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RAINBOW TOURS AND TREKS
THIMPHU : BHUTAN
Trekking to
Merak and Sakteng
8 days/7 nights
Until recently, in an effort to preserve their culture and environment, Merak and
Sakteng were closed to tourism. The Royal Government of Bhutan has now decided
to allow a very limited number of foreign visitors into the area.
designated a wildlife sanctuary in April 2003. Recent
surveys of the area by the Department of Forests has
identified 18 species of mammals and 119 species of
birds. Some of the prominent mammals found in the
sanctuary are red pandas, goral, serow, Asiatic black
bear, capped langur, Himalayan yellow throated
marten, common leopard, Himalayan palm civet,
forest pika, Moupin’s pika, barking deer, Himalayan
stripped squirrel and the Assamese macaque.
Special Yak dance in Sakteng
Merak and Sakteng are two valleys located in the far north eastern part of Bhutan.
The natives of these valleys came from Tibet to settle in Merak and Sakteng some
centuries ago and are known as the Brokpas. They are a semi–nomadic community
dependent on yak and sheep herding for their livelihood and, in comparision to peoples
in the higher altitude zones, practice very
little agrarian living. The Brokpas speak
a different dialect known as ‘Brokey’ and
have their own unique dress that is made
of yak hair and sheep wool.
The Brokpas of Merak and Sakteng migrate
annually with their cattle to the lower
valleys of Rhadi, Phongmey and Khaling
during extreme winter cold and return to their
highland homes in the summer. During their
migrations they barter yak and sheep products,
like cheese, butter, wool and Yeidpa, a special
fermented cheese, with the people of the lower
valleys, taking rice, corn and textiles in exchange.
The Brokpa people are a carefree and fun-loving peoples known for their hospitality
and love for their own age-old culture and traditions. One of the most popular stories
in Sakteng is about the Mirgoi or Yeti locally called Drei. Their most important local
deity is the Goddess Aum Jomo.
The natural landscape of Merak and Sakteng comprises immense stretches of alpine
as well as warm broadleaf forests interspersed with meadows and mountain streams.
The area is also known for its abundance of medicinal herbs. Merak and Sakteng were
Program1
day
Trekking
Trashigang to Chaling (Alt: 7011 ft/2137 m) to
Chuthabthab (Alt: 9985 ft/3043 m)
Time: 4 - 5 hrs.
Distance: 6.2 mi/10 km
Altitude gain: 2791 ft/851 m
Altitude loss: 0 ft/0 m
After breakfast, drive about half an hour to Ranjung where you can see a few well set
up shops, the high school and the Woeselcholing monastery owned by Garab Rinpoche.
In Rangjung you can visit a farm house to see raw silk being woven into local fabrics.
From Rangjung drive 1 1/2 hours through corn fields
and past farm houses on a rough road to Chaling.
Your trek begins above Chaling school at 7,011
feet/2,137 metres. The trail from Chaling to
Chuthabthab is up hill through open hills overlooking
the view of Galing, Bidung and Bartsam village in the
opposite direction. On this route you will see ancient
mani walls and a chorten beside the trail. After
trekking for one hour you reach Tsahey phu meadow, a rest place, then continue trekking
uphill through the open pastures. This pasture land belongs to villages of Chaling and
Radhi and is used for grazing their cows. Further along the trail
to the campsite you
will see cow huts
near Sheytimi. From
Sheytimi it is a one hour
climb to Chuthabthab
C a m p s i t e i n a
b e a u t i f u l h i l l t o p
meadow at 9,985 feet
/3,043 metres.