Day
01: Arrive Paro ,Paro-Thimphu
The flight
to Paro is one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights.
One can see the Mt. Everest, Mt. Kanchanjunga, Mt. Makalu and
other peaks in Bhutan such as Mt. Chomolhari, Mt. Jichu Drakay,
and Mt. Tsherimgang. The green wall of hills known as the doors,
or gateways into Bhutan from the plains climbs continually higher
as down the forested mountainsides, and to the north, the great
snowcapped peaks of the inner Himalayas rise up to the sky. You
will be received by the representative of Bhutan All Seasons Tours
& Treks who will be your guide throughout your tour.
Check into
the hotel. After the refreshment, visit to the National Museum,
housed in the Ta Dzong (watchtower). Here an intriguing collection
of artifacts provide a wonderful introduction to the rich culture
and heritage of the Kingdom.
Walk down to Paro Dzong, a fine example of Bhutanese historic
architecture. From the Dzong, walk further down to Nyamai Zampa,
a traditional cantilever bridge.
Drive to
Thimphu, the capital town of Bhutan. The road runs down through
the Paro valley, to Chuzom (Confluence) at the entrance to the
valley, where the Paro and Thimphu rivers meet. The road passes
along a narrow valley with high, rocky cliffs on the left, and
then the valley opens out into farmland on the approach to Thimphu.
Simtokha Dzong, “the place of profound tantric teaching”,
stands sentinel on a hillock a few kilometers out of town. This
dzong now houses the Institute for Language and Culture Studies.Check
into hotel.
Evening free
after dinner. Overnight at the hotel in Thimphu
Day
02 :Thimphu Sightseeing
Sightseeing
in Thimphu includes visit to
The National
Library
The folk heritage museum
The School of Thangka Paintng
The Institute of TraditionalMedicine
The Memorial Chorten
The Tashichho Dzong, fortress of the glorious religion
Then, visit the government-run Handicrafts Emporium and local
crafts shops, to browse through examples of Bhutan’s fine
traditional arts. Here you can buy hand-woven textiles, thangkha
paintings, masks, ceramics, slate and wood carvings, jewelry,
and other interesting items made from local materials.
Overnight
at the hotel in Thimphu.
Day
03: Thimphu Excursion
After breakfast,
drive to the base camp of Tango Monastery and hike up to the Monastery.
Tango is the center for higher studies for monks. The hike up
will take approximately 45 minutes. The view from Tango Monastery
is breathtaking. Drive back to Thimphu and evening free to relax
/stroll around Thimphu town. Overnight at hotel in Thimphu.
Day
04:Thimphu-Punakha-Wangdue
In themorning,
drive to Punakha (2 ½ hrs) via the Dochula pass. An hour's
drive from Thimphu will take you to this pass (3140 m) where one
can have a superb view of the Eastern Himalayas on a clear day
with a powerful binocular telescope. Visit the beautiful 108 chortens
built on the hill by Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo for the security
and well being of His Majesty the King of Bhutan
Drive onto
Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan and presently the winter residence
of the central monk body. Visit the Punakha Dzong, located on
the island of the Pho-Chu (male) river and the Mochu (female)
river. Visit the Dho Jha Gha Lam Temple.
After lunch,
walk through the Metshina Village and take a 20-minute walk through
the rice fields to the Devine Madman’s Monastery-Chhimi
Lhakhang, famously known for its fertility shrine, where one can
receive a special fertility blessing. Drive to Wangdue and visit
Wangdue Dzong, situated on a ridge overlooking a river junction.
In the 17th century, Wangdue played a critical role in unifying
the western, central and southern regions of the country. Overnight
at hotel in Wangdue.
Day
05:Wangdue - Trongsa -Bumthang
Drive to
Trongsa via Pele la pass at an altitude of 3,150 metres, a wonderful
opportunity for photographs. Stop over at Trongsa to visit Trongsa
Dzong, which is the most impressive dzong in Bhutan. Built in
1644 by the Shabdrung, the dzong is an architectural masterpiece.
Drive to Bumthang, this is one of the most spectacular valleys
in Bhutan and also the heartland of Buddhism. Here the great teachers
meditated and left in their wake many sacred grounds. The Guru
and his lineage of Tertons, treasure finders, have led to the
sprouting of many temples in the valley. Visit Yatha Weaving Center,
a cooperative of the National Women Association of Bhutan where
the women of the region sell their textiles and Yatha specialty.
Check into
hotel and overnight in Bumthang.
Day
06 :Bumthang Sightseeing
Sightseeing
includes visit to the following:
Jambay Lhakhang,
built in the 7th century by the King Songtsen Goempo of Tibet.
In his effort to propagate Buddhism he had a plan to build a total
of 108 temples in Tibet and neighboring kingdoms.
Chakhar Lhakhang. Besides the main road, a short distance beyond
Jambay Temple is Chakhar (Iron Castle) Lhakhang. Although it is
easy to mistake it for a house and drive right by, this is an
interesting temple and is worth a short visit. It is one of the
108 monasteries built by him to subdue evil spirits in the Himalayan
region.
