Hiking the Last Shangri-La
Bhutan is a hiker’s paradise, with lush rhododendron and evergreen forests, pure mountain air, and serene valleys where the rhythms of rural life remain unchanged. Our exquisite hiking journey explores this rare Himalayan world, from the famed “Tiger’s Nest” in the Paro Valley to remote Phobjikha/Gangtey. Along the lofty ridges of the Himalayas lies the Kingdom of Bhutan, a place that has remained blissfully untouched by the rest of the world. Bhutan’s people are gracious, the culture is rich, and spirituality is prevalent. You’ll hike to remote gold-roofed temples and monasteries and through peaceful villages in emerald valleys surrounded by spectacular Himalayan scenery. The trails that lead to these destinations are sometimes a small path on the ridge of terraces rice fields. In some case it’s paved with wild flowers during spring.
Brief Description of Cities covered in this tour
Thimphu: Capital and the largest city of Bhutan - Only capital city in the world that does not have traffic lights - Main center of Commerce, Religion and Government in the country - Most modern city of Bhutan and has abundance of restaurants, internet cafes, nightclubs and shopping center. It is one of the few cities of Bhutan having ATM facilities.
Paro: Small town in the western part of Bhutan - Also home to Paro Airport, Bhutan’s only International Airport - The valley has many isolated small villages and is known for red rice - Also home to most of Bhutan’s oldest temples and monasteries.
Punakha and Wangdue: Punakha and Wangdue are located in the same valley. These two places are located within a distance of 13 km. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955 - The valley is fed by the Pho Chhu and the Mo Chhu rivers - It is one of very few places in Bhutan which offers Rafting facilities - It is the winter seat of the Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot) and the monk body at present.
Gangtey/Phobjikha: The famous Phobjikha Valley is located in Wangdue district, 68 km away from the Wangdue valley- Phobjikha is the winter roosting place for endangered black necked crane and the valley is considered one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in the Himalayas.
- Visit old Monasteries and majestic fortresses.
- Explore a capital city with no traffic lights.
- Feast on Ema Datsi and Red Rice, two of the most popular dishes of Bhutan.
- First-hand experience of untouched Nature and unique Culture.
- Experience the Sacred Spirituality.
- Prayer flags fluttering in the wind.
- Village houses and rural life.
- Shop for Silks, Souvenirs and More.
- Structures adorned with Phallus paintings.
- Hike through pine forests to visit “Tiger’s Nest”.
- Day hikes in at least 5 days of the tour of varied difficulty.
- Hike the rarely visited Lhakhangs, Monasteries and Villages.
- Beautiful landscapes and spectacular Himalayan scenery.
- The must visit Dochula Pass and the Druk Wangyal Chhortens.
- Visit Phobjikha, the most beautiful glacial valley of Bhutan.
- Endangered Black-necked Cranes in Phobjikha Valley (only in winter months).
Day 1. Paro - Thimphu:
Distance: 65 kms; Driving time: 1.50 hrs - 2 hrs; Altitude of Thimphu: 2,350 m.
Your flight to Paro on a clear day, is marked with the panoramic views of the Himalayas including the Everest and other famous Peaks. The approach through the foothills and the landing (including few steep turns) at the tiny airstrip of Paro has been termed as adventurous by many travelers. After the completion of immigration formalities at the Paro Airport exit door, you will be received by your Bhutanese guide with traditional “Tashi Khadar”. Afterwards drive to Thimphu following the Pa Chhu River. Check-In to the hotel and have your first experience with Bhutanese Cuisine.
Post lunch, you would be visiting the following key points in Thimphu
- Kuensel Phodrang, the gigantic Buddha Dordenma Statue located atop a hill in Kuensel Phodrang Nature Park.
- National Memorial Chhorten, a Stupa built in 1974 to honor the third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Every morning till night old people and young people circumambulate the Chhorten.
- Tashichhodzong, or ‘the fortress of the glorious religion’. Initially erected in 1641 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, it was rebuilt in the 1960s during the reign of Bhutan’s third king in the traditional style, without plans or nails. It houses some ministries, His Majesty’s secretariat, and the central monk body and opens after 5 PM.
