ITINERARY OVERVIEW
DAY 01: ARRIVE PARO, PARO – THIMPHU
DAY 02: THIMPHU
DAY 03: THIMPHU (HIKE TO CHERI MONASTERY)
DAY 04: HIKE FROM DOCHU LA TO LUNGCHOTSE LHAKHANG
DAY 05: PUNAKHA
DAY 06: PUNAKHA – PHOBJIKHA VALLEY
DAY 07: PHOBJIKHA VALLEY (KAYCHE LA HIKE)
DAY 10: GANGTEY – PARO
DAY 11: PARO
DAY 12: PARO
DAY 13: DEPART PARO
This Bhutan walking tour will take you through stunning, isolated wilderness to rarely visited monasteries, remote and peaceful villages and valleys, and to high passes offering breathtaking mountain scenery that are only accessible only by foot. This fantastic tour provides a wonderful opportunity to explore Bhutan’s natural wonders at their best, as well as gain a true experience of traditional life with an afternoon spent as a guest in a village. This tour also explores the highlights of Bhutan's culturally rich western valleys of Paro, Punakha and Thimphu and beautiful Phobjikha.
BEST SEASON: May to June.
BHUTAN TOUR DATES:
All of our Bhutan tours are private, tailor-made journeys for independent travel on dates of your choosing. We can easily customise your Bhutan tour to spend more in the places doing the activities that you are interested in. Please click on the 'Tailor-Design This Bhutan Tour' tab above to begin customising this tour to your requirements. This tour can be experienced all year around.
WHAT WE INCLUDE IN OUR TAILOR MADE BHUTAN TOURS:
• Airfares in and out of Bhutan including taxes.
• Bhutan Tourist Tariff Royalty & Visa fees.
• All private excursions and transfers in superior air-conditioned vehicle.
• Local English speaking guide/tour leader.
• Experienced driver.
• Accommodation in carefully selected, highest standard goverment approved hotels & guesthouses.
• All meals in Bhutan.
• All entrance fees and permits.
NOT INCLUDED:
• All personal expenses such as bars, beverages, laundry, telephone and tips.
• Medical / Travel Insurance.
DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 01: ARRIVE PARO, PARO – THIMPHU
DAY 02: THIMPHU
DAY 03: THIMPHU (HIKE TO CHERI MONASTERY)
DAY 04: HIKE FROM DOCHU LA TO LUNGCHOTSE LHAKHANG
DAY 05: PUNAKHA
DAY 06: PUNAKHA – PHOBJIKHA VALLEY
DAY 07: PHOBJIKHA VALLEY (KAYCHE LA HIKE)
DAY 10: GANGTEY – PARO
DAY 11: PARO
DAY 12: PARO
DAY 13: DEPART PARO
DAY 01: ARRIVE PARO – THIMPHU
The flight to Paro is one of the most spectacular mountain flights in the world, with a constantly changing panorama of some of the highest mountains on earth. Our Bhutan Travel Bureau representative will meet you at Paro airport. After lunch enjoy afte arnoon sightseeing around Paro, including a visit to the National Museum, Ta Dzong. This museum houses many religious relics, works of art and handicrafts offering a great orientation into Bhutan’s historical, cultural, and religious past. Next, visit the Rimpong Dzong to see the painting of the great saint Milarepa, considered as the master of meditation by the Bhutanese and believed to have attained enlightenment in a lifetime. Dzong’s are large monasteries and district administrative centres, which were once strategic forts. Afterwards, transfer for Thimphu for overnight (1.5 hours).
DAY 02: THIMPHU
Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Thimphu beginning with a visit to the National Memorial Chorten depicting the Buddhist faith in the form of paintings and statues. This temple was first initiated by the Third King as a protection from the negative elements of modernization. The Royal Queen Mother completed it as a memorial stupa for the Third King who passed away in the year 1972. You will also visit the 12th century Changangkha Temple and Drubthob monastery housing the Zilukha Nunnery. If there is time, you may visit the nursing pen for the Takin, the national animal of Bhutan, and Tashichhodzong. Overnight at your hotel in Thimphu.
DAY 03: THIMPHU (HIKE TO CHERI MONASTERY)
Morning drive through the countryside surrounding Thimphu to Jigme Dorji Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest protected area in the Bhutan. The park is home to several endangered species including the takin, snow leopard, blue sheep, tiger, red panda, and the Himalayan black bear. More than 300 species of birds have been cataloged within the park.
