Budget Guesthouse · Bumthang (Jakar)
Swiss Guest House, Jakar
A farmhouse-style guesthouse on a hillside a few minutes above Jakar, one of Bumthang's first places for foreign travellers, open since the early 1980s. Wood-panelled rooms with stoves, apple orchards and a kitchen known for Swiss dishes alongside Bhutanese food.
Photo: PgyamtshoBT · CC0 · CommonsThe Swiss Guest House sits at Karsumphe, a short drive above Jakar, in a traditional farmhouse setting with orchards around it. Rooms are wood-panelled, with en-suite bathrooms and wood-burning stoves for Bumthang's cold nights. It has hosted travellers since the early 1980s and is linked to the Swiss community whose development work in Bumthang also left a cheese factory and a brewery.
The kitchen serves Bhutanese meals and Swiss dishes such as fondue and rösti, using Bumthang cheese. The bar serves Red Panda wheat beer from Jakar. It is simpler than Bumthang's luxury lodges but more characterful than most town hotels, and good value for comfort-minded saver travellers. Confirm current rates with your operator.
Why we use it
- Wood stoves and orchard setting above Jakar
- Swiss and Bhutanese cooking with Bumthang cheese
- Long-running, well-known among Bhutan travellers
Best for
The photo shows Bumthang (Jakar), not the property itself.
Trips that stay here
Sleep here on a trip
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Comfort
Central Bhutan to Bumthang, 12 nights
Private car with driver
Around the stay
Bumthang (Jakar)
Bumthang is four high valleys around Jakar town at about 2,600 m in central Bhutan, called the country's spiritual heartland. Here are Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, the Burning Lake and Tamshing, plus buckwheat fields, yathra looms and the Red Panda brewery. Spend two to three nights.
Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Jambay to Kurjey: the temple walk of Choekhor
A gentle 3–4 km walk up the Choekhor valley linking Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang and, across a footbridge, Tamshing…
Photo: Doctor 17 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Membartsho, the Burning Lake in Tang valley
A short drive and a five-minute walk lead to a deep pool in the Tang Chhu gorge, revered as the place where Pema Lingpa…
Photo: Prof Ranga Sai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Buckwheat kitchen and yathra looms
Learn how Bumthang feeds and dresses itself: a farmhouse session making puta buckwheat noodles and khuli pancakes, then…
Questions
About Swiss Guest House, Jakar
Why is it called the Swiss Guest House?
It grew out of Bumthang's long Swiss connection, the same development work that set up the valley's cheese and beer production. The kitchen still serves Swiss dishes such as fondue alongside Bhutanese meals.
How far is the Swiss Guest House from Jakar?
A few minutes by car up the hillside at Karsumphe, above Jakar town. You can walk down to town in about 20–30 minutes.
Are rooms heated?
Yes, rooms have wood-burning stoves, and staff light them in the evening. Bumthang nights are near freezing in autumn and below in winter.
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Photo: Christopher J. Fynn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
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