12-Day Cultural Heartland

After your unique experience aboard the flight to Paro, affording spectacular views of the world's highest summits, you land at Paro International Airport. Our representative will receive you and transfer you to Thimphu, the state capital at 2,280 m, an hour's drive along the banks of the Pa Chhu and Wang Chhu. You will check in to the hotel and be served your first taste of Bhutanese cuisine. In the evening you may go for a leisurely walk in Thimphu. Overnight in the hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast we start the tour. Visit the takin enclosure to see the national animal of Bhutan, then proceed to Kuensel Phodrang for a sight of the Buddha Dordenma statue, the biggest of its kind in the world. After the Heritage Museum and the Textile Museum, follow on to Trashichhoedzong, the throne room and the seat of the Chief Abbot of the Central Monastic Body. Visit the National Memorial Chorten, built in memory of the Third King. Five miles from town is Simtokha Dzong, the oldest fortress of Bhutan, built in 1629. Do not miss the Centenary Farmers' Market, where crowds gather among displays of home-grown vegetables. Overnight in Thimphu.

Drive to Tango, the school of the highest Buddhist philosophy, where Zhabdrung started the first monastic school. It is about a thirty-minute drive from the main town, after which you climb for around an hour. You can also visit Chari, located opposite Tango. Drive back to Thimphu to visit Dechen Phodrang and Zilukha Nunnery. Overnight in Thimphu.

A drive of two and a half hours brings you to Punakha, the former capital, at 1,300 m. On the way we stop at the Dochula pass, which affords a scenic view of the Himalaya alongside its 108 chortens, built by the Royal Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. On reaching Punakha, visit the dzong built in 1637 at the confluence of the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu, and the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, built by Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck. Overnight in Punakha.

We start early, for the drive to Bumthang, the cultural heartland of Bhutan, takes about seven hours. Make a short visit to Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple, a twenty-minute walk through the village of Sopsokha. On the way you will have a view of Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, now under reconstruction; the district is known for its bamboo work and slate and stone carving. After crossing the two major passes of Pele La and Yotong La, on either side of Trongsa, we reach Bumthang for the night.

Known as the cultural capital of the country, the district is home to important religious sites. Start with Jambay Lhakhang, one of the oldest in the country, built in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. A short drive north takes you to Kurje Lhakhang, housing the body imprint of Guru Rinpoche. Follow on to Jakar Dzong on the hillock overlooking the town, and on the left flank of the Chamkhar Chhu visit Tamzhing Lhakhang, built by the great tertoen Pema Lingpa. Visit Thangbi Lhakhang in the heart of the Thangbi valley, built in the 16th century. Overnight in the hotel in Bumthang.

Start your second day in Bumthang with a visit to Me-bar Tsho, the Burning Lake. It is said that Tertoen Pema Lingpa dived into the lake holding a butter lamp and returned with the lamp still lit in one hand and sacred relics in the other. Two hours' drive from Me-bar Tsho takes you to Kesum, a beautiful village; from there a hike of about an hour, crossing a suspension bridge and passing through farmland and a cluster of villages, brings us to sacred Ugyen Choling. For the night we will stay either in the dzong or at the dzong owner's place.

The five-hour journey from Bumthang to Gangtey passes via Trongsa, the ancestral home of the ruling Wangchuck dynasty. Trongsa Dzong is the seat of the Trongsa Poenlop, the post assumed by the crown prince before accession to the Golden Throne; Ta Dzong, the watchtower, is now a heritage museum. After crossing the Pele La we head toward the Phobjikha valley, the winter home of the black-necked cranes, which can be found there from November to March. Visit Gangtey Goemba, built in the 15th century and the seat of the Gangtey Truelku. Some short hikes in the valley will be tailored to you.

After four hours' drive from Gangtey you will be in Paro. Once there, visit Paro Dzong, known as Rinpung Dzong, and Ta Dzong, the National Museum of the country. The museum houses antiques, thangkas, weapons and armour besides other historical artefacts. Overnight in Paro.

We make a two-hour drive to Haa from Paro via the Chele La at 3,988 m. From the pass you can see the Paro valley on one side and Haa on the other. At Haa we walk around the town and proceed to Katsho village to visit the Katsho Lhakhang. Then we head back to Paro for the night.

After breakfast, start early for the hike to Taktshang, the Tiger's Nest Monastery. Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown here on the back of a tigress to meditate and convert the valley to Buddhism; the monastery is miraculously built on vertical granite rock. After lunch at the Taktshang cafeteria we visit Drukgyel Dzong, the Fort of Victorious Bhutan, then proceed to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in the country and contemporary with Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang. In the evening you may stroll freely in the town. Overnight in the hotel in Paro.

Our team will take you to the airport for your flight and bid you goodbye.