Laya

Laya is a cluster of villages high in Gasa dzongkhag, close to the Tibetan border, and is Bhutan's northernmost permanent settlement. It's reached only by trekking, most commonly on the Laya-Gasa or Snowman treks, and remains one of the country's most distinct cultural pockets thanks to its geographic isolation.

The Layap are ethnically and culturally distinct from most of Bhutan, speaking their own dialect and following semi-nomadic yak-herding traditions. Layap women are instantly recognizable by their conical bamboo hats (pangkheb) topped with a spike, worn with brightly beaded jewelry and dark, hand-woven wool clothing suited to the cold. Bhutan's annual Royal Highland Festival is held here each October, celebrating highland culture, yak-related sports, and local produce.

Surrounded by peaks including Masagang and Tsendagang, Laya sits in genuinely remote high-altitude terrain, and a visit here is very much an expedition rather than a day trip — most travelers see it only as part of a dedicated multi-day trek.

Laya has no road access and is reached after roughly 4–5 days of trekking from the Jomolhari trailhead near Paro (or a shorter approach when combined with a Punakha-side trek in). It's most commonly visited as part of the multi-day Laya-Gasa trek or the much longer Snowman Trek.

The trekking windows of spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) are the practical times to visit, when high passes are snow-free. The Royal Highland Festival in October is a particularly good reason to time a trek around this period.