Lingkhar Lodge
Trashigang

Nestled in the quiet, rural countryside of the small but bustling town of Trashigang in eastern Bhutan, Lingkhar Lodge is a simple and comfortable lodge just an hour's drive from Yonphula domestic airport.

Lingkhar Lodge is by far the best option in the area, a remote region where decent accommodation is often in short supply. The twelve deluxe guest rooms are housed in traditional cottages, scattered within the picturesque gardens. The en-suite rooms are spacious, comfortable and well furnished, and have been attractively designed in a traditional Bhutanese style. Each room has its own balcony with views overlooking orange orchards and terraced rice fields; the hotel site is blissfully quiet.

The hotel restaurant is simple and serves Bhutanese, Indian and Chinese cuisine, whilst the bar offers an interesting selection of international and local beverages, including Ara, the local spirit distilled from rice. The service is warm and welcoming, and the hosts, Mingur and Deki, will make you feel immediately at home.

Trashigang, meaning ‘Auspicious Mountain’, is a picturesque town cushioned at the foot of a steep wooded valley, with the tiny Dangme Chu River carving through it. Not many travellers make it to this part of Bhutan, it’s very far off the usual tourist circuit, but it’s well worth the journey for those who make it here. Lingkhar Lodge is a good base from which to explore the local highlights which include Trashi Yangtse Dzong, and the small towns of Khaling, Radi and Phongme.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.
Bill Bryson