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Race Info

Race Course

The Bhutan Ultra takes place on the legendary Trans Bhutan Trail.

The Trans Bhutan Trail is an ancient pilgrimage and communications route connecting Haa, in the far west of Bhutan, with Trashigang in the east. The Trail dates back at least to the 16th century and played a major role in uniting the region’s many kingdoms, repelling foreign incursions, and eventually in the birth of Bhutan as a nation in 1907. In 2018, with the vision of His Majesty, The Fifth King and supported by the Tourism Council of Bhutan, the Bhutan Canada Foundation led an initiative to restore the Trail to make it accessible once again for locals, pilgrims, and travellers.

The total length of the Trans Bhutan Trail is 403 kilometres, crossing 27 gewogs (villages) and nine Dzongkhags (districts) of Bhutan.

The Bhutan Ultra explores the eastern part of the trail, starting in Tsangkha and finishing in Trashigang. Athletes will cover a total distance of 200 km and overcome 11,000 m of positive elevation. All divided up in 6 stages. The race will start at an elevation of 2,278 m. Minimum and Maximum elevation will then vary quite a bit each day. Stage 3 will feature the highest elevation with participants reaching 3,775 m. Daily positive elevation ranges from 1,340 to 2,245 m. For more information on stage distances and elevation, please see below.

Start time, date and location

The very first Bhutan Ultra will be held in November 20th to 26th, 2025. Because of acclimatization, travel dates are either Novbember 14th to 30th (long itinerary) or November 17th to 30th (short itinerary).

Athletes who know from past trips and races that they have no issue with short acclimatization times for altitudes up to 3,500 m above sea level, can sign up with the short itinerary. All other athletes need to go with the long itinerary.

The location of the start is Tsangkha in the Trongsa region.

Preliminary schedules

There will be two schedules for the Bhutan Ultra 2025. The longer schedule will allow for a total of 7 days of acclimatisation and the shorter schedule includes 4 days of acclimatisation before the race.

There will also be a program for friends and family members who want to travel with our athletes, to get to know Bhutan and see the race unfold. This program will be announced at the end of 2024.

Long schedule

Nov. 14th Arrival day, check-in hotel in Paro (2,400m); visit to town of Paro
Nov. 15th Tour 1 – Hike to the legendary Tiger’s Nest (3,120m) in Paro; at an okay speed, the hike itself takes about 4 hours. There will be enough guides to accommodate different speeds within the group. Should altitude be an issue, it’s possible to only go half-way. The visit of the monastery itself takes about 1 hour.
Nov. 16th Tour 2 – Travel to Thimphu (2,320m), check-in hotel; sightseeing Thimphu with visit to
Buddha Dordenma Statue; hike/run to Motithang Takin Preserve and Sangaygang (2,685m) in the afternoon
Nov. 17th Tour 3- Travel to Dochula Pass (3,116m); hike from Thinleygang (1,560m) to Sew Drangsa; after lunch we drive to Punakha Dzong (1,200m)
Nov. 18th Tour 4 – Travel to Phobjikha Valley (3,000m); hike/run sightseeing and overnight stay
Nov. 19th Tour 5 – Travel to Pelela (3,423m); hike Trans Bhutan Trail from Pelela to Rukibji and travel to Trongsa; gear check in the evening
Nov. 20th Race prep; briefing in the morning
Nov. 21st Race Day 1
Nov. 22nd Race Day 2
Nov. 23rd Race Day 3
Nov. 24th Race Day 4
Nov. 25th Race Day 5
Nov. 26th Race Day 6
Nov. 27th Day for recovery and celebrations
Nov. 28th Flight from Trashigang to Paro; check-in hotel in Paro
Nov. 29th Sightseeing and wellness (hot stone bath) in Paro
Nov. 30th Departure day

Short schedule

Nov. 17th Arrival day, check-in accommodation
Nov. 18th Tour 1
Nov. 19th Tour 2 – Travel to Trongsa; gear check in the evening
Nov. 20th Race prep; briefing in the morning
Nov. 21st Race Day 1
Nov. 22nd Race Day 2
Nov. 23rd Race Day 3
Nov. 24th Race Day 4
Nov. 25th Race Day 5
Nov. 26th Race Day 6
Nov. 27th Day for recovery and celebrations
Nov. 28th Travel back home day 1
Nov. 29th Travel back home day 2
Nov. 30th Departure day

Disciplines

Athletes in the Bhutan Ultra can run and/or hike the trail.

Categories

The race is open for men, women and teams of 2 or more athletes. No age groups and no minors. Athletes in the team category will automatically be ranked as individuals, too.

Extreme conditions

Due to the challenging conditions caused by

  • possible weather changes
  • overall altitude the race is held in
  • daily positive elevation and distances
  • nature of mountain trails
  • wildlife encounters

the Bhutan Ultra is an extremely tough event.

Situations which under normal circumstances don’t cause any problems can become hbsolutely life threatening on a remote mountain trail in Bhutan. Please keep this in mind at all times and carefully read the information that is part of the application and waiver. If you sign up please also read our FAQ section and all other pages on this website. Come back regularly to check if there are any news.

Distances (last updated August 8th, 2024)

Stages
Distance (km)
Elevation (m)
Tsangkha to Gyaltsa
32.39
1,963
Gyaltsa to Phom Drong
30.47
1,340
Phom Drong to Sengor
40.07
2,245
Sengor to Monggar
40.4
2,001
Monggar to Dramedtse
35.87
2,217
Dramedtse to Trashigang
21.55
1,384