MYSTERIOUS BHUTAN TOUR
(6NIGHTS/7 DAYS PACKAGE)

 

 

Trip Length: 7 Days/ 6 Nights
Cost: 1 person US $1460, 2 persons US $1400 each, 3 more US $1220 each.
Cost includes: Government royalty, Bhutan visa fee, all meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner), Evening Tea and snacks, Accommodations on twin sharing, Transport in comfortable vehicle, Entrance fees in museums and monuments, Service of a licenced english speaking guide and sightseeings as per the itinerary.
Cost does not include: Druk Air fare, Beverages and other personal bills.

 

Trip Facts
Your adventure begins once you board the Drukair flight to Paro. You will experience breathtaking views of the Himalayan Peaks including sacred Chomolhari and Mt. Jichu Drake in Bhutan. You will explore the Paro, Thimpu, Punakha and Wangdiphodrang valley.  You visit the Choki Traditional Art School which train the poor and disadvantaged youths in learning our rich traditional arts and crafts skills, visit ancient monasteries and Dzongs, Hike through lush green valleys and villages with many opportunities to interact with the locals and conclude your visit to Bhutan with a hike to the magical ridge top “tigers nest” of Taksang Monastery.

 

Detailed Itinerary

 

Day One / Thimphu

 

During your flight to Paro, you will experience breathtaking views of the Himalayan Peaks including sacred Chomolhari and Mt. Jichu Drake in Bhutan. On arrival at Paro International Airport you will be received by our representative. We head out through idyllic countryside of terraced rice fields interspersed with rhododendron and pine forests as we make a 1.3-hour drive to Thimphu, the tiny capital at 7,600 feet. En route, we see our first examples of Bhutan’s remarkable traditional architecture, one of the country’s unique cultural treasures. Even the most remote village farmhouses are hand-crafted using the same ancient methods used to create Bhutan’s religious fortress-dzongs. Afternoon, visit the Tashichho Dzong. The ‘Fortress of the glorious religion’ houses the throne room of His Majesty the king, the main secretariat building and the central monk body. Its courtyard is open to visitors during the off-office hours. Overnight at Hotel.

 

Day Two / Day Hikes

 

Drive 13 KM north of Thimphu to Dodena. A one-hour hike this morning brings us up to Tango Monastery, a monastic school and retreat built in the 15th century. The monastery is the residence of the Druk Desi Gyaltsen Tenzin Rabgye, a lama who is a reincarnation of the 16th century monk who founded Tango (tango means horse’s head; the monastery is named for a rock formation on the mountain it is built on). Tango’s inner courtyard is beautifully painted in bright colors, with lovely views stretching across the Thimphu Valley. We descend and head by road to the Bagana bridge for a two-hour hike on a fairly level trail through beautiful riverside village of  Kabesa. Enroute we stop to visit the Choki Traditional Art School (CTAS), the only charitable art school in the Kingdom which gives opportunity to the economically disadvantaged students from different parts of Bhutan. Students of Choki Traditional Art School graduate with traditional arts and crafts skills which they can put to use to earn good living back in their home village. A presentation by the principal will be organized followed by lunch at the school.  After lunch there will be a campus tour and visit to the classrooms where the guest can interact with the students. Overnight at hotel.

Day Three / Dochu La / Punakha

Morning sightseeing in Thimphu, we visit the King's Memorial Stupa built in 1974, visit the Folk heritage Museum founded by Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk. The museum is one of a kind that portrays the lifestyle of a genteel family in the Thimphu valley in the olden days. Visit the Choki Handicrafts shop where Bhutanese textiles and other handicrafts are displayed and can be purchased. The shop is closely linked to Choki Traditional Art School – many of the goods are produced in the school itself and all proceeds go towards the upkeep of the school and the provision of tuition for the students.  

Head out of town on a spectacular 3 Hrs drive to Punakha crossing the  Dochu La Pass at 3100mtrs from where you can see the 108 beautiful chortens built by Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk. From this pass, on a clear day, you can have a superb view of the highest peaks in Bhutan. After a hot lunch at a café atop the pass and time to savor the mountain views, we continue our drive to the Punakha Valley. Enroute drive to  Wangdiphodrang and visit the beautiful Wangdiphodrang Dzong built in 1638, a beautiful example of Bhutanese architecture. A half-hour walk through mustard fields brings us to Chimi Lhakhang (lhakhang means temple), a monastery and fertility temple dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kuenley, a Tibetan Buddhist saint known popularly as “the divine madman” and considered a folk hero in Bhutan for his unconventional ways. Drukpa Kuenley originally built a chorten on the site in the 14th century. The temple, flanked by nearly 100 tall prayer flags, sits atop a picturesque hill and has long been a pilgrimage site for childless couples.  Overnight at Hotel.

 

Day Four / Khamsum Yuley Namgay Chorten / Punakha Dzong

 

Morning drive to Nezigang village and hike to Khamsum yuelley Namgyal Chorten, a shrine built by Her Majesty the Queen, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck in 1999. The shrine is perched high on a hill on the opposite bank of the Mo chu river offering superb views of the Punakha valley. The hike is a gradual ascent through cultivated rice fields and little hamlets. In the afternoon, we visit the Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. It stands majestically at the junction of the two rivers – Pho Chu and Mo Chu(the Male and Female rivers). The Punakha Dzong is an architectural wonder and it has played a prominent role in the civil and religious life of the Kingdom. The Dzong had been destroyed four times by fire, earthquake and flood. The Dzong has been now fully restored to its original splendor. The official name of Druk Pungthang Dechen Phodrang translates as "the palace of great happiness." Overnight at Hotel.

 

Day Five / Punakha / Paro

 

Morning drive to Paro via Dochula. After a hot cup of coffee at a café atop, we continue our drive to Paro. Visit Ta Dzong, built in 17th century as a watch tower for Paro Dzong. This Dzong was later converted into the National Museum in 1967, and is filled with antique thangkha paintings, textiles, weapons and armour. Also visit the Rinpung Dzong, built in 17th century to defend valley against Tibetan invaders. It is now used as an administrative centre and home of monastic community. Kyichu Lhakhang, the oldest monastery of the Kingdom is another place of interest. Overnight at Hotel.

 

Day Six / Hike to Taktshang “Tigers Lair”

 

Hike to the famous Taktshang Lhakhang “The Tigers Lair”. Clinging to a black rock face, 900 meters above the valley floor, nestles Taktshang Lhakhang, one of the holiest and the most beautiful site of Bhutan.  Taktshang, the tiger's lair, acquires its name from the legend of its foundation, when in the 8th Century Guru Rinpoche, widely revered as the second Buddha, arrived from Tibet flying across the mountains on the back of a tigress. He meditated at the site for three months, from where he used the religious cycle of the Kagye to subjugate the Eight Categories of Evil Spirits, and thus converted the region to Buddhism.
The hike to the Monastery is a gradual climb through the quiet approach path winds through lush meadow, oak and rhododendron forest, past quaint hamlets, fluttering prayer flags and rotating prayer wheels. The hike takes you about 4-5 hours from the car park. Afternoon leisure/shopping. Overnight at Hotel.

 

Day Seven / Depart

Drive to Paro international Airport.  See off by our representatives.