Punakha

The road to Punakha (from Thimpu) traverses thick forests of blue pine, oak and maple which is in total contrast to the Paro-Thimpu road which offers a rather stark and barren terrain.

After Dochu La, it descends into hemlock, cypress, and the like. When you arrive in the Punakha valley, you will find more tropical plants like banana, mango, orange, and even cactus as well as the pomegranate. The road was built in 1984. It is tolerable but does however get gradually worse going east.