// exploring: Wilderness Adventures

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek

Duration2 Days

IntensityChallenging

Kingdom of Bhutan

Verified Experiences

// experience overview

About this experience

"Merak and Sakteng villages are home to the Brokpa — eastern Bhutan's semi-nomadic yak-herding people, distinguished by five-tailed shaggy caps and an oral culture of epic poetry and shamanic ritual almost entirely unknown outside these remote eastern valleys. The trek through Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary — the world's first protected area designated for the migoi (yeti) — traverses dense rhododendron ridges and high meadows, overnighting in community guesthouses staffed by Brokpa families."

verified information // Kingdom of Bhutan

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// precise coordinates

Experience Location

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek

27.2000°N, 91.8333°E

Approximate locationKingdom of Happiness...

// journey: Wilderness Adventures

The Visual Experience

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 1

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 2

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 3

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 4

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 5

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 6

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 7

Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek — photo 8

// after the day ends

Where to Rest

Properties in Trashigang, the valley Merak-Sakteng Brokpa Highland Trek unfolds in. Choose the one you would rather return to at nightfall.

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Standard · $185/night

fine dining

Lingkhar Lodge (Trashigang)

"Lingkhar Lodge is widely regarded as eastern Bhutan's finest boutique lodging, an elegant property built in the style of a traditional aristocratic farmhouse on a ridge above the Drangme Chhu gorge. Its twenty rooms feature original Bhutanese antiques, hand-painted beam ceilings, and private balconies overlooking the spectacular river canyon. The lodge's acclaimed restaurant serves gourmet interpretations of eastern Bhutanese cuisine paired with carefully selected Bhutanese wines and the region's famous ara spirit."

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Standard · $130/night

restaurant & bar

Druk Deothjung Resort

"Druk Deothjung Resort is the largest hotel in eastern Bhutan, a seventy-room property set three kilometres from Trashigang Town on a landscaped hillside above the Gamri Chhu. The resort's conference facilities, indoor dining hall, and expansive gardens make it the venue of choice for government events, NGO workshops, and major tour groups exploring the east. Its central position between Trashigang Dzong and the road east to Trashi Yangtse makes it an invaluable logistical base for the eastern circuit."

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Standard · $120/night

communal lounge

Kelling Lodge (Trashigang)

"Kelling Lodge is a convivial, owner-managed mid-range property in Trashigang that has built a loyal following among travellers on the eastern Bhutan circuit. The sixteen rooms are cosy and clean, and the communal lounge doubles as a cultural exchange hub where guests swap route intelligence, share festival timings, and meet local guides. The lodge manager is a passionate advocate for eastern Bhutanese heritage and personally conducts storytelling sessions about Merak–Sakteng culture and Brokpa nomadic traditions."

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Standard · $110/night

restaurant

Hotel Wangchuk (Trashigang)

"Hotel Wangchuk is a trusted mid-range hotel in the compact hilltop town of Trashigang, positioned at the crossroads of eastern Bhutan's main road network. Its twenty-two rooms offer reliable comfort with private bathrooms, and the restaurant on the ground floor produces consistently good dhal, rice, and Bhutanese curries throughout the day. The hotel's rooftop terrace provides a grand view of Trashigang Dzong, dramatically sited above the confluence of two rivers."

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Economy · $60/night

restaurant

Singye Hotel (Trashigang)

"Singye Hotel is a straightforward budget option in Trashigang Town, ideally positioned for travellers arriving late or departing early on the long-distance routes across eastern Bhutan. Its twelve rooms are simply furnished but spotlessly maintained, and the ground-floor eatery serves hearty breakfasts of buckwheat pancakes and boiled eggs popular with cyclists tackling the Trans-Bhutan Trail."

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// more experiences

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thimphuSpiritual and Wellness

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