We left our lodge in the early morning fog for a leisurely few hour hike along the Phobjikha Valley to the site of the Black-necked Crane Festival. The festival is held every November 11 at the Gangte Goemba to celebrate the arrival of the black-necked cranes to the valley where they spend the winter before returning to their breeding grounds in Tibet. The goemba is a Buddhist monastery built originally in 1613. It sits overlooking this broad and beautiful valley on a forested hillside in central Bhutan.
I made the photo below four weeks ago as the sun broke through the trees.
Further along, as the trail began to merge with a dusty, bumpy road, a local vehicle rattled by carrying its passengers to the festival.
Inside the monastery where the festival was held, we joined a friendly crowd and watched performers and mask dancers in joyous celebration.
We saw the cranes, but only at a very far distance. Approaching these much-endangered birds was not permitted. The photo at the left is of a model inside the crane information center which has high-quality, powerful telescopes to observe the birds.
In the afternoon the festival turns into a giant flea-market. This provides a unique opportunity for the people in this somewhat-isolated valley to purchase goods from Timphu, India, and beyond. Less than half of them have cars.
Tired but happy, I took a photo of the valley from near the now-deserted monastery.
As we walk away from the festival I got a photo of our very knowledgeable and extremely dedicated guide, Lakey. He is also an enthusiastic photographer.
Back in my room in our lodge, I got an evening photo of the valley out the window.
You can see many more photos from Phobjikha and the festival by clicking HERE.