Bumthang Burning Lake

The Burning Lake, Mebar Tsho is located along the way to the Tang village over the feeder road under Bumthang valley. The Burning Lake, known as Mebar Tsho, is a sacred site nestled in the picturesque Bumthang Valley of Bhutan. According to legend, Pema Lingpa, a revered Buddhist saint, discovered sacred treasures hidden within the lake’s depths. Visitors can witness the tranquil beauty of Burning Lake and learn about its spiritual significance while exploring the surrounding natural splendour of Bumthang.

It is a sacred lake for the Bhutanese. To convince the sceptics and cynics, Terton Pema Lingpa, a treasure revealer, jumped into the lake with a burning butter lamp in his hand. When he came out of the pool, he did so with sacred religious treasures hidden by Guru Rinpoche and a butter lamp still burning. Thus this freshwater lake which is located in Tang, Bumthang valley was therefore called Maebartsho or the burning lake.

The path to the lake is lined with prayer flags and ends up above the Gorge where the river forms a pool before it rushes on. Images of Pema Lingpa and his two sons are carved on a rock here. You may get tempted to peer in to see if you can get lucky enough to make a discovery yourself but please don’t fall in. If magic is real, Bhutan is where it can be found.