Our walk begins from the small village of Dodena. Our trail starts by crossing a covered bridge over the Thim chhu and we climb steadily to Cheri Goemba, a small monastery perched on the hill with a view over the Thimphu Valley. Shabdrung built the monastery in 1620, and is the location where the first community of monks in Bhutan was established. The monastery is considered very sacred as it contains the ashes of Tempi Nima, the father of the first Shabdrung of Bhutan, and beautiful frescoes of Buddhist saints. Shabdrung also spent three years in retreat here and it’s a renowned meditation place even today.
After our visit to the monastery, we descend back the way we came, keeping our eyes open for the goral (wild goat) that are often spotted on the cliffs nearby. Back at the village of Dodena we will have picnic lunch along the clean and unpolluted Thimphu River. After lunch, we follow a riverside trail via Begana to Cabesa, home to the Choki School of Arts. The Choki School is private and provides free skills-related education in the traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan to Bhutanese children who are unable to attend or complete their formal education. After visiting the school we continue along the riverside trail and pass through small rural villages before returning to Thimphu. Overnight at your hotel in Thimphu.
DAY 04: THIMPHU – PUNAKHA (HIKE: TASHIGANG GOENPA/LUNGCHOTSE LHAKHANG/DOCHU LA)
Depart Thimphu, driving for about 45 minutes before beginningour hike to Tashigang goenpa (3200m). This monastery was built in 1786 by the 12th Je Khenpo. From Tashigang monastery you will enjoy a gradual uphill climb of about 2 hours to 18th century Lungchotse Lhakhang. The picturesque route passes through forests of rhododendrons, magnolias, birches, firs, hemlocks and bamboos, and occasionally meadows that are being used as yak pastures. The view from Lungchotse Lhakhang over the entire Bhutan Himalaya and its snow covered peaks is amazing. We will walk down hill for about an hour until we reach Dochula pass, a wonderful sight marked by 108 chortens (Stupa), and on a cleat day an incredible view of Himalayan peaks. Here will be meet our waiting vehicle and driver.
Drive for about for about an hour & half down into the sub-tropical Punakha Valley. Overnight at your hotel in Punakha/ Wangduephodrang.
DAY 05: PUNAKHA
In the morning visit Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by the Shabdrung, the ‘Unifier of Bhutan’ as predicted by the great Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava). It is situated at the confluence of the Mo Chu and Pho Chu (Mother and Father Rivers) and is the winter headquarters of the Je Khenpo and hundreds of monks who move en masse from Thimphu to this warmer location. The three story main temple of the Punakha Dzong is a breathtaking example of traditional architecture with four intricately embossed entrance pillars crafted from cypress and decorated in gold and silver.
Afterwards drive to Yabesa village and hike to through ricefields and up to Khamsum Yueley Namgyal Chorten, built by her majesty the queen Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuk. Perched high on a hill on the bank of the river, the Chorten houses paintings belonging to Nyingmapa Traditions.
Take a picnic lunch on a picturesque riverside before driving to Lobesa for a pleasant walk through small hillside villages to visit a farm house. Here we will see a Traditional Bhutanese cooking and farming demonstration. This will include the milking of a cow, followed by the churning of milk and the production of cheese and butter. We will also experience the brewing of local wine ("Ara") and preparation of the national dish, "Emadasti". Afterwards walk down through terraced ricefields to the main road where your vehicle awaits.
DAY 06: PUNAKHA – PHOBJIKHA VALLEY
After breakfast transfer to Phobjikha Valley via the bustling market town of Wangduephodrang. Drive up a winding mountain road through oak and rhododendron forests, and over a high pass down into the wide and picturesque Phobjikha valley. Phobjikha is one of Bhutan’s few glacial valleys, and chosen winter home of black necked cranes (November - March) migrating from the Tibetan plateau. The valley is one of the most beautiful in Bhutan. Visit the Phobjikha Sanctuary with an opportunity to view the majestic black necked cranes (Nov-Mar only) and Gangtey Gompa (Monastery), dating back to the 16th century and the only Nyingmapa monastery in western Bhutan. Overnight at your hotel in Phobjikha.
