Bhutan has no inscribed World Heritage Sites yet — but its tentative list reads like a guide to the kingdom's greatest treasures.
The tentative list
In 2012 Bhutan submitted eight sites to UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list:
- Ancient ruin of Drukgyel Dzong, Paro
- Dzongs — the centres of temporal and religious authority, including Punakha, Wangdue Phodrang, Paro, Trongsa and Dagana
- Tamzhing Monastery, Bumthang
- Sacred sites associated with Phajo Drugom Zhigpo and his descendants
- Royal Manas National Park
- Jigme Dorji National Park
- Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
- Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
Intangible heritage
The Mask Dance of the Drums from Drametse, a sacred dance from eastern Bhutan, is inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Visiting
Many of these sites feature in our journeys — from Drukgyel Dzong at the head of the Paro valley to Tamzhing's ancient murals in Bumthang and the wild forests of Jigme Dorji National Park.
Header photo: No machine-readable author provided. Greenmnm69 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5
