Bhutan has one international airport and once you have cleared formalities you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.
The remainder of the day is at leisure.
Dinner in the hotel
Overnight in Paro
Today is possibly the highlight of the tour, a full-day visit to the Taktsang Monastery (The Tiger’s Nest).
There will be an early morning start because on average, it takes between four and five hours to do the round trip hike, plus at least one or more hours to tour the monastery. Or one can go part of the way by horse.
Clinging to sheer granite cliffs high hundreds of metres above the valley floor, it is a small monastery overlooking a spectacular valley. It is also one of many small monasteries or “tiger’s lairs” where the Guru Rinpoche, or Padmasambava (“Precious Master” )(also known as the “Second Buddha” of Bhutan) is said to have meditated during the 700s.
As legend has it, Padmasambava is said to have arrived on a flying tiger which had recently been his Tibetan concubine. He then meditated in a cave high on the mountain for four months after which he subdued the local ‘demons’ and began the conversion of the Bhutanese to Buddhism.
The interior design of the temple is impressive with its luxurious beauty. There is a gold-plated dome and flickering lights illuminate the golden idols. In the hall of Thousand Buddhas, which is carved into the rock, there is a large statue of a tiger.
There are eight caves in the monastery; four of them easy to access. Monks of the monastery are supposed to live and meditate in these caves for 3 years, rarely visiting the Paro valley below.
Back in Paro, later in the day, your time is free to complete sightseeing.
Dinner in the hotel
Overnight in Paro
After breakfast, we drive towards Chela La Pass and the Haa Valley for the first of our hikes.
The hike starts short of the summit of the pass and will ascend for about an hour to the Kila Gompa (nunnery), which is perched on a steep cliff. At 3500 m above sea level, the Kila Gompa houses seven small temples and up to seventy nuns. The view from the nunnery is superb.
From Kila gompa the route continues upwards for about two hours to the summit of Chela Pass (3750 m) , identified by hundreds of prayer flags. Again there are spectacular mountain views towards the Bhutanese and Tibetan borders, including the sacred Mt. Chomolhari (7329m)
The hike then descends into the Haa Valley. Views of the Wangchulo Dzong come into sight, an ancient monastery/fortress now used as a modern military base.
There will be an opportunity to explore Haa town with its traditional two-storey shops, as well as Lhakhang Nagpo and Karpo, important to the monastic community in Haa.
Overnight in the Haa Valley
After breakfast, we leave the Haa Valley and drive towards Thimpu.
Along the way we stop at the 16th century Dogar Dobji Dzong, Now a monastery again, it has been used in the past as a jail.
After lunch, we visit Kuenselphodrang, which is a large seated Buddha. From Kuenselphodrang Park, there are imposing sights of the city of Thimphu.
Dinner in hotel
Overnight in Thimphu
After breakfast, it is time for our second hike of the tour - to Tango Goemba (monastery), which is 14 kms.
Tango Monastery - The trail to the Goemba is a climb of 280m & takes about half an hour if you follow the steeper shortcut, or about an hour if you take the longer, more gradual trail. Lama Gyalwa Lhanampa founded the goemba in the 12th century. The present building was built in the 15th century by the 'Divine Madman', Lama Drukpa Kunley. Cheri Goemba - A short distance beyond the turn-off to Tango Goemba the roads end at Dodina. A walk of about 1 1/2 hours (200m ascent) leads to Cheri Goemba. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, built this goemba in 1620 & established the first monk body here. A silver chorten inside the goemba holds the ashes of the Shabdrung's father.
Afternoon visit Memorial Chorten, Changangkha monastery, Handicraft centers and free time in the market for shopping. Overnight Thimphu City Hotel
A drive of approximately 45 minutes brings us to the Dochu La pass (3000m). From here we walk about an hour downhill to Lamperi (2700m). During spring season the forest is covered with lots of rhododendrons, Magnolia & Daphne flowers. We visit the Royal Botanical Park at Lamperi before driving 1 1/2 hrs to Wangduephodrang (locally known as “Wangdi”). *On the 24th June 2012, the beautiful Wangduephodrang Dzong was completely destroyed by fire. It was one of the oldest and most substantial dzongs in Bhutan built in 1638. Renovations were underway when the fire started and so most of the historic relics had been put into storage and were saved from the devastation of the fire. Re-building is already underway to restore the dzong to its former glory. Overnight Kichu Resort or similar
After an early breakfast, we drive about 3 hours to Gangtey. Visit Gangtey monastery,which is the only Ningmapa monastery in Bhutan. We then start our Gangtey nature trail walk which can take around 2 hrs. This is the most beautiful and shortest of the existing nature trails. From Gangtey monastery the walk heads south and ends over the meandering chhu Nap (Black river) near Khewang village. Afternoon visit the Black necked crane observation center & then drive another 3-4 hours to Trongsa. Overnight Yangkhil Resort or similar. * Due to national highway widening work between Wangdi and Bumthang (including Gangtey Valley) the road will be rough, bumpy and dusty at times with delays possible.