- Sangaygang View Point, also known as BBS Tower offering panoramic view of Thimphu Town situated at an elevation of 2,685 m.
Then you come back to your hotel. Enjoy a traditional cultural show arranged for you later in the evening. During the show you could also join in to get a feel of an important aspect of Bhutan.
Meals – Lunch and Dinner, Overnight at the Hotel in Thimphu.
Day 2. Thimphu Sightseeing:
After breakfast, drive to Tango Cheri Road in upper Thimphu through several villages. Relax and walk around the villages when in Dodena. You then hike to
- Cheri Monastery, was established in 1620 by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche. The hike takes about 45 minutes. Apart from being one of the most beautiful monasteries, here we also have an option of meeting with the students and the monks. You would also be see pretty phalluses that are believed to ward of the evil.
Picnic Lunch shall be provided on the venue. Post lunch, you start you hike to
- Tango Monastery, was founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo in the 13th century and built in its present form by Tenzin Rabgye, the 4th Temporal Ruler in 1688. The hike to Tango Monastery also takes around 45 minutes and goes gradually uphill through alpine woods.
Return back to town by evening. By the end of the day, you shall have the opportunity to enjoy adventure, nature, culture and the way of life in Bhutan.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Overnight at the Hotel in Thimphu.
Day 3. Thimphu - Punakha/Wangdue:
Driving Distance: 76 Kms, Driving time: 2.50 hrs – 3 hrs, Altitude of Punakha: 1310 m
After breakfast and completion of Check Out formalities you are driven to Punakha/Wangdue, for your second leg of the tour. On the way, you would go for
- Lungchutse Hike – After departing Thimphu and driving for about 45 minutes, you would begin your hike to Tashigang Goenpa (3,200 m). This monastery was built in 1786 by the 12th Je Khenpo. From here you will enjoy a gradual uphill climb of about 2 hours to 18th century Lungchutse Lhakhang. The picturesque route passes through forests of rhododendrons, magnolias, birches, firs, hemlocks and bamboos, and occasionally meadows that are being used as yak pastures. The view from Lungchutse Lhakhang over the entire Bhutan Himalaya and its snow covered peaks is amazing. We will then walk downhill for about an hour until we reach.
- Dochula Pass, lies at an elevation of 3,150 m and is a great place to view the higher Himalayas. The landmarks around the pass includes 108 Druk Wangyal Stupas built under the patronage of Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk.
Lunch would be served at a local restaurant at Dochula Pass. Here our driver picks us up and continue our drive to Punakha. After arrival at Punakha, check in to the hotel. Rest of your evening free for leisure.Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Overnight at the Hotel in Punakha/Wangdue.
Day 4. Punakha/Wangdue Sightseeing:
After breakfast, you would go for
- Hike to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chhorten, a monastery that stands majestically on a strategic ridge above the Punakha valley. Built over a period of 9 years, Bhutanese craftsmen consulted Holy Scriptures rather than engineering manuals, to construct this 4-storey temple. It takes an hour to hike to the Temple passing through rice fields on the way. Visit the temple and also enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful view from there.
Later, post lunch, you would go for visit to
- Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. For many years until the time of the second King, it served as the seat of the Government. It is still the winter residence of Je-Khenpo (The Chief Abbot of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan).
- Chhimi Lhakhang, a famous Temple, which is also known as “The Temple of Fertility” built by Lama Drukpa Kuenley. The Lhakhang is located 10 Kms from Punakha near a village called Sopsokha from where a 20 minutes’ walk along muddy and dusty path through agricultural fields of mustards and rice, leads to a hillock where the monastery and the chhorten are situated.
Finally, you are driven back to the hotel. Evening free for leisure activities.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Overnight at the Hotel in Punakha/Wangdue.
Day 5. Punakha/Wangdue – Gangtey/Phobjika:
Driving Distance: 78 kms, Driving time: 2.50 hrs – 3 hrs, Altitude of Gangtey/Phobjika: 2900 m
After Breakfast, you would check out of the hotel and get transferred to Phobjika/Gangtey. While in Gangtey, visit the
- Gangtey Goemba, an important monastery of Nyingmapa school of Buddhism, the main seat of the Pema Lingpa tradition. The present Abbot, Kunzang Pema Namgyal is the ninth re-incarnation. It is one of the the largest Nyingma monastery in Bhutan.
