Tour Itinerary
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Day 1: Arrive Paro
Fly into Paro by Druk Air, Royal Bhutan Airline. The great snowcapped peaks of the inner Himalayas rise up to the heavens can be seen during clear weather. As the plane approaches Bhutan, if you look down farmhouses as dots on the hillsides can be seen.
You will be welcomed by our representative who will be your tour guide during your entire tour in Bhutan.
Check into your hotel in Paro and after refreshments, visit the following:
- National museum
- Paro dzong
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Day 2: Paro - Punakha - Punakha/Wangdue sightseeing
After breakfast, your Eudrung Bhutan Tours & Treks tour guide and driver will drive you to Punakha & Wangdue. This route will take you through Chunzom (confluence of Pachu- the river flowing through Paro valley & Wangchu –the river flowing through Thimphu valley). On the way, you may stop to visit Tachog Lhakhang (temple) , this 14th century temple located on the base of a mountain across the Pa chu on the Paro-Thimphu highway, is a must visit temple in the Paro valley. Built by the great master architect Thangtong Gyalpo, the temple houses some unique statues. To get to the temple one may actually walk over the iron chains that spans over the Pa chu.
After crossing Chunzom, you will travel along the Wangchu upto Simtokha. Here the road diversion leads you to Punakha/Wangdue through Dochula Pass (3,088m/10,130ft). In the clear sky; enjoy the panoramic view of the Himalayan mountain ranges. Then pass by the beautiful 108 chortens built on the hill.
Then travel onto Punakha. Punakha has been inextricably linked to some of the most momentous events in the Bhutanese history and deserves its reputation as one of the most beautiful and significant regions at the heart of Bhutanese culture.
In the evening, drive through upper Punakha valley passing through farm houses and take a short hike through farmhouses to the beautiful Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Lhakhang (temple built by the Queen Mother of Bhutan for peace and stability in this ever-changing world. This temple is situated on the hilltop overlooking the valley below. The leisurely walk up to the temple would take about 1 hour. Visit the temple and also enjoy the breathtaking view from there.
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Day 3: Punakha - Bumthang
After breakfast,your Bhutan tour continues towards central Bhutan which leads you to Bumthang through Trongsa.The journey will take you through dense forests of oak trees and rhododendrons and through the tropical vegetation through the village of Nobding and Pele la pass (11,000ft). Throughout your trip you will come across the beautiful sceneries of rural Bhutan, with scattered settlements far from the road which makes for good photographing.You will also pass through open meadows, and valley of yak herders and several other villages via Chendebji Chorten ( Stupa) . Lunch and refreshments will be served enroute. Just before reaching Bumthang you will come across “Yathra” weaving centreat Zugney and spend some time interacting with the local weavers. Yathra is the name for the colorful, hand-woven woolen cloth (often with geometric designs) that is produced in this region and wool used for this type of textile is sheep wool as the sheep is reared in this Bumthang district.Yatra is made into jackets or bags ,etc. On arrival at Bumthang, check into your hotel and after refreshments stroll through Bumthang town , you may visit local shops and have free interaction with locals.
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Day 4: Bumthang sightseeing - Trongsa
After breakfast visit the following:
- Jambay lhakhang
- Kujey lhakhang
- Jakar dzong
After lunch drive to Dorjibi weaving center which is located in Dorjibi village, half an hour drive from Bumthang town, has 20 women engaged in making Bhutanese weaves using local dyes and improved looms. It is joint initiative by WWF Bhutan and Wangchuck Centennial Park aimed at providing additional source of income for the mostly potato growing communities ,preserve the culture of weaving using locally available raw materials and reduce pressure on natural resources.
In the late afternoon,drive to Trongsa- the ancestral home of the royal family.Overnight at a hotel in Trongsa.
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Day 5: Trongsa sightseeing - Thimphu
After breakfast visit the National Museum which is housed in the Ta Dzong (watch tower).A museum in which aspects of Bhutanese culture and history are explained by beautifully objects. Documentary will be shown too which explains a great deal about Bhutanese history and history of monarchy. And also visit Trongsa Dzong, which is the most impressive dzong in Bhutan. Built in 1644 by the Zhabdrung, the dzong is an architectural masterpiece. Then drive to Thimphu through Wangduephodrang with lunch enroute.
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Day 6: Thimphu sightseeing
After breakfast, full day sightseeing in Thimphu includes the visit to the following:
- National Textile Museum
- The Folk Heritage Museum
- The School of Traditional Painting of Arts and Crafts
- Centenary Farmers’ market
- The Memorial Chorten
- Tashichhoe Dzong
- Takin reserve
- Handicraft shops
- Changangkha lhakhang
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Day 7: Thimphu - Paro - Hike to Tigers' nest
After breakfast, drive to Paro which takes about an hour and hike up to Taktsang Monastery, also known as ‘Tiger’s Nest’. The climb up to the viewpoint will take around 1 ½ hours and from there you will enjoy a spectacular view of the monastery clinging to the side of the cliff. Stop for refreshment at the View Point Cafeteria.Then walk further up to the monastery which will take about 1 hour. It is said that in the 8th century Guru Rinpoche flew on the back of a tigress from eastern Bhutan to this place and meditated in a cave here for 3 months. The principal Lhakhang (monastery) of the present monastic complex dates from 1692. Taktsang was damaged severely by fire in 1998 but has now been fully restored to its former glory.After visiting the monastery, walk back down to the road on the way stop for lunch at the view point cafeteria and then walk further down to the road point. Then drive back to hotel. On the way, visit Kichu temple,one of the 108 temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. The story goes that a giant demon lay across the whole area of Tibet and the Himalayas and was preventing the spread of Buddhism. To overcome her, King Songtsen Gampo decided to build 108 temples, which would be placed on all the points of her body. Of these 108 temples, 12 were built in accordance with precise plans. Thus, it happened that in about the year AD 638 the temple of Jokhang in Lhasa was built over the very heart of the demon.
In the evening relax and overnight at a hotel in Paro.
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Day 8: Departure
In the morning, your tour guide will escort you to the airport for your onward destinations.
