Explore the Secrets of the Mystical Kingdom 09 Days

Today, Bhutan or the land of the Thunder Dragon is one of the most highly acclaimed travel destinations in the world. This is a land of remarkable natural beauty with a pristine and intact environment and a friendly, tradition-bound people. To the discerning international traveler, Bhutan has become an exotic and enticing final frontier. Bhutan’s present travel status comes as no surprise given that this tiny kingdom, the size of Switzerland, was zealously sequestered from the world for centuries. Travel to Bhutan is still regulated through a policy of high-value tourism and the door to this mythical Buddhist kingdom was opened only three decades ago. Come see, before it changes.

Sample Itinerary: 

Day 01: Thimphu: First Glimpse of Bhutan

• Arrive at Paro International Airport
• Get picked from the airport and ride an air-conditioned vehicle
• Approximately 1-hour drive to Thimphu
• See the Tachogang Lhakhang, which is dedicated to a great Yogi, Thangtong Gyalpo, the "Iron Bridge Builder"
• Visit the Iron Suspension Bridge
• Visit a Memorial Chorten/Stupa and see a congregation of devout Buddhists circumambulating the Chorten from dawn till dusk
• Kuensel Phodrang/Buddha Point, see the 51.5-meter Shakyamuni Buddha statue and enjoy views of the Thimphu valley
• Visit the Bhutan Postal Museum, make your personalized stamps with your photos, and use them to send postcards to your friends and family around the world
• Stroll the craft bazaar, a single line of shops selling authentic handicrafts
• Overnight stay at your hotel in Thimphu

Day 02: Thimphu – Punakha, Old Capital of Bhutan

• Drive to Wangdue and Punakha Valleys - 2.5 hours
• Dochula Pass
• 108 chortens/stupa
• Royal Botanical Garden - 45 minutes hike
• Chime Lhakhang (Fertility Temple)
• Stroll through the valley

Day 03: Punakha Vicinity Visits

• Breakfast overlooking Nyeshakha and Wangdue Dzong
• Visit Nyeshay Gekha
• Khamsum Yulley Namgyel Chorten - 2 hours leisure hike
• Punakha Dzong (Palace of Great Bliss)
• Longest iron bridge in Bhutan
• Nunnery
• Valley stroll and visit local markets

Day 04: Punakha – Phobjikha Valley

• Enjoy a ride through the Himalayan Ranges
• Followed by Gangtey and Phobjikha Valleys (2 hours)
• Visit the Gangtey Goemba/Monastery
• Visit the Crane Observation Center
• Experience the Gangtey Nature Trail leisure hiking through the blue pine tree and village (1.5 hours)
• Walkthrough the villages, visit some traditional houses and interact with the villagers
• Visit a traditional farmhouse followed by dinner with a local family
• Overnight stay at a hotel in Gangtey

Day 05: Phobjikha Valley - Paro

• Checkout from the hotel/farmhouse
• Crane Observation Centre
• Drive to Paro (3.3 hours)
• Walk to visit Chime Lhakhang/Fertility Temple (a 25-minute leisurely walk)
• Overnight at your hotel in Paro

Day 06: Bumdra Wilderness Camp (Trek Starts)

Early morning after breakfast, drive to Sangchoekor where we will start our trek to Bumdra. The initial climb up from the temple through the thick alpine forest takes about 3 hours to reach the base of the old temple. The trail undulates for a while before the last steep pull up to the pretty temple that boasts commanding views of southern Paro valley including the airport. After a final 20 minutes climb through ruins and fluttering prayer flags, with a last glance southwards we plunge back into the ancient forest traversing for about 40 minutes then come out onto a high wide meadow dotted with sacred chortens and prayer flags. Our home for the night is tucked in under Bumdra Monastery (Cave of a thousand prayers) making the most of the awesome views of the Himalayan range. If time permits, we can visit the monastery and also climb the peak to the north for even better views.

Dinner and overnight at Bumdra camp.

Altitude: 3500m.

Day 07: Bumdra Wilderness Ridge Walk

• After breakfast take a ridge walk for almost 2 hours
• Sky burial
• Hoist Wind stallion
• Meditation at monk hermit
• Leisure in the afternoon

Day 08: Bumdra - Paro via Tigers Nest Temple

Hike from Yak pasture below Bumdra Monastery (3,800m) via Zangthopelri Monasteries to Taktsang Monastery (2,900m). After a hearty breakfast, we either head straight back into the valley or linger awhile soaking up the view and perhaps hang some prayer flags of our own. Eventually, we have to drop back into the ancient pine and rhododendron forest on the monks’ winding trail. After a couple of hours of descent, we begin to catch glimpses of the golden temples below. The path snakes across the mountainside between these monasteries before reaching the gardens of Zangthopelri (Heaven on Earth) from which you can peer over the edge and straight down onto the ornate rooftops of Taktsang Monastery, perched against the cliff-face far below. An hour later and we are at the gates of Taktsang looking across the gorge; a steep descent to a waterfall then ups some steps and we pass into Tiger’s Nest itself. The Monastery is 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. Retracing our steps we begin the final descent of about 45 minutes to reach our vehicle and drive further up the valley to Drukgyal Dzong, built-in 1644 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to control northern route to Tibet (from here, it is only a two-day hike to the border with Tibet, China dominated by Mt Jhomolhari ). Difficulty: Moderate.

 Overnight at the hotel in Paro.

Day 09: Departure

Our journey through Bhutan ends today. We’ll wake up for one last cup of local tea before going to the airport, to head home or on to your next destination. Until the next adventure!