Explore The Hidden Kingdom Of Bhutan

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Paro International Airport / Transfer to Thimphu

Stop At: National Museum of Bhutan, Paro, Bhutan
After receiving you at the Paro International Airport, you will be taken on your first adventure in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

The National Museum of Bhutan is located in Paro just above the Rinpung Dzong (administrative headquarter of Paro district) was established in 1968. It is housed in an ancient watch tower called Paro Ta Dzong (Ta Dzong means “watch tower fortress”) built in 1649. It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artifacts and artworks including traditional costumes, armour, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum preserves a snap-shot of the rich cultural traditions of the country.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Rinpung Dzong, Paro Bhutan
Paro Rinpung Dzong (Rinpung Dzong means “fortress of the heap of jewels”) was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in 1646 and established as the administrative and monastic centre of the western region. Today, the Dzong serves as the office of the governor of Paro district and head of the district monk body in Paro. A great annual festival known as Paro Tsechu is held in Rinpung Dzong from the eleventh to the fifteenth day of the second month of the traditional Bhutanese lunar calendar (usually in March or April of the Gregorian calendar). On this occasion, holy images are taken in a procession followed by a series of traditional mask dances conveying religious stories which are performed by monks for five days.

After visiting the Dzong, take a short walk to the traditional wooden cantilever bridge called Nemeyzampa, where your driver will be waiting for you. The roofed wooden cantilever bridge is built in a traditional style and this type of bridges are called Bazam.

After lunch at one of the restaurants in the town, you will be transferred to the capital city Thimphu. The road distance is 55km and takes approximately 1.5-hours.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Stop At: Thimphu Chorten (Memorial Chorten), Thimphu Bhutan
On arrival in Thimphu, visit the National Memorial Chorten is the most frequented religious site and obviously an important landmark in Thimphu. The National Memorial Chorten is a Buddhist Stupa built in 1974 in memory of the Late Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck who passed away in 1972. People from all walks of life come here to pray and circumambulate offering you a good opportunity to observe how Bhutanese people devote themselves to daily prayers and take refuge in the teachings of the Lord Buddha.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: National Institute for Zorig Chusum, Thimphu Bhutan
The National Institute of Zorig Chusum (Zorig Chusum means 13 Traditional Arts & Crafts) was established to promote and preserve the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan and to facilitate increased access in learning Zorig skills by Bhutanese youths. Many of these traditional arts and crafts are declining with the advent of modern technologies and therefore, the government is putting in lot of effort to train youths to keep the traditions alive. The thirteen arts and crafts are categorized as Shing Zo (woodwork), Dho Zo (stonework), Par Zo (carving), Lha Zo (painting), Jim Zo (sculpting), Lug Zo (casting), Shag Zo (wood turning), Gar Zo (blacksmith), Troe Zo (ornament making), Tsa Zo (bamboo work), De Zo (paper making), Tsem Zo (tailoring, embroidery and applique) and Thag Zo (weaving). These thirteen arts and crafts are an essential part of Bhutan’s cultural heritage that have been practiced from time immemorial. If the class is in session when you arrive, you will be allowed to enter the classroom and observe students as they get hands-on training.

After this spend a leisure time strolling Thimphu town.
Duration: 45 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Kuenphen Rabten Resort or at a similar one.

Day 2: Hike to Tango Monastery / Transfer to Punakha valley

Stop At: Tango Buddhist Institute, Thimphu Bhutan
After breakfast, drive about 14km towards the north of Thimphu city and hike to the 12th century religious site called Tango Monastery. There is also monastery called Cheri located on a mountain in the neighbourhood. Hiking to Tango is much easier as most part of the footpath is paved and the uphill ascent is not as steep. It is roughly 14km from the main Thimphu town. Following the trail through the forests, the walk uphill takes about 1.5 hour in slow pace. Tango monastery was founded in 1222 by the Tibetan saint Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who first established the Drukpa Kagyu School of Buddhism in Bhutan and subsequently became the state religion. The present form of monastery was built later in 1689 by the Tenzin Rabgye, the 4th Temporal ruler of Bhutan.