Lunch would be provided at a local Restaurant. Later you could enjoy the beautiful valleys of Phobjika.
- Phobjikha Valley, one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in the Himalayas. It lies at an elevation of 3,000 m. It is surrounded by a many small villages. Phobjikha is best known for the rare black necked cranes that migrate here from the Tibetan Plateau to avoid the extremely cold winters.
(Black necked Cranes are in the Valley only in the winter months, they migrate to Tibet during the other months. It is to be noted that you shall be able to see the endangered black necked cranes only if you are traveling in the winter months.)
You also have an option of going for
- Gangtey Nature Trail, an easy two hours walking trail. Here you will pass Semchubara village, through forests of blue pine trees covered with lichen (known as old man’s beard). If in winter through, November to early March you are bound to see the black necked Cranes. Continue on from the end of the nature trail to Kingathang village where you can visit a temple built by the Queen Mother. From Kingathang, you can walk via Yusa village back to your hotel.
Evening free for leisure.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Overnight at the Hotel in Gangtey/Phobjika.
Day 6. Gangtey/Phobjikha – Punakha Wangdue:
Driving Distance: 78 kms, Driving time: 2.50 hrs – 3 hrs, Altitude of Punakha/Wangdue: 1310 m
Today post breakfast, you would go for
- Shashela Hike, the trail is used by the people of Sha Ngawang and Chitokha to migrate between their summer and winter home in Gangtey. It was also an important trail used by the Gangtey Truelku and his followers in the past while migrating between his winter residence in Sha Chitokha and Gangtey Goempa. It takes approximately 5 hours walk for casual trekkers to reach Kheylaykha from Phobjikha. It is highly recommended for bird lovers.
Your driver will meet you at the road and take you Punakha/Wangdue. Picnic Lunch shall be provided.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Overnight at the Hotel in Punakha/Wangdue.
Day 7. Punakha / Wangdue - Paro:
Distance: 135 kms, Driving time: 4 hrs - 5 hrs. Altitude of Paro: 2,280 m.
After breakfast, start your drive to Paro for your final leg of the tour. Stop at
- Royal Botanical Park, Lamperi, also known as the Rhododendron Garden, is the first Botanical Garden of Bhutan. It is famous for 46 species of Rhododendrons. Here you can walk around the Baritsho Lake, a canteen, viewpoints and camping space for visitors.
Enroute stop at Dochula Pass for lunch at local restaurant. Further on the way after crossing Thimphu, again stop at
- Tamchog Lhakhang, located along Paro-Thimphu highway on the base of a mountain across the Pa Chhu river built in the early 15th century by the great iron bridge builder Thangtong Gyalpo.
In the evening explore the Paro valley and town.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Overnight at the Hotel in Paro.
Day 8. Paro Sightseeing:
After breakfast, start your day with a hike to
- Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's nest), the abode of gods and monks situated at an altitude of 3100m on the Upper Paro Valley, Bhutan. As per the legend, Guru Padmasambhana (Guru Rinpoche), the tantrum mystic that brought Buddhism to Bhutan, came in the form of Dorje Droloe riding a flying tigress to subdue the demon that was obstructing the spread of Buddhism in the Himalayas.
After the completion of the hike, you would be served picnic Lunch among the woods. After lunch, visit
- Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan built in the 7th century by the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo.
- Ta Dzong, an ancient watch tower overlooking Rimpung Dzong built in 1951 now converted into national museum.
Later in the day, you would then drive to village house to witness the traditional rural life in a Bhutanese village. Also you have an option of experiencing a Traditional Hot Stone bath in the village house. You can also choose to have your dinner in the house with the Family or also spend your overnight in the village house (needed to be confirmed at the time of confirmation of the Tour) or be driven back to your hotel.
Meals – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Overnight at the Hotel in Paro.
Day 9. Departure:
Today we will bid farewell to this beautiful country and take an early flight back. We hope by now you must have made some good friends and also have taken photographs and beautiful memories of Bhutan. We certainly hope of serving you again on your next visit to this great country or the Last Shangri-La. Tashi Delek.