Kujey Lhakhang (Kujey means, "Body imprint"). The temple
to the right is the oldest and was built by Minjur Tempa in 1652.
It was built around the cave in which Guru Rimpoche meditated
and left his body imprint.
Tamshing Lhakhang. This temple is also known as Tamshing Lhendrup
Chholing (Temple of the Good Message).
Jakar Dzong, "castle of the white bird". According to
legend, when the lamas assembled in about 1549 to select a site
for a monastery, a big white bird rose suddenly in the air and
settled on a spur of a hill. This was interpreted as an important
omen, and the hill was chosen as the site for a monastery and
for Jakar Dzong. The fortress is now used as an administrative
center of the valley and summer residence of Trongsa monks.
In the evening stroll around the beautiful landscape of the Bumthang
Jakar valley. Dinner and overnight in Bumthang.
Day
07: Bumthang - Mongar
The journey
continues eastwards, winding through more rugged terrain. The
drive, with spectacular views, will take about 6 hours. Pass through
Ura village in Bumthang before climbing sharply to the highest
motor road pass in the Kingdom, the Thrumshingla Pass 12,465 ft.
Gradually drop down to Sengor. Watch cascading waterfalls along
the way. The descent stops at 2,130 ft on a bridge over the Kurichu.
Climb again through pine forest, maize fileds and eastern hamlets
to Mongar town. The Mongar Dzong, built not too long ago,yet maintains
the architectural traditions of the old dzongs.
Day
08: Mongar- Trashigang
The road
from Mongar to Trashigang, the eastern most region, begins through
lush forests and ferns passing over the Kori La at 8,000 ft. After
driving about an hour, you reach the village of Ngatshang, the
site of one of the fiefdoms before unification of the nation.
Descending rapidly through corn fields and banana groves, you
reach Yadi village. Follow the Gamri river until the bifurcation
to Drametsi. This temple, perched atop a steep hill, was founded
by Nun Choden Zangmo in the 16th century. This is the place from
where the famous Drametsi Nga Chham, mask dance with drums, originated.
About 30 kilometres onwards lies Trashigang, at 3,775 ft. Trashigang
is the center of the biggest and most populated district in the
nation. View the dzong, built strategically on a spur going out
towards the Gamri Chu.
After lunch,
visit Khaling, it is the weaving center under women association
of Bhutan,Government of Bhutan. There you can see all the process
and materials involved in weaving. Drive back to Trashigang for
overnight stay.
Day
09: Day Excursion to Trashiyangtse
Excursion
to Gom Kora and Tashiyangtse. Overnight at hotel in Trashigang
Day
10: Trashigang - Mongar
This is the
beginning of the return journey. After sightseeing Trashigang
valley, drive to Mongar.
Day
11:Mongar - Bumthang
Drive back
to Bumthang. Ovrnight at Bumthang.
Day
12: Bumthang -Gangtey- Wangdue
After early
breakfast, drive to Gangtey Gompa with picnic lunch. Visit Gangtey
Gompa, which now houses one of the only Nyingmapa monastery in
Bhutan. The valley is also the winter home to the rare black-necked
cranes (Grus Nicorocolis), which migrate, from remote parts of
Tibet, China and Siberia during winter in this valley. Drive to
Wangdue for overnight halt. Evening stroll around Wangdue town.
Day
13: Wangdue-Thimphu
After breakfast,
walk to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten (50 Mins) temple built
by the Queen Of Bhutan for peace and stability in this ever-changing
world.
Drive back
to Thimphu, visiting Simtokha Dzong en route. This dzong, built
in 1627, is the oldest in Bhutan. It now houses the Institute
for Language and Culture Studies
In the evening,drive
to see the Takin Zoo, which houses the national animal the Takin
that is only found in Bhutan. Drive further upto Sangaygang to
get a bird’s eye view of the Thimphu valley in the evening.
Dinner and overnight at hotel in Thimphu.
Day
14 :Thimphu - Paro
After breakfast,
drive to Paro. 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 demoness.
After lunch,
drive up the valley to view the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, 18 km.
from Paro town on the north side of the valley. It was from here
that the Bhutanese repelled several invading Tibetan armies during
the 17th century. Evening at leisure to visit local shops. Overnight
at the hotel in Paro.
Day
15: Paro Excursion to Taktsang OR Drive to Chelila Pass
Drive to
Satsam Chorten and then hike to viewpoint of Taktshang, the Tiger's
Nest. This monastery clings to a vertical granite cliff 3,000
ft above the valley floor.
OR
Drive to Chelila Pass where one can see beautiful mountain ranges
and rhododendron flowers in bloom. On the way back walk to Chela
Nunnery.
Day
16: Paro - Departure
The Bhutan
All Seasons will see you off at the Paro Airport for your onward
destinations.