Royal Botanical Park Lamperi

The Royal Botanical Park at Lamperi covers the forested slopes below Dochula on the road east from Thimphu, protecting a stretch of the mid-altitude Himalayan forest with a documented flora that includes around forty-six rhododendron species, the reason most visitors come. In April and May the understorey flowers in white, pink, red and yellow, and a rhododendron festival is held at the park each spring with stalls and displays. The park has a small lake with a walkway, marked trails of a few kilometres, an information centre and camping and picnic ground. It also protects habitat used by wildlife moving between altitudes, including the occasional red panda, though sightings are very rare. It works as a stop on the drive between Thimphu and Punakha.

What you actually see

• Rhododendron flowering - dozens of species in bloom in spring.
• The lake walkway - a short circuit around the water.
• Forest trails - marked paths of a few kilometres through the park.
• The spring festival - the rhododendron event held each April.

When to go

April and May for flowering, which is the whole point of the park; the festival usually falls in mid-April. Outside spring the park is green forest and considerably less interesting. Monsoon brings leeches.

Honest expectations

Outside the flowering weeks the park is unremarkable and easily skipped. Red panda sightings are extremely unlikely. Facilities are modest. The site sits at altitude below a pass, so weather is often cloudy and wet.

Nearby

Dochula pass is above; Punakha lies east down the road.