DAY 07: PHOBJIKHA VALLEY (KAYCHE LA HIKE)
Drive to Longtey Village located beyond Pele La pass (3,420m) for a hike across Kayche La (3700m) and back to Gangtey. We climb up gradually through the thickets of dwarf bamboos, birch, rhododendron, hemlock and fir rich with diverse birdlife to Kayche La, marked with some prayer flags. The other side of the pass is mostly meadows, and it’s all downhill to Gangtey through the long and beautiful stretch of meadows and farms. Overnight at your hotel in Phobjikha.
DAY 10: PHOBJIKHA VALLEY – PARO
Morning walk to explore the village of Gangtey before departing for Paro (approx 7 hrs). From Gangtey the road gradually descends into the balmy Punakha valley before climbing up over Dochu La Pass. Overnight at your hotel in Paro.
DAY 11: PARO
After breakfast hike to Taktsang Monastery. The trail is broad and the walk of approximately 1.5 to 2 hours uphill takes you almost a kilometre above the Paro valley floor (for those who cannot hike we will arrange a horse for transfer up to cafeteria). The view of Taktsang Monastery built on a sheer cliff face 900 metres above the valley floor is a spectacular sight. The Monastery is also an important pilgrim site for the Buddhists. The great Guru Rimpoche is said to have flown here on the back of a tigress when he brought the teachings of the Buddhist Dharma to Bhutan in the 8th Century. He then mediated in a cave there for three months where the monastery was later built. The cave is said to be the origin of Buddhism in Bhutan. Nearby there is a teahouse where you can stop for refreshments before returning to Paro for lunch.
In the afternoon drive to the ruins of the 17th Century Drukgyel Dzong, an historic monument built by the Shabdrung to commemorate his victory against invading Tibetans in 1644. In fine weather the towering peak of the sacred Mount Jomolhari (7314m) appears as a stunning backdrop. On the return drive to Paro, visit 7th Century Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the 108 temples constructed by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. Kyichu is built in a manner similar to the Jokhang in Lhasa. Inside there is a great golden image of Buddha Shakyamuni. Overnight at your hotel in Paro.
DAY 12: PARO
Morning drive up to Cheli La Pass through mixed forests offering panoramic views of the snow-capped Himalayas. Enjoy a hike of approximately 3 hours up along the meadow to Kung Karpo La (4100m) enjoying breathtaking views on a clear day of the snowcapped mountains along the ridge that divides Paro and Haa valley. The short steep descent from the top will take us to the nunnery of Kila Gompa. Here the nuns, called anims, live a life of contemplation and seclusion, with daily prayer and spiritual practice. The temple itself is surrounded by numerous meditation huts, and many hidden caves lie inside the rocky cliffs. The gompa is surrounded by a lush forest dominated by tall firs. Sparkling mountain streams wind down the slopes, which are covered with a variety of wildflowers and plants.
Kila Gompa is historically significant as a sacred meditation site. Many renowned Buddhist saints have come here to find peace and seclusion. The main temple houses ancient statues of Chenrezig (Avalokiteswara) and Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) among others. The walk down from here to the road is lined with small white chortens and it will take us about an hour. Overnight at your hotel in Paro.
DAY 13: DEPART PARO
Breakfast in the hotel, then drive to the airport for flight to your onward destination.
Tashi Delek!
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS BHUTAN TOUR
This Bhutan walking tour traverses through areas of incredible natural beauty to isolated monasteries, villages and valleys, and high mountain passes offering breathtaking scenery. This tour also explores the highlights of Bhutan's culturally rich western valleys of Paro, Punakha and Thimphu and beautiful Phobjikha.
• Walk through landscapes of lush valleys, dense forests and rushing streams.
• Enjoy an afternoon experience life in a traditional Bhutanese village.
• Explore the stunning Phobjikha Valley, winter home to the Black-Necked Crane.
• Discover some of the most sacred Buddhist monasteries and temples in the Himalaya.
• Experience Bhutan's unique culture up-close with farmhouse visits and village excursions.
• Visit many cultural attractions including medieval fortresses (Dzongs), markets and museums.
• Hike up to the famous Taktsang Monastery, perched on a cliff 900m above the valley floor.
• Marvel at the elaborate and ancient wall paintings and carvings in Dzongs and temples.
• Incorporate a Value-Added Option such as a cooking lesson or meditation session with a monk.
For information on locations visited, please click on the tabs below.
