Day 1 Arrive Paro
The flight from Delhi to Paro (via Kathmandu) into the Bhutan Himalayas is one of the most spectacular flights you will ever experience in a life time. Flying in from the heat of the plains of India one can witness from the left side of the aircrafts window a series of the worlds highest peaks. Your pilot will announce the names of the peaks if the weather is clear. You will decend into the high mountains and as the plane lowers you will not find any airstrip or any city but instead you will enjoy the view of the approaching valley Paro, the alpine forests, little monasteries, temples and farm houses. Before the plane touches the runaway you will get a glimpse of the fertile valley of Paro, the Paro Dzong and Paro chu(river).As you step out of the plane, you take a breath of cool, clean fresh air and our guide will be there to take care of you and you can just relax as he will escort you to the hotel.
Day 2 Paro Valley (2.280 m)
The Paro valley is broad and people are known for their hard work. The morning sightseeing includes the Paro Dzong, the National Museum housed in a round fortress called as the Ta Dzong considered to be one of the best natural history museums in Asia where it has a fine collection of natural and historic artifacts.
The Drukgyel Dzong, a 17th century fortress that used to keep invaders from Tibet and in 1951 the fort was destroyed by fire. The majestic Jumolhari or the Mountain of Goddess can be seen in the background while hiking up to Taktsang or The Tigers Nest is one of the popular spiritual heritage sites It was here that the great tantric master Guru Padma Sambhava flew in from Tibet on a tiger to bring Buddhist teachings to Bhutan. It is a short climb of 1.5 hours to 2 hours to the top. After the sightseeing you may spend the day by shopping or simply walking through the town or relax in the hotel if you are left with no energy.
Day 3 Thimphu “The capital of Bhutan” (2.320m)}
Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan became the capital in 1961 and the city is the largest in Bhutan. It is 1.5 hours drive from Paro and on the way you will come across paddy fields, apple orchards, paddy stacks, cattle, pine tree, farm houses and hamlets that smell of burning of wood. As you enter the valley you will be driving on the Bhutan’s first four-lane highway express which takes you right into the heart of town. Check in the hotel.When in Thimphu you got to prepare for surprises where this unique capital has no traffic lights but adopted its own version of the British – Indian colonial times traffic policemen who can startle you and memorize others with his elaborate hand gestures, sometimes he may be signaling stop when it looks like go but don’t worry you can observe the flow and notice his smile as you stare at him.
Sight seeing includes the Textile Museum, the Folk Heritage Museum, the Tashichho Dzong, the National Memorial Chorten a stupa dedicated to the third king of Bhutan, Handicrafts Center to view the traditional arts, the indigenous Medicine Hospital, the Painting School and the vegetable market if it falls on Saturday or Sunday you will be excited to see the various vegetables, chillies, fruits from all parts mostly grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. On your way back to the hotel you will pass by the Changlimithang ground where you will always find the game of archery the national sport of Bhutan being played.
Day 4 Trongsa via Gangtey
After breakfast we drive up-hill towards “Dochu La Pass” at 10,000 feet, the first mountain pass in the western part of Bhutan. As we reach the pass you find the 108 Druk Wangyal chortens on the top of the pass where the ridges are draped in colorful prayer flags greet you. If the weather is clear you will be able to see the highest peaks towards the north,Gangar Punsum among others is the highest unclimbed peak (24,000 ft) in the world. The famous Chime Lhakhang situated near the river on a small plateau built by the famous “divine mad monk”Drukpa Kunley, which is known or famous pilgrimage for infertile women.
Wangduephodrang Dzong strategically located on a ridge 4,430 ft that overlooks the highway that fork to the east and south of the country. This is an old town with narrow street with single storied shops and also the gateway to central and eastern Bhutan.
The legend Mahakala, the protective deity of Bhutan appeared to tell Shabdrung of prediction, saying “at top of rocky spur where two rivers meet, at the place where a flock of raven will fly off in four directions, you will build the Dzong”. The Shabdrung built the dzong in 1638 and Punakha/Wangdue valleys are also the winter home for many of the high altitude farmers who migrate with their cattle to the warm climate.
After lunch we drive to Gangtey valley almost three hours drive. This valley is one of the most beautiful open valleys in Bhutan and Gangtey is the winter home to the endangered black necked cranes (Grus Nigricllis) which migrate to this valley around mid November from Tibet. These cranes have for centuries captured the human imagination with their intelligence, poise, sociality, beauty and freedom which has given rise to several myths, legends, folktales and songs. The birds fly back across the Himalayas to their summer home towards Tibet and China. The Gangtey village is small dominated by the yellow roofed Gangtey monastery. The night will be spent at a lodge in Gangtey valley near by the monastery.
