The road from Mongar passes the Yedi loops. For eight kilometers, the road creates figure-eights as it descends to the valley floor. Arriving in Trashigang is momentous as it marks the end of a 547-kilometer drive from Thimphu . The town, also high up on a mountain, is busier than most other Bhutanese towns.

Trashigang is used as a market place for the hill-people of Merak and Sakten who are known for their exceptional features and costume, which is brightly colored and different from customary Bhutanese clothing. The 17th century Dzong is built on top of a cliff on the edge of the town. The views from the courtyard of the Dzong stretch across Trashigang's valley.

From the parapets it is easy to see why the Dzong was impenetrable to invading armies. Until the recent opening of an administrative center at Yangtse Dzong, Trashigang was the center of all religious and secular activity for the region. The town remains the capital of the east and a growing commercial center.

Yangtse Dzong is a half hour walk from the road. A town has developed around Chorten Kora, one of the only two chortens built in a style prevalent in Nepal and the spot where Guru Rimpoche is believed to have had a vision that a temple and chorten would be built. Yangtse offers exciting trekking opportunities and is one of the two locations where the Black-necked cranes migrate. The area is also known for its exceptional woodcraft.