Bumdra Camp is a tent campsite above The Tiger’s Nest, near Paro, Bhutan. Visitors to Bhutan can hike up to Bumdra Camp, spend the night there, and then hike down to The Tiger’s Nest in the morning. What’s it like at Bumdra Camp? We’ll tell you in this post, with plenty of photos. The camp was more comfortable than I expected, but much colder.
So far in my blogging career, I’ve been calling this camp Bumdruck camp, but, apparently it’s Bumdra Camp. There may be some inconsistencies in my spelling!
Bumdra Camp is just below the Bumdra Monastery. The name comes from the word ‘Bum’ which means ‘One Hundred Thousand’ and ‘Dra’ meaning ‘rock’. We weren’t told at the time, but there is a sky burial site just above the camp.
The Tiger’s Nest is arguably the most beautiful place to visit in Bhutan, it was certainly the ultimate highlight of our time in Bhutan.
There is also a “Little Tiger’s Nest” in Bhutan, we have a post about that too!
Bumdra Camp is much higher than The Tiger’s Nest at an altitude of 3,800m. The Tiger’s Nest is at 3,210m. We didn’t have any issues with altitude.
Walking To Bumdra Camp
The walk to Bumdra Camp takes a few hours, (5-6 approx) it’s scenic and mostly uphill. Parts of the walk are through a forest.
The walk begins at Sang Choekhor Buddhist University, a short drive from Paro. The university is at quite an elevation, but you do gain altitude as you walk to the campsite at Bumdra. It’s not enough to break out the Diamox for most.
On our hike we stopped for hot drinks and a snack along the way. It’s also a good idea to pack a chocolate bar for an emergency energy boost.
There are plenty of scenic viewpoints and photo ops on the trail.
I don’t think you need to be fit for this hike, it wasn’t particularly hard, but we are well accustomed to walking. Kids could cope with it easily. The lower age limit for our group was 12 years old.
We arrived at Bumdra Camp in the late afternoon and were assigned our two-person tents. I was travelling with my teen son, he was 16 years old at the time. We shared a tent.
Things You Need at Bumdra Camp
On this trip to Bhutan we travelled with carry-on baggage only. On the walk to the camp we only carried our day packs.
At the camp you should have a head lamp, for reading in bed or for night-time trips to the bathrooms. One like this, without a battery pack on the back of your head is the best.
I would also take your own, clean, sheet sleeping bag liner. (buy here)
It will be cold at the camp, make sure you change into clean dry clothes after your hike, or you’ll be even colder!
You’ll also need a water bottle. After years of trying multiple water bottles, this is the type we use now. The steel doesn’t taint the water, the bottle is insulated, and the wide mouth makes it easy to clean while travelling.
Tents at Bumdra Camp
Bumdra Camp Facilities
There was a permanent block with bathroom facilities and a sink for washing. Alongside the guest tents there were larger communal tents where dinner and breakfast were cooked and served. There was a heater in the meal tent, no heating in the guest tent.
We were provided with a towel. I can’t recall if there was a shower and I forgot to take a photo of the washing / bathroom facilities. They were OK, better than expected, but not luxury.
Continuing The Hike To The Tiger’s Nest
After sleeping at Bumdra Camp and having breakfast, tour groups continue on down the mountain to The Tiger’s Nest.
Again, this walk isn’t particularly hard, it’s very scenic, mostly downhill, and there are some beautiful buildings to explore on the way.
We arrived at the Tiger’s Nest (which is not UNESCO listed, surprisingly) before lunchtime. And part 2 of this hike will be in another post.
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