Itinerary Details
Day 01: Arrive Paro
The first thing you will notice as you disembark is
the transparent purity of air and the absence of
noise. The Paro valley has kept its bucolic nature
inspite of the airport and the existence of
development projects. Fields, brown or green
depending on the season, cover most of the valley
floor, while hamlets and isolated farms dot the
countryside. The houses of Paro valley are
considered to be among the most beautiful in the
country. Paro is believed to be one of the first
valleys to have received the imprint of Buddhism.
Afternoon:Visit
the National Museum (Ta-Dzong). Once the watchtower
for the Rinpung Dzong, it was converted into the
National Museum in 1968. The museum stands on a
promontory overlooking the Paro valley in all its
glory.
Visit the Paro Rinpung Dzong. A flagstone path rises
gradually from a beautiful wooden bridge with
shingle roofing and abutted by two guardhouses, to
the Dzong. Today, the Dzong is the seat of the
district administration as well as the home for the
monastic school. The central tower (Utse) of the
Dzong, with its superb woodwork, is one of the most
beautiful in the nation. The Dzong was built in 1645
A.D.Check in at Hotel
Evening:Thimphu Town
Overnight: Thimphu
Day 02: Paro Sightseeing
Thimphu lies in a wooded valley, sprawling up a
hillside on the West Bank of the Thimphu Chhu [Chhu
means River]. Thimphu is unlike any otherworld
capital. Small and secluded the city is quiet and
there are never the traffic jams familiar in other
Asian Capitals. It is often said that Thimphu is the
only world capital without traffic lights. Thimphu's
main shopping street is a delight not so much for
what you can buy there, but for the picturesqueness
of the architecture and national costume. Beautiful
weaves in wool, silk and cotton, basketwork, silver
jewellery, thangkas and other traditional crafts of
the Kingdom are available in various Handicraft
Emporiums.
Morning:Visit the Memorial Chorten, a huge stupa
built in memory of the third King who reigned from
1952-1972.
Visit the National Library where ancient manuscripts
are preserved.
Visit the Painting School where traditional art is
still preserved. Artists are taught to paint Thankas
here (sacred Buddhist scroll).
Visit the Handicrafts Emporium where one can buy
Bhutanese textiles and other arts and crafts.
Visit the Weekend market where vendors from
throughout the region arrive on Friday afternoon and
remain till Sunday. Here you will find indigenous
goods, handicrafts, locally produced goods, etc.
Afternoon: Visit Semtokha Dzong. This is the oldest
fortress in Bhutan, built in 1629 A.D. by Shabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal. It also houses the largest monastic
schools in the country.
Visit Tashichho Dzong - the main secretariat
building. It is from here that the King and other
prominent civil servants run the country. The Head
Abbot and the central monastic body also reside here
during the summer.
Visit Pangri Zampa Monastery, situated just beyond
Dechencholing Palace (5 km. from Thimphu). This
temple was the first residence of Shabdrung Ngawang
Namgyal when he arrived in Bhutan in 1616 A.D.
Ngawang Chogyel, the great ancestor of the Shabdrung,
built it during the first quarter of the 16th
century.
Shopping [Optional]
Evening: Dinner/Reception.
Overnight: Thimphu
Day 03: Thimphu ~ Punakha ~ Wangdue Phodrang
After breakfast transfer to Punakha/Wangdue.
En-route stop at Dochula Pass (3150 m), 30 km from
Thimphu, for tea and biscuits and enjoy a view of
the Eastern Himalayan Mountains. From Dochula to
Wangdue, it's another two hours drive.
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong is perched on a spur at the
confluence of 02 rivers. The position of the Dzong
is remarkable as it completely covers the spur and
commands an impressive view over both the
north-south and east-west roads. The main road
climbs the length of the spur and on the left,
across the river, comes the first glimpse of the
picturesque village of Rinchengang whose inhabitants
are celebrated stonemasons.
After lunch in Lobesa, visit the Punakha Dzong. This
is the winter residence of Bhutan's spiritual
leader, the Head Abbot, and the Central Monastic
Body. The Dzong is built between two rivers known as
"Phochu" (Male River) and "Mochu" (Female River).
On the way back to Wangdue Phodrang stop at Metshina.