After the hike, drive back to the town where traditional lunch will be served at one of the traditional restaurants.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Buddha Dordenma, Kuensel Phodrang Viewing Point, Thimphu 11001 Bhutan
After lunch, visit the magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. From here you can see a nice view of Thimphu city. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also for the purpose of bringing peace in the world . The giant Buddha statue houses more than 100,000 8-inch tall Buddha statues of same type. The construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2015 after almost 10 years.

From here you will be transferred to Punakha valley via the sacred mountain pass called Dochula. The road distance is 74km and takes approximately 2.5-hours.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Dochula Pass, Thimphu Bhutan
About 45 min drive from Thimphu towards Punakha is a mountain pass at an altitude of 3,150 meters above sea level from where you can see, on a clear day, some of the highest peaks of Bhutan. Before the construction of these beautiful 108 Druk Wangyal Choetens (stupas) in 2004, this mountain pass remained only as a sacred place blessed by a famous Buddhist saint, Lam Drukpa Kuenley in late 15th century. From Dochu La Pass, we will continue driving towards Punakha, passing through some villages, the elevation drops gradually and the road winds through the pine trees. As you reach the lower subtropical valley, you will feel the drastic change in altitude from 3,150m just an hour and a half ago to subtropical valley at 1,200m.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Chimi Lhakhang Temple, Punakha Bhutan
Just about 11km before reaching the proper Punakha town, you will visit a famous temple popularly known as "Temple of Fertility".

Chime Lhakhang is located on a gentle hilltop near the village of Sopsokha. To reach the temple, you have to walk 20 – 30 minutes through beautiful terraced paddy fields and traditional farm houses. The history of Chime Lhakhang is associated with 16th century Lama Drukpa Kuenley who was affectionately known as “Divine Madman” for his obscene behavior and outrageous ways of cleansing people from religious dogmatism and egoistic self-possession by exhibiting his strong desire for sex. He would often use phallus as a tool to subdue malevolent spirits. Using the phallus was also intended to free up the social inhibitions enforced by the socially established values. Today, one of the relics of Chime Lhakhang is a phallus. The blessing of the phallus is considered sacred particularly to women who are unable to conceive a child as it brings fertility to women, giving them ability to bear offspring. Because of this belief, people like to call Chhime Lhakhang as “Temple of Fertility”.

Lama Drukpa Kuenley built a small black stupa on this hilltop to mark the burial site of demons whom he managed to subdue after chasing all the way from Dochula Pass, where the demons were terrorizing the travellers. This black stupa can be seen even today just outside of the main temple. It was Lama Ngawang Chogyel, the younger brother of Lama Drukpa Kuenley, who built the present temple in 1499 AD.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Meri Puensum Resort or at Hotel Lobesa

Day 3: Sightseeing Punakha / Transfer to Phobjikha valley

Stop At: Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, Punakha Bhutan
After breakfast, you will be going for 2.5 hour return hike to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Choeten. Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the picturesque Punakha valley, this wonderful Buddhist structure is a fine example of Bhutanese architecture used in building temples, monasteries and Zangdogpelri (copper coloured mountains). It was built over a period of almost 10 years under the command of Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, one of the Grand Queen Mothers of Bhutan and was consecrated in 1999.

After the hike, return to the road head and drive to visit Punakha Dzong.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Punakha Dzong, Punakha 13001 Bhutan
The historic Punakha Dzong was originally known as Pungthang Dewa Chenpoi Phodrang, meaning the “Palace of Great Bliss”. It was built in 1637 AD by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (Tibetan Buddhist master who came to Bhutan in 1616 and founded nation-state of Bhutan) on a small stretch of land where the rivers Phochu and Mochu converge. Punakha Dzong is the second oldest and second largest Dzong in Bhutan. The sacred wall paintings and main artifacts inside the dzong, the intricate wood works and the architectural structure of the dzong displays fine example of Bhutanese arts and craftsmanship which continues to influence Bhutanese architecture even today.

