Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Bhutan Dochula Dochula Pass Meditation Caves

Dochula Pass Meditation Caves

The small sanctuaries lie just off the beaten path near one of Bhutan's most famous attractions.

Dochula, Bhutan

Added By
Tao Tao Holmes
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The meditation caves.   taotaoholmes / Atlas Obscura User
The meditation caves.   taotaoholmes / Atlas Obscura User
The meditation caves.   taotaoholmes / Atlas Obscura User
Colorful prayer flags near the meditation caves.   taotaoholmes / Atlas Obscura User
  livio / Atlas Obscura User
The meditation caves.   taotaoholmes / Atlas Obscura User
  livio / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Dochula Pass is one of Bhutan's most famous sites, perched at an altitude of 10,200 feet and located along the road from the country's current capital of Thimphu to its former capital Punakha. A hidden surprise awaits the few who take the time to venture away from the touristy hub.

These curious visitors will discover the meditation caves tucked into the hills just above the pass. At first resembling Hobbit homes, these tiny, open-faced caverns are built from stone and painted in colorful detail with Buddhist symbolism. The druk, or dragon—Bhutan's long-time national symbol and spirit animal—stretches over the cave entrance, bringing good luck and good tidings.

Meditation is a critical exercise for serious practitioners of Buddhism. To achieve enlightenment, monks and nuns will stay in one location, such as a meditation cave, for three days, three months, and three years. Each period is a trial for the next—if one can manage three days, one proceeds to three months. During this time, one may not speak with or cast eyes on another person. If you make it through three months, it's time to take on three years.

While you may not have three years to spare while visiting these caves, you'd be missing a hidden gem of Dochula Pass if you didn't take the extra 10-minute climb into the forest to explore these carefully constructed meditative retreats that nearly blend into the hills.

The short trek to the caves is a respite from the famous pass, which is home to 108 memorial chortens, or stupas, built in 2004 in honor of fallen Bhutanese soldiers killed in the battle against insurgents from India's Assam region in 2003. Most visitors come to the pass for the magnificent views. On a clear day (which you're lucky if you catch), you can take in Himalayan peaks including Mount Masanggang and Mount Gangkar Puensum, both over 22,000 feet tall.

Related Tags

Buddhism Caves Religion Meditation Ecosystems Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

There is a cafe just up the hill from the chortens. Head this way and continue upwards, following paths built from oval-shaped stone steps. As long as you continue following any of these paths, you'll soon encounter the meditation caves. If you continue farther, you'll discover an area strung with hundreds of worn prayer flags, and then a gate locked and decorated with barbed wire. Suffice it to say, time to turn back if you've made it this far.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Festivals & Temples of Bhutan

Festivals, astrology, and epic landscapes in Bhutan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

taotaoholmes

Edited By

livio

  • livio

Published

October 24, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Dochula Pass Meditation Caves
Dochula Pass
Thimphu-Punakha Hwy
Dochula
Bhutan
27.49, 89.750278
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Buddha Dordenma Statue

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Garden of Phallus (Wangchuk Chenmoi Dümra)

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bhutan

Bhutan

Asia

Places 19
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Buddha Dordenma Statue

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Garden of Phallus (Wangchuk Chenmoi Dümra)

Thimphu, Bhutan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bhutan

Bhutan

Asia

Places 19
Stories 4

Related Places

  • Cave of Saint Ignatius

    Manresa, Spain

    Cave of Saint Ignatius

    The grotto where Saint Ignatius of Loyola lived as a hermit for nearly a year.

  • The altar inside the hermitage.

    Caramanico Terme, Italy

    Eremo di San Giovanni all'Orfento (Hermitage of Saint John all'Orfento)

    You can only access this hermitage by crawling under a ledge suspended above an overhang.

  • Hermitage of Saint Sava

    Savovo, Serbia

    Hermitage of Saint Sava

    This mesmerizing medieval monastery-cave complex sits thousands of feet above ground overlooking a valley.

  • Inside the Son Bhandar Caves.

    Rajgir, India

    Son Bhandar Caves

    A pair of mysterious, unusually polished cave temples with an ancient gold legend.

  • Wilderness, South Africa

    Kaaimans Grotto

    This cave overlooking the Indian Ocean has been turned into a shelter and makeshift museum.

  • Cave close-up.

    Elefsina, Greece

    Plutonian Cave of Eleusis

    According to legend, this cavern holds the passage that Persephone used to travel to and from the underworld.

  • David’s Waterfall

    Ein Gedi, Israel

    David Waterfall

    The tallest waterfall in the Judean Desert is named for its connection to a biblical figure.

  • Bristol, England

    Hermit's Cave and Quaker Burial Ground

    A medieval cave used to shelter local hermits now holds nearly 200 old Quaker gravestones.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.