On a hillock in the center of the valley below
Metshina is Chimi Lhakhang (Fertility Monastery),
built by lama Drukpa Kunley in 1499. He subdued the
demoness of the Dochu la with his 'magic thunderbolt
of wisdom.' A wooden effigy of the Lamas thunderbolt
is preserved in the Lhakhang, and childless women go
to the temple to receive a wang (blessing) from the
saint.
It's a 20-minute walk across the rice fields from
the road at Sopsokha to the temple. The trail leads
across rice fields to the tiny settlement of Pana.
There are very few monks at the temple which is
surrounded by a row of prayer wheels and some very
beautiful slate carvings.Check into Hotel.
Overnight: Wangdue
Day 04: Wangdue Phodrang ~ Trongsa
It takes almost four hours to drive between the
windswept town of Wangdue and Trongsa. The route
crosses the Black Mountains via Pele la (3240 m)
before entering the broad, heavily cultivated Mangde
Chhu Valley. From Pele la the road drops through
more dwarf Bamboo and patches of fir trees emerging
into the abundant evergreen forest of the Longte
Valley. The road follows the Nikka Chhu (River) to
the village of Chendebji which is on the opposite
side of Nikka Chhu. Two kilometers beyond Chendebji
village is Chendebji Chorten, a large white
structure beside a stream.
Stop for a picnic lunch at Chendebji. Continue drive
to Trongsa.
Overnight: Trongsa
Day 05: Trongsa ~ Bumthang
Trongsa means 'the new village.' and the founding of
Trongsa first dates from the 16th century, which is
indeed relatively recent for Bhutan. It was the
Drukpa lama, Ngagi Wangchuk (1517-54), the great
grandfather of Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel, who founded
the first temple at Trongsa in 1543. The landscape
around Trongsa is spectacular, and for miles on the
end the Dzong seems to tease you so that you wonder
if you will ever reach Trongsa. The view extends for
many kilometers and in the former times, nothing
could escape the vigilance of its watchmen.
Trongsa is separated from both the east and the west
by mountain passes. The town had a large influx of
immigrants from Tibet in the late 1950's and early
1960's and Bhutanese of Tibetan descent run most
shops here. The Tibetans are so well assimilated
into Bhutanese society that there is almost no
indication of Tibetan flavour in the town.
Morning:Visit the Trongsa Dzong and the Watch Tower.
The Trongsa Dzong was the ancestral home of the
ruling dynasty. It is also the district
administration office of the Trongsa district. It
was built in 1648 A.D.
The landscape around Trongsa is spectacular, and for
miles on end the Dzong seems to tease you so that
you wonder if you will ever reach it. Backing on to
the mountain and built on several levels, the Dzong
fits narrowly on a spur that sticks out into the
gorge of the Mangde River and overlooks the routes
south and west.
The view from the Dzong extends for many kilometers
and in former times nothing could escape the
vigilance of its watchmen. Furthermore, the Dzong is
built in such a way that in the old days, no matter
what direction a traveler came from, he was obliged
to pass by the Dzong. This helped to augment its
importance as it thus had complete control over all
east-west traffic.
Visit the Ta-Dzong, an ancient Watch Tower of the
Trongsa Dzong is located on top of a steep hill
about 1 km beyond the Trongsa Dzong. The watchtower
displays many interesting armors used by the
Bhutanese soldiers during the olden days.
Lunch at the hotel and leave for Bumthang (68 Km).
The journey takes about 3 hrs and is over one of the
most scenically beautiful routes in Bhutan.
Overnight: Bumthang
Day 06: Bumthang Sightseeing
The Bumthang region encompasses four major valleys:
Choskhor, Tang, Ura and Chhume. The Dzongs and the
most important temples are in the large Choskhor
valley, commonly referred to as Bumthang valley.
There are two versions of the origin of the name
Bumthang. The valley is supposed to be shaped like a
Bumpa, a vessel that contains holy water, and Thang
meaning 'field' or 'flat place.' The religious
connotation of the name aptly applies to the sacred
character of the region. The less respectful
translation relates to the particularly beautiful
women who live here - bum means girl.It would be
difficult to find so many important temples and
monasteries in such a small area anywhere else in
Bhutan.
Morning:Jakar Dzong is in a picturesque location
overlooking the Choskhor Valley. The current
structure was built in 1667 and is said to be the
largest Dzong in Bhutan, with a circumference of
more than 1500 m. Its official name is Yuelay
Namgyal Dzong, in honour of the victory over the
troops of Tibetan ruler Phuntsho Namgyal.