After lunch, you will be transferred to Phobjikha valley. The road distance is 80km and takes approximately 3-hours.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Phobjikha is a vast U-shaped glacial valley at an elevation of about 3,000m/9,840ft and it is a winter home for endangered Black Necked Crane from November to March and migrates back to Tibetan Plateau by the beginning of spring season. Every year on the 11th of November, Black Necked Crane Festival is held in this valley to celebrate the arrival of this endangered and majestic bird which becomes an inseparable part in the lives of the local people during winter months. As part of the conservation effort, Phobjikha valley has been declared as a protected area.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Gangtey Monastery, Gangtey Bhutan
On arrival in Phobjikha valley, visit the famous landmark in Phobjikha valley – a 17th century Gangtey Monastery popularly known as Gangtey Goenpa (goenpa literally means “remote place” and is usually a place of religious significance). Founded in 1613, this is one of the largest monasteries in Bhutan. The monastery also has a monastic college where hundreds of monks study Buddhist philosophy for 9 years. An annual religious festival, Gangtey Tshechu, is held at this majestic monastery during autumn when the harvest season is just over. A series of dazzling sacred mask dances interspersed by Bhutanese folk dances are performed during this festival.

If you have enough time, you can venture out on an exciting Gangtey Nature Hike through the pristine valley. The hiking trail is about 5km and takes approximately 3-hours to complete. If there is not enough time, you will take up this hike tomorrow morning before driving back to Paro Valley.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner: If interested, dinner comprised of authentic home-cooked local cuisine will be served at one of the farmhouse.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Yue-Loki Guest House or at a village homestay to get insights into a typical village life in Bhutan.

Day 4: Gangtey Nature Hike / Transfer back to Paro valley

Stop At: Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
After breakfast, venture out on an exhilarating nature hike. The trail is about 5km and takes approximately 3 hours through the woods surrounded by splendid nature all around, wonderful meadows, beautiful traditional village houses, farm lands and crystalline streams. This short nature trail gives you a great feeling of the valley and understanding of the livelihood of the people living there. Lots of opportunities to take beautiful pictures!

After lunch, you will be transferred back to Paro valley. The road distance is 188km and takes about 5.5-hours.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Kyichu Lhakhang, Lamgong Gewog, Paro 12001 Bhutan
On reaching Paro, visit Kyiichu Lhakhang located just a few minutes drive from the main town of Paro. Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan. It is believed to have been built in 659 A.D. by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in his effort to build 108 such temples across the Himalayan region to subdue the spirit of a demoness who was causing obstruction to the spread of Buddhism. Bhutan is blessed with two of these temples, one being Jampa Lhakhang in Bumthang, central Bhutan. Both Kichu Lhakhang and Jampa Lhakhang are believed to have been built on the same day.
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Khangkhu Resort or at a similar one.

Day 5: Hike to the famous Tiger's Nest (Paro Taktsang) & later visit a beautiful farmhouse for home-cooked local cuisine

Stop At: Paro Taktsang, Taktsang Trail BT, Paro Bhutan
After early breakfast, you will hike to the famous Paro Taktsang popularly known as Tiger's Nest.

Taktsang monastery is located on the face of a sheer 800-meter rock cliff in Paro. It normally takes about 2 hours to reach the monastery from the road head. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Bhutan.Taktsang which literally translates to ‘Tiger’s Nest’, is regarded as one of the most important monasteries in Bhutan. Its history is associated with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava (known as Guru Rinpoche), the Indian saint who came to Bhutan and introduced Tantric Buddhism in the mid-eighth century AD. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava flew to Taktsang from Kurtoe Singye Dzong in eastern Bhutan, riding on a tigress. Taktsang monastery was originally built in 1692 on the sacred cave where Guru Padmasambhava meditated.

The trail takes you through the ancient path shaded by pine trees. After an hour of steep uphill hiking, you will reach a nice cafeteria from where you can see spectacular view of Taktsang monastery perched on the face of a steep rock cliff. It takes further 1 hour to reach the monastery.

Lunch will be served at the Taktsang cafeteria and then we retrace our steps back to the base where our driver will be waiting.

Leisure time around Paro town. Later in evening, visit one of the beautiful farmhouses for an authentic home-cooked local cuisine. You can participate in preparing some of the popular local dishes. If interested in a relaxing home span, you can soak in a traditional hot stone bath with believed to have therapeutic, revitalizing benefits for an additional fee of about $15 per person, as charged by the owner.
Duration: 5 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner: Authentic home-cooked local cuisine will be served at a farmhouse. You can participate to prepare your own dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Khangkhu Resort or at a similar one

Day 6: Departure from Paro International Airport

Pass By: Paro International Airport, Airport Road Paro, Paro 12001, Bhutan
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Paro International Airport for your onward journey depending on your departure time. Our guide and drive will bid you farewell.

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.