National Parks Protected Areas In Bhutan

Bhutan is the only carbon-negative country on earth — a nation that absorbs more greenhouse gases than it produces — and the reason lies in an extraordinary commitment to conservation that has no parallel anywhere in the world. Over 51% of the kingdom’s land area is designated as protected territory: five national parks, four wildlife sanctuaries, one strict nature reserve, eight biological corridors, and one botanical park, covering 19,750 square kilometres in total. Forest cover exceeds 71% of the country. When you travel through Bhutan, you may not even realise you have stepped into a national park — the boundaries between protected wilderness and everyday life are that seamless.

1. Jigme Dorji National Park

The second largest and one of the oldest national parks in Bhutan, Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) was established in 1974 in the northwestern corner of the kingdom. Spanning approximately 4,316 square kilometres across Punakha, Gasa, Thimphu, and Paro districts, JDNP is a conservation jewel of the Himalayas — and the only place on earth where the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) shares overlapping habitat with the Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia).

The park harbours Bhutan’s highest recorded population of takin, the national animal, alongside ravens (the national bird), blue poppies (the national flower), and cypress trees (the national tree). Over 36 mammal species, 5 reptiles, 39 butterflies, 328 birds, and 1,450 vascular plants are recorded here — with many more awaiting discovery. Four major ecosystems coexist within the park: warm broadleaf forest, cool broadleaf forest, mixed coniferous forest, and alpine meadows.

Majestic peaks — Jhomolhari, Masangang, Jichudrakey, Tsherimgang, Gangkarpuensum, Ganchentag, and Ganglakarchung — make JDNP a trekker’s paradise. Three of Bhutan Pelyab Tours’ signature treks pass through this park: the Jomolhari Trek (the most popular in Bhutan, with splendid views from the Jomolhari Basecamp), the Laya Gasa Trek, and the legendary Snowman Trek. The scenery along these trails — serene alpine meadows adorned with wildflowers, glacial lakes of varied colours, herds of blue sheep and yaks, cascading rivers and waterfalls, forests wrapped in cloud and mist — reads like a dream made visible. After exhausting days on the trail, natural hot springs await to ease body and mind.

2. Royal Manas National Park

Established in 1964, Royal Manas is the oldest and fourth-largest national park in Bhutan, spanning 1,057 square kilometres across Sarpang and Zhemgang districts. Sharing boundaries with four other protected areas, it is the cornerstone of Bhutan’s conservation network.

Royal Manas is famous as one of Asia’s greatest birdlife paradises — a 2016 survey recorded an astonishing 430 species. The park shelters rare mammals including Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), Pygmy Hog (Sus salvanius), Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), and Asiatic Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), plus globally rare plant species such as Dalbergia oleveri, Aquilaria malaccensis, and Podocarpus neriifolia — the only conifer broadleaved tree rarely distributed in the park. Over ten thousand insect species are recorded here.

Four diverse habitats range from tropical monsoon forest through subtropical and warm broadleaved to cool broadleaved forest. The Manas River — from which the park takes its name — forms its lifeline, providing critical watershed. The Royal Manas Trek takes visitors through this unspoiled landscape with nights at community-managed eco-camps, wildlife viewing, birding, and elephant safari and rafting experiences on demand.

3. Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park

Opened in 1995, JSWNP is the third-largest protected area in Bhutan at 1,730 square kilometres, spanning five districts. Six major ecological zones — subtropical broadleaf forests, chir pine forests, warm and cool temperate broadleaf forests, subalpine conifer forests, and alpine scrub and meadows — harbour 39 mammals, 270 birds (ten globally threatened), 139 butterfly species, and 16 fish species. Over 5,000 vascular plant species are expected, with 441 confirmed including 78 tree species from 32 families.

The jewel of the park is Phobjikha Valley in the buffer zone — the wintering habitat of approximately 260 Black-necked Cranes, representing about 6% of the global population of this endangered species. Conservation-important species include Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, Musk Deer, Red Panda, and Golden Langur.

Two treks pass through JSWNP: the Nabji-Korphu Trek — an easy route through picturesque Trongsa with overnight stays in the villages of Nabji, Korphu, and Nyimshong — and the newly developed Adha-Rukha trail connecting two villages whose warm inhabitants welcome trekkers into their homes. The park is also home to the Monpa people and the nearly extinct “Olep” community, believed to be among the original Bhutanese.

4. Phrumsengla National Park

The smallest of Bhutan’s five national parks at 905 square kilometres, Phrumsengla was established in 1998 across Bumthang, Lhuentse, Mongar, and Zhemgang. Yet what it lacks in size it compensates in biodiversity: over 623 plant species (including 152 medicinal plants and 21 species endemic to Bhutan), 71 mammal species, and a remarkable 361 bird species — making it one of Asia’s premier birdwatching destinations. Notable species include the globally threatened Rufous-necked Hornbill, Beautiful Nuthatch, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Ward’s Trogon, and Tawny Fish Owl. Rhododendrons add spectacular colour to pristine fir forests at higher elevations, and on a clear day, the view of Gangkarpuensum — Bhutan’s highest peak — from Phrumsengla Pass is extraordinary.