The extensive palace of Wangdichholing was built in
1857 on the site of the battle camp of the Penlop of
Trongsa, Jigme Namgyal. It was the first palace that
was not designed as a fortress. Wangdichholing was
the early home of the third king, who moved the
court to Punakha in 1952.
Kurjey Lhakhang is named after the body print of
Guru Rinpoche, which is preserved in a cave inside
the oldest of the three buildings that make up the
temple complex. The first temple is the oldest and
was built in 1652 by Mingyur Tenpa, when he was
Penlop of Trongsa. The second temple was built by
Ugyen Wangchuk, the first king of Bhutan in 1900
when he was still Penlop of Trongsa. The third
building in the complex is an elaborate three-storey
lhakhang built by Ashi Kesang Wangchuk, in 1984
under the guidance of Diglo Khyentse Rimpoche.
Tamshing Goemba (also known as Tamsing lhendup
Tsholing, literally 'temple of the good message')
was established in 1501 by Pema Lingpa and is the
most important Nyingmapa Goemba in the kingdom. Pema
Lingpa built the structure himself, with the help of
Khandroms (female celestial beings) who made many of
his statues.
A short distance below Tamsing is a small
rural-looking town Konchogsum Lhakhang - the source
of many interesting stories. The history of this
temple dates back to the 6th century, however the
current structure dates from 15th century, when Pema
Lingpa restored it. The small statues of the 3
Buddhas (past, present & future) in the sanctuary
are said to have flown straight from Khaine Lhakhang
in Kurtoe. Hence the name of this Lhakhang is
Konchogsum - Konchog (divine being), sum (three).
It's a five-minute walk from the parking spot
alongside the road to Membartsho (Burning Lake),
which is actually a wide place in the Tang Chhu.
Pema Lingpa found several of Guru Rimpoche's terma
here. A wooden bridge crosses the river and is a
good vantage point to look down into the lake.
Overnight: Bumthang
Day 07: Bumthang ~ Phobjikha
After breakfast drive to Phobjikha. Follow the same
route to Trongsa & Wangdue and after you cross Pele
La the road diverts to Gangtey Valley which is just
5 km. The gravel road to Gangtey descends through
fields of bamboo, emptying into a lowland valley of
grass that falls within the borders of the Black
Mountain Natural Park. To the Bhutanese, going to
Gangtey is like going back in time, an interesting
perspective given that they themselves live in a
country right out of the pages of King Arthur's
Court.Picnic lunch at Chendebji Chorten.
Overnight: Phobjika
Day 08: Phobjikha ~ Paro
Phobjikha is a glacial valley on the western slopes
of the black mountains. The valley is a designated
conservation area and borders the Black Mountains
National Park. Because of the large flock of
black-necked cranes that winters here, it is one of
the most important wildlife preserves in the
country. In addition to the cranes, there are also
muntjacks (barking deer), wild boars, sambars,
Himalayan black bears, leopards & black foxes in the
valley and surrounding hills.
Morning:Your first stop should be at the RSPN (Royal
Society for Protection of Nature) its open 7 am - 7
pm Monday to Friday. It has formative displays about
the cranes and the valley environment. The center of
the valley is wetland and is the winter residence of
a flock of 200 - 300 rare and endangered
black-necked cranes.
Gangtey Goemba overlooks the large green expanse of
the Phobjikha Valley. The extensive complex consists
of the goemba and several other buildings, which
include monk, quarters, meditation centers, school
and small hotel. In the front of the yellow roofed
goemba is a Tibetan style chorten with a wooden
roof.Drive to Thimphu (optional) for lunch or
continue drive to Paro.
Overnight: Paro
Day 09: Paro [Excursion to Taktsang Monastery]
Taktsang is the most famous of all Bhutanese
monasteries. It is perched on the side of a cliff
900 m above the floor of the Paro valley, where the
only sounds are the murmurs of the wind, and water
and the chanting of the monks. The name Taktsang
means 'Tigers Nest'; the Guru is said to have flown
on the back of a tigress to the site of the
monastery where he meditated in a cave for three
months.
The monastery itself is closed to tourists except by
special permit. However the one-hour walk to the
viewpoint, where there is a small wooden teahouse
provides a close-up view of the monastery. It's also
a good warm-up hike if you are going trekking.In the
evening visit a farmhouse for "traditional hot stone
bath" and local hospitality.
Overnight: Paro
Day 10: Paro Departure
