes circle the monastery three times, clockwise, before they head to the marshlands. Circling a religious monument thrice is considered a sacred act in Buddhism and is practiced widely in Bhutan.
The locals believe that the cranes are the reincarnations of the monks of the Monastery, and the cranes circumambu- lating the Monastery on their arrival each year only solidify that belief further. As a result, Phobjika is one of the most important wildlife preserves in the country. In addition to the cranes there are also muntjacs (barking deer), wild boars, sambars, serows, Himalayan black bears, leopards and red foxes in the surrounding hills.
The best time to visit the valley is in the fall when the cranes begin their journey from Tibet, or in spring just before they depart for the summer. The sunrise and sunsets, when the birds are in flight with the reddish sun behind them, are truly a delight – remarkably postcard-like.