5. Wangchuck Centennial National Park

The largest national park in Bhutan, Wangchuck Centennial (WCNP) was established in 2008, spanning an immense 4,914 square kilometres across Gasa, Wangdue, Bumthang, Trongsa, and Lhuentse. It encompasses the country’s most important high-water towers, feeding four major rivers — Punatsangchhu, Mangdechhu, Chamkharchhu, and Kurichhu. Permanently snow-covered peaks including Gangkarpuensum, Rinchen Zoegila, and Jazayla dominate the landscape, with 85% of the park under snow cover for four months each winter.

6. Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary

Covering 740 square kilometres across Trashigang and Samdrupjongkhar, Sakteng harbours eight different forest types from warm broadleaf to alpine meadow. Of Bhutan’s 46 rhododendron species, 35 can be found here — earning the sanctuary its reputation as the “Paradise of Rhododendrons.” Snow leopard, red panda, and Himalayan black bear roam these forests alongside a creature of pure legend: the Yeti, believed by locals to stand 8 feet tall, walk backwards, and possess the ability to become invisible.

The Merak Sakteng Trek offers visitors a chance to meet the Brokpa — approximately 5,000 semi-nomadic people whose women are known for their love of singing and who celebrate a colourful autumn festival.

7. Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhutan’s largest sanctuary at 1,520 square kilometres, Bumdeling spans Trashiyangtse, Lhuentse, and Mongar and has been open since 1994. An impressively wide range of ecosystems — from warm cool broadleaf forest to alpine meadows and scree slopes — supports vulnerable species including Royal Bengal Tiger, Snow Leopard, Red Panda, Himalayan Musk Deer, and Rufous-necked Hornbill. Critically, Bumdeling is home to the only endemic butterfly in Bhutan and the world — the Ludlow’s Bhutan Swallowtail.

The sanctuary catchment feeds the mighty Drangmechhu, and the Kholongchhu forms the living habitat for endangered Black-necked Cranes in the Bumdeling valley. Cultural treasures abound — Singye Dzong, Risumgonpa, Pamaling, Dechenphodrang, Gonpa Karp, Lhakhang Karp, and Sangay Lodrou are all found within the sanctuary.

8. Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary

Despite its modest 268 square kilometres across Sarpang and Dagana, Phibsoo is the only natural habitat of spotted deer (Chital) and wild sal and agarwood forest in Bhutan. Originally a Reserved Forest in 1974 and upgraded to sanctuary status in 1993, it shelters elephants, gaurs, tigers, golden langurs, and hornbills. Over 300 acres of unspoiled subtropical rangeland provides potential prime habitat for pygmy hog and hispid hare, with 637 flowering plants, 28 mammals, and 132 bird species recorded so far.

9. Jomotshangkha Wildlife Sanctuary

Open since 1993, this 334 square-kilometre sanctuary in southeastern Bhutan under Samdrupjongkhar district encompasses subtropical forest, warm and cool broadleaf forest, and grassland. It is known as the habitat of critically threatened Pygmy Hog and Hispid Hare, alongside Asiatic Elephant, Common Leopard, Himalayan Black Bear, and four different species of hornbills.

10. Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve

Bhutan’s only strict nature reserve, this 609 square-kilometre area in the northwest — primarily in Haa with a small extension into Samtse — was renamed in 2014 to honour the Fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. With no permanent human settlements except a few migratory yak-herding communities, it protects the most pristine temperate and alpine ecosystems in the country and perhaps the entire Himalayas. Snow Leopard, Red Panda, Tibetan Snowcock, and Rufous-necked Hornbill call it home, and it is the sole location of the White Poppy (Meconopsis superba) in Bhutan.

11. Biological Corridors

Covering an additional 3,307 square kilometres, Bhutan’s biological corridors connect all nine protected areas, allowing wildlife to move freely between habitats and adapt to climate change. Originally numbering twelve, three corridors were added following the establishment of Wangchuck Centennial National Park in 2008. These corridors — designated as a “Gift of the Earth” — represent the Bhutanese government’s visionary commitment to preserving living habitats for an extensive range of species across the entire kingdom.

12. Royal Botanical Park, Lamperi

Bhutan’s first botanical park, established in June 2008 near the Dochula Pass in Punakha, covers 47 square kilometres of cool broadleaf forests, mixed conifer forests, fir and sub-alpine forests, and temperate rainforest. The botanical garden encompasses the famous 108 chortens at Dochula Pass and showcases 46 different species of rhododendron. Each year from mid-March to early August, the blooming rhododendrons transform the park into a riot of colour, celebrated with an annual Rhododendron Festival.

From the snow-leopard haunted peaks of Jigme Dorji to the rhododendron paradise of Sakteng, from the birdlife treasury of Royal Manas to the yeti legends of the eastern sanctuary, Bhutan’s protected areas are not just conservation zones — they are living proof that a nation can choose nature over exploitation, forest over concrete, and still thrive. In Bhutan, the wild is not something set apart. It is the country itself.