Thimphu Tshechu

Date of this festival: September 17-19, 2010

Main Highlights of Thimphu Festival Tour:

Thimphu festival is one of the most popular festivals in the country. During the mask dances known as cham and are performed to bless onlookers, to teach them the Buddhist dharma, to protect them from misfortune and to exorcise all evil. It is believed that merit is gained by attending the tsechus. The dances invoke the deities to wipe out misfortunes, increase luck and grant personal wishes.
A group of ladies perform traditional Bhutanese dances during the intervals between masked dances.
Apart from its religious implications, the Tshechu is also an annual social gathering where people dress in their finest clothing and jewelleries.
Bring you a closer contact with the people and give you an insight into the Bhutanese lives, beliefs and more.

Date of this festival: September 17 -19, 2010

Thimphu Festival Tour Itinerary

 Day 01 : Arrive Paro, Paro –Thimphu

Arrive at Paro.You will be welcome by your Bhutan tour guide from Bhutan All Seasons tours ( Bhutan tour operator) at the Paro Airport.
After the refreshment,visit the Ta Dzong rated as one of the finest natural Museum in South Asia, and is filled with antique thanka paintings, textiles, weapons and Armour. The visit the Rinpung Dzong ( in the same location) built in 1645 to defend the valley against Tibetan invaders. The Dzong is now use as an administration center and school for monks. Then walk down to Rimpung Dzong Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Bhutan.
In the evening drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Dinner and  overnight at  hotel in Thimphu.

 Day 02:Thimphu Sightseeing

In the morning,visit :

• National Textile Museum which is  a good place to see the art of traditional weaving being kept alive and preserved through exhibition and has a good collection of old Bhutansese textiles which are rich in colors and designs.You will also see people weaving with intricate designs.
• The National Institute of Traditional Medicine (outside only), where medicinal herbs are compounded and dispensed, and traditional medical practitioners trained. 
• The folk heritage museum, an outdoor museum that gives an insight into rural life.
• The School of Traditional Painting of Arts and Crafts where students undertake a six-year course on the 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan which includes painting, embroidery works, wood craving,etc.
• Drive to see the Takin Preserve, which houses the national animal the Takin that is only found in Bhutan. This is an extremely rare member of the goat family. Found in herds in the very high altitudes (13,125ft and over). They live on a diet of grass and bamboo. It can weigh as much as 550 pounds.

Day 03  Thimphu Tsechu

Day 04:  Thimphu Short Hike to Tango Monastry

After breakfast, drive to the base camp of Tango Monastery and hike up to the Monastery with a picnic lunch. 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 05: Thimphu -Punakha –Wangduephodrang 

After breakfast, drive to Punakha through Dochula Pass (3,088m/10,130ft). If you have a clear sky, the view of the Himalayan Mountain ranges is spectacular and you can even see the Gasa Dzong as a white dot in the horizon. 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.
Evening, 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 .Overnight at hotel in Wangdue.

Day 06: Wangdi-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 07: 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 08: Paro- Short Hike

After breakfast,drive up to the base camp of Taktsang and then  hike up to the most famous Monastery in the entire kingdom of Bhutan perched on the edge of a steep cliff, about 900 meters above Paro Valley. The hike to the viewpoint will take about an hour and it will take 2 hours to the monastery. Lunch at the viewpoint. Overnight at hotel in Paro.

Day 09: Depart Paro

After breakfast,your tour guide from Bhutan All Seasons Tours will see you off at the Paro International Airport for your onward journey.

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Mailing Address : Bhutan All Seasons Tours & Treks, Post Box No.625, Thimphu,