Sagala
Planter's Trail

All meals on trek are freshly prepared by your camp cook. Each morning begins with a wake-up call, warm washing water, and hot tea or coffee at your tent. Trekking starts around 8:30–9 am at a comfortable pace, with a packed lunch on trail. Camp is fully set up and ready on arrival each afternoon. Pack horses carry all equipment and supplies — you trek with only a day pack.

Your trek begins in the beautiful and rarely visited Haa Valley. From the trailhead, follow an unpaved track passing to the left of the villages for less than an hour before beginning the main ascent. The path climbs steadily through farmland, then forest, past a yak herder's camp, until you reach a junction where the trail splits. Take care here: the left path leads to the summer yak herding camp and the China border — you must take the right path, which continues the final ascent to the Sagala camp nestled at 3,550 m. Altitude gain on this day is substantial (880 m), but the pace is short in distance, allowing time to acclimatise and absorb the first views back over Haa Valley below.

Begin with a 30-minute climb to the Sagala Pass at 3,550 m. On clear mornings, this is your first and finest opportunity to see Mt. Jomolhari (7,314 m) and Jichu Drake (6,989 m) dominating the northern horizon — a breathtaking reward for the effort of Day 1. From the pass, the trail continues along the right side of the ridge through a series of gradual ascents and descents, weaving through enchanting rhododendron forests and open meadows. The trail climbs to the ridge peak at 4,100 m, from where magnificent panoramas of Haa Valley unfold below. Continue through alternating hemlock and juniper forest with intermittent ridge walking, descending to your campsite at Nyingungla at 3,850 m. This is the longest and most varied day of the trek.

The final and most spectacular day begins with a short descent before the trail follows the ridge through captivating meadows and past a yak herder's camp. The path then ascends through a dense rhododendron forest toward the sacred Kung Karpo sky burial site at 4,350 m — the highest point of the trek. Stone cairns and prayer flags mark the route and the site itself. From here, the panoramic view of the Haa Valley to the east is extraordinary. Continuing on, the trail offers simultaneous views of Paro Valley to the left and Haa Valley to the right — with the Kila Goenpa Nunnery visible below on the Paro side. A series of ascents and descents leads to the famous Chele La Pass at 3,988 m, one of Bhutan's highest drivable passes. Your vehicle awaits at the pass to transfer you comfortably back to Paro, marking the end of the Sagala Trek.