Gangtey Monastery

Founded by Gyalse Pema Thinley, grandson and reincarnation of the treasure-revealer Pema Lingpa, Gangtey Goenpa is the largest Nyingmapa monastery in western Bhutan. It crowns a forested hillock overlooking the glacial Phobjikha Valley at approximately 2,900 meters, one of the few remaining glacial valleys in the eastern Himalayas. The valley below is the winter roosting ground for 300-500 endangered black-necked cranes that migrate from Tibet each October, and the monastery hosts the annual Black-Necked Crane Festival in November.