Morning visit to Trongsa Dzong and Tronsga museum before driving to Bumthang. After lunch drive to Jambay Lhakgang and we take a short walk to nearby Kurjey, Tamshing & Kunchusom monastery. This Lhakhang is a complex of three temples, on the right beneath a giant cypress tree, the main temple was built in 1652 by Minjur Tempa, Trongsa Penlop. This temple houses the cave where Guru Rinpoche had meditated and left an imprint of his body. The middle temple was built by the First King of Bhutan during his tenure as Trongsa Penlop in 1900. The third temple is recently constructed under patronage of Her Majesty queen mother Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuk and is located opposite Kurjey Lhakhang on the other side of the river. If was built by Terton Perma Lingpa. We finish the day with a drive towards Jakar Dzong. The road to the dzong starts near the junior high school and climbs westwards to a parking lot. The final approach to the dzong is made on foot along a stone-paved path. Overnight Mountain Lodge or similar * Due to national highway widening work between Trongsa and Bumthang the road will be rough, bumpy and dusty at times with delays possible.
After breakfast, we drive 1.5 to 2 hours to Tang valley and then on to Kizum. From Kizum, we cross the bridge over Tang chu river and climb 45 minutes (150m) up to the hilltop of Ugyenchoeling Palace.This Palace has been turned into a beautiful museum. It exhibits in the main building are captioned with description of the life style and art works of a Bhutanese noble family. After having a look at many artifacts, the kitchen will be ready with your lunch which can be enjoyed outside the palace overlooking the Tang Valley or inside the traditional cabin-like living room. If you are interested, the Kitchen will gladly demonstrate the preparation of Bumthang Specialties like Khuley (Traditional Bumthang Buckwheat pancake) or Puta (buckwheat noodle). *Each year one departure, typically in October or November, will coincide with the Jambay Lhakang Festival. Traditional Buddhist festivals in Bhutan are colourful affairs with dancing in elaborate traditional costumes and sometimes masks, and the Jambay Lhakhang is one of the most spectacular. The dancing is designed to bring blessings to the spectators, instruct onlookers as to the Buddha’s teachings and protect the monastery and the Kingdom from bad luck. Witnessing this important festival offers a rare insight into Buddhist culture. Overnight Mountain Lodge or similar
The few houses and potato fields that make up Tangsibi is 24 km from Bumthang. The road climbs to 3420m, where there is a monument with a cross, in memory of a Indian road supervisor who died here in a 1985 road accident. The road finally crosses Shertang La pass (3590m), also known as Ura la (Ura pass). It's then a long descent into the Ura valley to the Ura village which lies below the road. The descent on foot from the pass makes for a nice hour-long walk into the village.
The return drive to Wangdi is no less enjoyable and offers a different perspective of the beautiful forest and mountain scenery. *At present, there are roadworks along this stretch of the highway that is significantly slowing the drive between Bumthang and Wangdi. These roadworks are scheduled to be completed in late 2018. While local flights are available, these have also proved unreliable in the past, often subject to last minute cancellations. For the time being, we will continue to return to Wangdi via the road. Overnight Kichu Resort or similar
Drive to Lobesa and take a short walk through farm houses and fields to Chimme Lhakhang. This monastery was built in the 15th century and dedicated to the famous Lam Drukpa Kunley or divine mad man. He is one of the most famous saints in Bhutan and his temple is visited mostly by childless couples. We then visit the Punakha Dzong, built strategically at the Junction of Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers in 1637 to serve as the religious and administrative centre of the region. We return to Paro this evening, a drive of approx. 4-5 hrs. Overnight at Kyichu Resort or similar.
In the morning after breakfast we drive to the Ta Dzong and walk through pine forests past the tiny monastery of Gemjola to the fortress-like monastery of Zuri Dzong. Traverse across to Ta Dzong, housing Bhutan’s National Museum and on to Rinpung Dzong. The trail then leads across Paro Chhu River via a traditional covered bridge and into Paro town. *In September 2011 a large earthquake occurred in the area and caused damage to the National Museum. The Museum is currently closed to the public for safety reasons until such time as repairs can be carried out although the exhibits are now housed in a nearby modern building.
After breakfast our trip concludes with a transfer to the airport for onward arrangements.
