Kila Goemba

Kila Goemba is one of the oldest nunneries in Bhutan, a scatter of small whitewashed buildings and meditation huts set into a cliff face on the Paro side of the Chele La ridge, where a community of nuns lives in conditions of considerable simplicity. The site began as a meditation retreat and the buildings have accumulated on ledges rather than being laid out, so the whole thing appears to hang on the rock. The walk in descends through blue pine and rhododendron from a point below the pass, taking about an hour, and returns uphill. Because the approach is on foot and the community is contemplative, visits are quiet and small. The view out over the Paro valley from the ledges is wide.

What to look for

• Cliff-set buildings - whitewashed structures on ledges in the rock face.
• The nunnery community - nuns living and practising at the retreat.
• The forest walk - blue pine and rhododendron on the approach.
• The valley view - Paro spread out far below the ledges.

When to go

March to May and September to November. April and May bring rhododendron flowering along the path. The walk is hard in monsoon mud and the trail can be snowbound in winter.

Good to know

The walk is an hour each way at around 3,500 metres, with the return uphill; altitude and gradient make it harder than the distance suggests. This is a working religious community and quiet, modest dress and restraint with cameras are expected. There are no facilities on the route.

Nearby

Chele La is above; Paro lies below in the valley.