The Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary is located in north-western part of Bhutan covering an area of 1,545 sq. km with 420 sq. km of buffer zone encompassing parts of Trashiyangtse, Lhuntshe, and Mongar district. It has elevations between 1,500 metres and 6,000 metres.

It shares international borders with the Tibetan region of China in the north and India in the north east. The sanctuary is home to around 100 species of mammals, including globally endangered species such as snow leopard, Royal Bengal tiger and red panda. It contains diverse flora, fauna, and scenery including alpine lakes and the Bumdeling Valley. The sanctuary also contains several cultural and religious sites. In the park live 3,000 resident households.

The sanctuary has been identified as an Important Bird Area by Bird Life International because it supports black-necked cranes, wood snipes and grey-crowned prinias. As of 2007, there was a record of the white-tailed eagle, a first for the sanctuary. About 150 black necked cranes spend their winter in Bumdeling every year from mid-November to early March. Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary is also a paradise for butterflies: as of now 130 species have been recorded and another 120 are expected to inhabit this area.

Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is the catchments of the mighty Drangme Chu, one of the biggest rivers of Bhutan and the Kholong Chu,which forms the important habitat for the vulnerable Black-necked Crane in Bumdeling valley and also contributes to Kholong Chu hydro project.

Besides natural beauty and diversity many significant religious and cultural places can be found inside the sanctuary, such as Rigsum Gompa, the mystic Singye Dzong and Dechenphodrang Lhaghang– maybe the most scenic monastery in the country.

The practice of Ridam and Ladam (restriction of entry into mountains and passes) by the communities residing in the Sanctuary, during certain months of the year to the core areas or the high altitude areas of the Sanctuary has helped to strengthen conservation, while also protecting the cultural heritage of the sanctuary.