Comprehensive Bhutan Offbeat and Heritage Itinerary – 10 Day

After clearing immigration and customs proceed to the right of the exit door where you will find an ATM for local currency and a post office where you can purchase a local SIM card if you wish. Alternatively your guide will assist you with these at local bank/com store. Exiting the terminal main door you will be greeted by your SBT guide and driver and transfer to hotel for check-in the hotel. Enjoy the reminder of the day to explore Paro Main Street and interact with the locals. After all the formalities we will head towards the Haa and prepare for our next day plan.

Paro- Ha Valley (2hr 30 mins)

A beautiful drive taking towards south of Paro valley but turning off towards Chelela Pass. It takes about one an half hour to get to the top of the Pass. Arriving at the pass, the Chele La (13,090ft/3990m), assuming the weather is clear, you will have wonderful views of the snow capped mountains to the west which mark the border with Tibet. To the north east you will see the spectacular views of the Himalayas. You can also take a breath to walk up to the top of the pass (1-2hours) and an hour walk back to the car. From the top of the Pass you will have better view of the Himalayas where you can even see the peak of Kanchen Janga of Nepal and the highest peak of Bhutan Gangkar Puensum. Then continue your drive through the long zig zag down the hill leading to Ha valley. Before you drop down the valley, you will see the beautiful Ha valley, and then you will start your beautiful walk down to the valley. On your walk you will see three identical conical hills in a line on the other side of the valley. These are believed by the locals to be the physical manifestations of three important Buddhist deities. The left one is Manjushri (Jampalyang) the deity of wisdom, the middle one is Chenrizig (deity of Compassion) and the right is Chana Dorji (deity of power). Collectively they are known as Rigsum Goem, (Three Hills).

You will start a day hike with these details. Initially it is worth driving up to the north of Ha valley about 30 minutes. It’s a pretty drive up to the Ha Toey. Your walk takes down to the river through the suspension bridge of the village. The walk continues up the hill through pine forest. This takes about one and half hour to reach to the beautiful monastery called Jamtoey Goemba. You will be able to see over to the west some of the mountains that lie between Bhutan and Tibet, and you obtain really nice view of Ha Valley itself. After the visit of the beautiful Jamtoey Goemba monastery, you take a spur road to Talung village which is 30 minutes walk down to the Chundu Cenrtal School whereby you will stop for picnic. It is a very beautiful picnic spot. After your picnic, continue your walk along the river through the beautiful Yangtha village until you get down to main street of Ha. You will have some time wonder around Ha town and back to the hotel.

A beautiful drive along the Ha Chu (Ha River) towards south through beautiful country, village and farm land. After two and half hours drive you will see the beautiful Dobji Dzong below the road where you can stop for pictures and stretch your legs for few minutes. Then continue your drive to the river confluence where you see the check point and other roads leading to different directions. You will continue your drive towards north of the valley along the Wangchu river, and you will have lunch at Thimphu, capital city of Bhutan.

After the lunch, drive eastwards to Punakha valley. Ascend to Dochula Pass (3114 m) to view the 108 stupas; a memorial to those who lost their lives in late 2002 when Bhutan evicted Indian rebels camped in the jungle on the Bhutan-Indian border and to pay a tribute to His Majesty the 4^th King of Bhutan for his wise leadership.

On a clear day witness a breath taking view of the eastern Himalayas. Continue drive towards Punakha valley descending through narrow road.

On arrival to Punakha –check- in the hotel  Overnight Punakha Valley.

This morning drive further up the valley & hike through rice paddies, fields of vegetables and through tiny hamlets to Khamsum Yulley Namgyle Chorten. This Chorten holds very special significance being consecrated in 1999& dedicated to the protection of the former Crown Prince-now King Jigme Khesar Namgyle Wangchuck.  

Continue walk down through the paddy fields towards the bridge where you will be picked up by your car and visit to the dramatic Punakha dzong, which formally served as the seat of the government and still the winter residence of the Dratshang (Central Monk Body). This is Bhutan’s most spectacular Dzong and excellent example of how a medieval fortress and a centre of both monastic and administrative functions has adapted and evolved for modern day use.

After the Dzong, have lunch at local restaurant and hike up to the famous temple of divine madman (Chimi Lhakhang).

The “Divine Madman” – Drukpa Kueney (1455-1520): In Bhutanese mythology, Drukpa Kuenley is one of the most beloved and revered sages of Tibetan Buddhism. Many are the legends that surround him and he followed a wandering lifestyle and was both an eccentric and highly regarded saint. He was renowned for his shocking behavior and his ability to perform miracles. He taught a form of Tantric Buddhism and advocated that sexual freedom was at the centre of Truth. The wooden phalluses that hang from the corners of Bhutanese houses and the paintings of penises that you often see on either side of the front door of houses are a relic of his teachings.  Overnight Punakha Valley

After the breakfast you will drive through the town of Wangdi Phodrang. Unfortunately the massive Dzong here burnt down in 2012- a great cultural loss.

Continue your drive to Longtey valley through the Black Mountains national park divides western and central Bhutan. This is the best place in Bhutan to see yaks from the road. Before you drive down to Longtey you will have a short stop at Pele La pass and you may stop for lunch at longtey before the hike to Kayche La (3700m) and to Gangtey.  It is about 4-5 hours walk. It’s a gradual walk up through the thickets of dwarf bamboos, birch, rhododendron, hemlock and fir to Kayche La, marked with some prayer flags at the top. In a clear day you will see the view of Jhomolhari. The other side of the pass is mostly meadows, and from here it is all downhill through the long and beautiful stretch of meadows and farms.                                                              

In 2011 underground electricity cables finally connected this valley to the national grid. Potatoes in this regions primary cash crop and exported to India. This valley is a glacial valley on the western slopes of the Black Mountains and it’s one of the most beautiful valleys in Bhutan.

