Bhutan, the Last Shangri-La – Cultural Tour & Trek

Description

A trip to the last Shangri-La is a must on any serious travel buff’s bucket list. This beautiful Himalayan kingdom that was hitherto inaccessible to the outside world opened its doors to low-impact, high-value tourism not too long ago. Bhutan fiercely guards its ancient cultural heritage, religion, traditional arts and crafts and natural heritage.

You are transported into a different land, in a different era, the moment you land in the Land of the Thunder Dragon, as Bhutan is called. Here is a country that values Gross National Happiness (GNH) over GDP. There is so much to pack into a trip to Bhutan! Lovely treks in the lap of the Himalayas, Buddhist monasteries and goembas, interesting museums, festivals, wildlife sanctuaries and much more.

Discover Gross Personal Happiness on this 7 days/6 nights trip! While you get to see the best of the sights in Thimphu and Paro, you will also go on a 1/2 day’s hike from Thimphu as well as a 2 days/1 night hike to Bumdra and Takhtsang monasteries. Learn about Bhutanese culture, their religion, take in the panoramic vistas of the Bhutanese Himalayas, visit quaint temples and monasteries and sample local cuisine. You will do all this while staying for 5 nights in comfortable 3-star hotels and 1 night in a semi-luxury camp.

Itinerary

• Day 1Paro airport - Thimphu

  Our guide will receive you at the airport and drive you to Thimphu (50 km). Enroute, we shall stop at Tachogang Lhakhang to visit one of the famous iron chain bridges built in the 14th century. If you reach early you can stroll on the main market street before having dinner at one of the restaurants in the area.

• Day 2Thimphu - Dochu La - Gangtey

  Visit Kuensel Phodrang where you will find a 169 feet sitting Buddha, one of the largest in the world. Then proceed to the Takin reservation centre to see Bhutan’s unique national animal, takin.

  Drive to Dochu-la (3150 m), an hour’s drive from Thimphu. We will stop here to enjoy the panoramic view of Bhutan Himalayas from there. The 108 chortens here were built in 2003 in honour of the
  soldiers who died while fighting Assamese insurgents.

  The drive from Dochula to Gangtey should take about 4 hours, including a stop for lunch.

• Day 3Longtey - Gangtey

  After breakfast we set off on the hike to Longtey. We shall go past the Gangtey monastery and then through the meadows in the village. As we ascend, we reach a rhododendron forest and then a fir and spruce coniferous forest. We finally reach Tho La pass, from where, if the
  weather is fine, we will have the stunning view of the Himalayas. From Tho La it’s a descent down to Longtey. We will have lunch and then stroll around nearby villages such as Rukubjee. From there, we shall drive back to Gangtey.

  Visit Gangtey Sangacholing Monastery which has one of the best wood work in Bhutan.

• Day 4Gangtey - Punakha

  Check out after breakfast. Do a short hike through a beautiful blue pine forest and through the wetlands which are the winter roosting place of black-necked cranes, an endangered species of birds.

  Then drive to Punakha (around 2.5 hours). After lunch we shall visit the impressive Punakha dzong and the longest suspension
  bridge in Bhutan which is across river Po Chu.

• Day 5Punakha - Paro

  After an early breakfast, we shall visit Chimi Lakhang, a temple built by Kunley Drukpa, a popular 15th century saint, also known as the
  Divine Madman. We shall then embark on the 4-hour drive to Paro. At Paro, we shall visit Ta dzong , a watch tower built in 1951 which currently houses the national museum. Then we shall visit Paro Ringpung Dzong which is one of the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture. One can also take a short walk down to the cantilever bridge across Pachu.

• Day 6Paro - Bumdrak campsite

  The trek to Bumdrak campsite begins from Sang Choekor (2800 m)
  monastery. The first 2 hours of the trail passes through thick
  vegetation draped with lichen. Then we reach a clearing from which
  one can enjoy commanding views of Paro and Do Chhu valleys.
  Another couple of hours from here brings us to Choe Tse Lakhang,
  which is our stop for lunch. The trail then ascends steeply for about 20 minutes but is fairly flat after that until Bumdrak, and passes through a juniper forest with dwarf rhododendrons. The campsite at Bumdrak is located in a clearing strewn with chortens and prayer flags.

• Day 7Bumdrak - Tiger's Nest - Paro

  The trail from Bumdrak monastery to Tiger’s Nest descends steeply through an ancient forest of juniper, hemlock, fir and blue pine. A 2.5 hour descent takes us to Zangto Perli monastery at 3260 m. A further hour’s descent through an oak and rhododendron forest takes us to Takhtsang Lhakhang or Tiger’s Nest. This awe-inspiring temple, perched atop a cliff that rises 900 m from the floor of the Paro valley, was built in the 17th century. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche flew to this place on the back of a tigress. He meditated here for 3 months. After visiting the temple and stopping for a well deserved lunch, we shall descend down for about 45 minutes to reach the floor of the Paro valley.

• Day 8Paro - Your City

  Our amazing Bhutan trip comes to an end! Pack up after breakfast and head to the airport to catch a flight.

Inclusions

• – 6 nights stay in comfortable 3-star hotels and 1 night in a luxury campsite
• – Ground transport from Paro airport on Day 1 to Paro airport on Day 8
• – Tolls and parking charges
• – Breakfast on all days
• – Lunch and dinner during the Bumdrak trek, celebratory farmhouse dinner on Day 7
• – Guide charges

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