Day 5 Gangtey – Bhumthang (Jakar) via Trongsa
If you are a bird lover we can arrange an early morning excursion to view the cranes. After breakfast we drive towards Pela La Pass crossing the Black Mountains that divides western and central Bhutan. The roads uphill is pretty curving with sharp bends but you need not worry as our drivers are well experienced and on the way you will find rhododendron, magnolias and yaks grazing and on clear days you will find the Mt. Jumolhari standing still towards the west, at an elevation of 23,685feet.
Before arriving to Trongsa you will pass by Nikkarchu Bridge and here you will find white washed stone chorten built in Nepalese style in the 18th century which lies below the road. This temple was founded by a lama called Shida who subdued a demon that was a trouble to the valley.
Here you will experience something interesting as you will be approaching Trongsa where from the road you will be able to view the massive Trongsa Dzong also known as “the never reaching Trongsa Dzong.”We stop for lunch in Trongsa and this place used to be the old gateway between the east and west. The dzong was built by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1647 which is a masterpiece in architecture that includes countless courtyards, passageways and corridors in addition to the twenty three temples inside the dzong. We head towards Bumthang which is a short drive from Trongsa 2-3 hours drive and we check in the hotel.
Day 6 Bumthang
Bumthang is a very open valley and spacious which is different from other valleys in Bhutan, its altitude ranges from 2,600 meters (8530ft) to 4000 meters (13,125 ft).
Bumthang is known as heaven for hikers and trekkers and you will come across many beautiful monastries, also important Buddhist monasteries and pilgrimage sites.
This valley is full of surprises and fascinating as almost every valley or hill has a background of interesting myths and legends about kings, Buddhist masters and serpents.
This place is important in terms of religious relics left by the famous Guru Rinpoche and his reincarnation The Treasure Finder, Terton Pmalingpa who is known to have found the scared Ters or Buddhist texts after diving into a lake Mebartsho lake / pool with a lighted lamp on his head. The Jakar Dzong founded by a white bird, the Jambe and Tamshing Lhakhangs are the oldest temples dating to the 7th century in Bhutan. The Kurje Lhakhang where the kings of Bhutan are taken for their cremation rites and besides the religious sites you should not miss a trip to the famous Bumthang Matha regions (villages) where you can find rich woolen plaid textiles dyed with natural colours and the famous Yatas, it is a thin cloth with bright pattern often made into warm jackets and scarves.
Day 7 Mongar via Ura (141 km – 6 hours)
After breakfast we drive towards the eastern Bhutan where we pass by the village of Ura a village with large houses. The drive will take you to the highest pass in Bhutan “The Thumshing La Pass” (12,465 ft).The road from Sengor Mamning will be an exciting experience as it drops off on one side and you can view across on the right the Shongar Dzong inside the thick jungle, it was one of the most important dzongs for the Eastern Bhutan. The road will decend to a low 2130feet and you will pass by a bridge over the Kurichu river and here you will find a hydro power station too. From this place you will climb up towards Mongar at 5,575 feet and you will come across abundant fields of maize which is the staple diet of the eastern people. As you enter Mongar you will view the Mongar Dzong built in 1953.We check in the hotel or a tourist guest house.
Day 8 – 9 Mongar - Tashigang
We start after breakfast to Tashigang and we will be heading to the eastern most region of Bhutan passing by lush forest and Kori La Pass (8000feet). We reach the village of Ngatshanga after an hour and here you will find small kingdoms of eastern Bhutan before Drukpa conquest in the 17th century. We cross this village and reach Yadi village and soon after Yadi comes Gamri River widely known as Manas. From this point the road diverts towards Damesti the biggest and most important monastery in Eastern Bhutan which is situated on a hill and is founded by Choedon Zangmo in the 16th century. It is famous for its clear and faithful transmission of Pema Lingpa’s teaching and Dametsi is popularly known in Bhutan for its dance. During the tsechu or festivals the drummers of Dametsi performs all over the country. About 30km from Dametsi is the town of Tashigang (3775ft) you will view Tashigang Dzong after crossing Chagzam bridge. Next to Thimphu, Tashigang Dzong is the biggest, it has its own charm and here you can see the unique dress of yak skins and yak hair hats. The impregnable dzong protected by rivers and ravine on three sides was built by Pekar Choepal in 1659 and named Tashigang.
Day 10 Tashigang – Samdrup Jongkhar (optional)
After breakfast we leave for Samdrupjongkhar which is about 180km. We drive through Sherubtse College the only college in Bhutan at present and the name of the town is Kanglung, also we pass by Khaling and Deothang. We reach down to the bordering town Samdrup Jongkhar and just across is Assam (India).
Day 11 Leave Bhutan for Guwahati (city in northeast India)
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Day 10 Tashigang – Bumthang via Mongar
Day 11 Bumthang to Wangdi
Day 12 -13 Wangdi to Thimphu
We drive back to the capital with leisure time and relax in the hotel. If there is any more shopping to be done you can visit handicrafts emporium or watch archery match with prior notice to your guide.
Day 14 Thimphu – Paro (Departure)
We drive early to Paro International Airport for departure.
