Bumthang valley is the most historic place if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted. Bumthang" literally translates as "beautiful field". "Thang" means field or flat place, and "Bum" is said be an abbreviation of either "bumpa" (a vessel for holy water, thus describing the shape and nature of the valley), or "bum" ("girl", indicating this is the valley of beautiful girls).
The language spoken in the Bumthang valley is known as Bumthangkha. It is a Tibeto-Burman language closely related to Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. Bumthangkha is partially comprehensible to speakers of Dzongkha, which originated in valleys to the west of Bumthang. Winter wheat and buckwheat are staple diet, but the Bumthang farms also yield dairy products, honey, and apples among other products. Bumthang valley is divided into four gewogs, which means a group of villages, Chhume, Choekor, Tang, Jakar. Jambey Lhakhang, Kurje Lhakhang, Tamshing Lhakhang, Jakar Dzong, Tangbi Goemba, Ngang Lhakhang, Membetsho, Ura Valley are some of the interesting places of Bumthang valley.