It is also one of the most important wildlife preserves in the country and the winter home for the rare black-necked cranes which files from Tibetan plateaus. Overnight Gangtey.

You have a whole day to enjoy this beautiful valley. In addition to glorious scenery, the valley boast some wonderful legends surrounding events and geography, including tales about two different types of Yeti, a large one and a small variety, and many other interesting legends. The cranes are usually only resident here between October and February. The crane information centre has interesting displays on the ecology of the valley, a small library on Bhutanese wildlife and birds and some telescopes for observing birdlife.  

 A number of different walks are possible here and your guide will likely have his own particular favorite. However we suggest visiting the Sacred Gangty Goemba and taking a wander through the quaint village of Gangty followed by an easy hike along Gangty Nature Trail.

Later in the evening you can try hot stone bath and other activities like playing darts and archery with the family. Overnight Gangtey.

Today you drive back to Thimphu, taking lunch along the way. En-route you will doubtless stop once more at the Dochula Pass for another chance, weather permitting, to take in the vista of eastern Himalayan peaks .On arrival back in Thimphu you are free to either relax or explore the town centre. However your guide and driver will be on hand and sightseeing visits to places can be easily arranged. Possible options include the Buddha Point, Tachoe Dzong and Memorial Chorten.

Buddha Point (Buddha Dordenma Statue): This massive statue of Shakyamuni measures in at a height of 51.5 meters, making it one of the largest statues of Buddha in the world. The statue is made of bronze and is gilded in gold. 125,000 smaller Buddha statues have been placed within the Buddha Dordenma statue, 100,000 8 inch tall and 25,000 12 inch tall statues respectively. Each of these thousands of Buddhas have also been cast in bronze and gilded. The throne that the Buddha Dordenma sits upon is a large meditation hall.

Memorial Chorten (stupa) – it is a monument to the Third Druk Gyalpo (Third king) and to World Peace. Visitors will find elderly Bhutanese people circumambulating the Chorten throughout the day. Chorten literally means ‘Seat of Faith’ and Buddhists often call such monuments, the ‘Mind of Buddha’.  The chorten is an extraordinary example of Buddhist architecture and artwork with its gorgeous paintings and intricate sculptures.

The chorten is a large white structure crowned with a golden spire. It is located close to the center of Thimphu city and is one of its most iconic monuments.

This morning we drive back to the place where we have started our journey, we will be heading towards Paro. It is approximately one for drive from Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. While reaching Paro we will be quite tired and do some sightseeing in the Paro valley and get ready for the last hike that will be hike to Taktsang (The tiger’s Nest).

Sightseeing in Paro:

Paro is a town and seat of Paro District, located in the Paro Valley of Bhutan. It is a historic town with many sacred sites and historical buildings scattered through the area. It is also home to Paro Airport, Bhutan’s sole international airport.

Rinpung Dzong: Rinpung Dzong is a large dzong - Buddhist monastery and fortress - of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu School in Paro District, Bhutan. It houses the district Monastic Body and government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.

Paro National Museum: National Museum of Bhutan is a cultural museum in the town of Paro in western Bhutan. Established in 1968, in the renovated ancient Ta-dzong building, above Rinpung Dzong under the command of His Majesty, the King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third hereditary Monarch of Bhutan. The necessary infrastructure was created to house some of the finest specimens of Bhutanese art, including masterpieces of bronze statues and paintings. Suitable galleries were constructed to house the extensive collections. Works of art were elegantly displayed on scientific lines.

Kichu lhakhang : The Jowo Temple of Kyichu is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, originally built in the 7th century by the Tibetan Emperor Songtsän Gampo. It is considered to be one of the four (4) border taming temples he built. In the 8th century the temple was visited by Padmasambhava and it is believed he concealed many spiritual treasures here.

Dungtse Lhakhang: Jangtsa Dumgtseg Lhakhang  is a Buddhist temple in western Bhutan. The temple is notable as it is in the form of a chorten, very rare in Bhutan. It is located on the edge of a hill between the Paro valley and the Dopchari valley, across the bridge from Paro.  The Buddhist iconography depicted in the Chorten is considered a unique repository of the Drukpa Kagyu School.

In the morning, hike up to the Taktsang Monastry also known as Tiger’s Nest. This is Bhutan’s most revered monastery and all Bhutanese strive to make the pilgrimage here at least once in their lives. This visit is much more than ‘just a hike’ and each step gains merit points for the next part of life’s journey.

Choose between a 1.5-2 hour round trip hike to the monastery viewpoint, or a longer 5 hours and more strenuous into the monastery itself. Please note you must be of at least moderate fitness to make it all the way to the monastery and back. Tiger’s Nest clings impossibly to a cliff of rock at 800 meters above the valley floor and where Guru Rinpoche flew on the back of a Tigress to subdue the local demons followed by 3 months meditation in a cave still visible in the monastery. In 1998 Taktsang was seriously damaged by fire and has since been painstakingly reconstructed to its original condition and consecrated by the 4^th King in 2005.

This afternoon, time permitting, visit Kyichu Lhakhang- one of the Bhutan’s oldest and most beautiful temples boasting an orange tree that perpetually bears fruit followed by the old ruined fortress of the Drukgyel Dzong (14KM from Paro). This is the historical site of the Fort of Drukpa Victory, from the Bhutanese used to repel the Tibetan invaders again and again. On a clear day views of the 7316 meters snow domed peak of sacred Mt. Jhomolhari can be seen.

This morning you will leave Bhutan having waved goodbye to your guide and driver and taking lots of good memories of Bhutan to cherish throughout your life.

Thank you and Tashi Delek!