Paro
Paro (2,250m), the site of Bhutan’s only airport, is set amongst the pastoral beauty of Paro Valley, a broad valley fertile with paddy, wheat, millet, potatoes, apple and seasonal vegetables grown as the main crops. Located close to downtown Paro is the imposing Paro Dzong, also known as Rinpung Dzong, built in 1645 by the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (Unifier of Bhutan). Located on a hill behind the Paro Dzong is Ta Dzong, the National Museum housed in an ancient 17th century watchtower and featuring a fascinating collection of art, relics, religious thangkha paintings and Bhutan’s exquisite postage stamps. Another Paro Valley highlight includes the incredible monastery of Taktsang, also known as the Tiger's Nest perched on a sheer rock cliff 900m above the Paro Valley floor. The Tiger’s Nest owes its name to the 8th century saint Guru Rinpoche who, according to myth, visited here mounted on a flying tiger. Other interesting options are the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong with its magnificent views of Mount Jumolhari and 7th century Kyichu Lhakhang.
Haa Valley
The Haa Valley is one of the most picturesque districts in Bhutan. An ideal day trip from Paro beyond the beautiful Chelila Pass, Haa is the ancestral home of the Royal Grandmother and the Dorji family, and is characterised by its rugged and mountainous terrain. Legend says that the Haa valley was previously dominated by animist traditions before the tantric master Padmasambhava visited the valley in the 8th century and transformed their beliefs into peaceful Buddhist traditions. In addition to its natural beauty, Haa also features a number of interesting sites including Chhundu Lhkhang, dedicated to the valley's protecting deity, 7th century Lhakhang Karpo (white) and Lhakhang Karpo (black) and Haa Dzong. Haa's annual summer festival provides a fantastic opportunity to participate in the nomadic lifestyle of the Haaps, including savouring their delicious delicacies. You may also compete in the traditional game of khuru, archery and soksum and try hitting the bull’s eye.
Thimphu
Bhutan’s capital city of Thimphu (2,350m) is a fascinating blend of the old and the new. Zoning regulations have retained the forms and motifs of Bhutan’s traditional architecture giving the city a wonderful structural harmony. The capital’s most striking visual landmark is Tashichhodzong, the seat of the Royal Government and Central Monastic Body. Semtokha Dzong is the kingdom’s oldest Dzong, whilst The National Memorial Chorten is an important temple completed by The Royal Queen Mother as a memorial stupa for the Third King who passed away in 1972. The Royal School of the Performing Arts, the School of Traditional Painting and the Institute of Traditional Medicine offer visitors an amazing insight into Bhutanese culture. Other attractions include 12th century Changangkha Temple, Drubthob Monastery housing the Zilukha Nunnery, the National Library housing a rare collection of Buddhist scriptures, the lively weekend market and the 169 foot bronze statue of Buddha overlooking the city. Nearby sites include Tango and Cheri Monasteries.
Punakha
Punakha (1,310m) is Bhutan’s ancient capital, and remains the winter seat of the Central Monastic Body due to its sub-tropical climate. The drive to Punakha from Thimphu travels over Dochu-La Pass, marked by a beautiful scene of 108 Chortens, wind-blown prayer flags and the recently built Druk Wangyal Lhakhang. In clear weather the view of the Himalayas is stunning. The Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel is situated on a triangular spit of land at the confluence of the Mo Chu and Pho Chu rivers. The three story main temple of the Punakha Dzong is a breathtaking example of traditional architecture with four intricately embossed entrance pillars crafted from cypress and decorated in gold and silver. It was here in 1907 that Bhutan's first king was crowned. Other highlights include Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten with its complex Nyingmapa iconography and Chimi Lhakhang, dedicated to Bhutan’s popular saint Drukpa Kuenley, otherwise known as the “divine madman” due to his unorthodox religious teaching.
Wangduephodrang
Wangduephodrang (1,800m), or Wangdue, is a bustling market town located half an hour away from Punakha. Buffeted by afternoon winds, Wangdue is an important gateway to the far flung districts of Eastern Bhutan. The formidable Wangduephodrang Dzong stands strategically perched on a precipitous cliff above the Dang Chhu. Built in 1639, the Dzong held a powerful position during the pre-monarcy days.
Legend has it that Wangdue was once a desert, hence the cacti grown in profusion. But some believe the cacti were planted with a reason to discourage invaders from climbing the steep slope. The Jigme Dorji National Park extends into the northern part while a major portion of the dzongkhag falls under Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park.
