Experience Overview
Set out on an adventure through the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the only country in the world that measures its progress in terms of happiness. Explore timeless mountain villages, spectacular fortresses, and ornate shrines as you travel across this bastion of Buddhist culture, and meet local people from different walks of life to gain insights into the secrets of Bhutan’s wellbeing.
Highlights
- Visit one of the most remote countries in the world
- Enjoy a meeting and lecture with a monk about Buddhist culture in Bhutan
- Learn how to cook ema datshi (chili cheese) with a local farm family
- Hike along peaceful nature trails and thrilling cliffs
- Experience the pristine and peaceful nature of the "Dragon Kingdom"
Trip Details
Product Code: 1497
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: Private vehicle, walking, hiking.
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles: National Geographic Journey, Extreme Adventures
Supplier Code: ADWNG
Starts: Paro, Bhutan
Finishes: Paro, Bhutan
Duration: 10 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical rating: Average
Includes
Activities
- Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Meet a Buddhist Monk, Thimphu Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Family Farm Meal, Gangtey Gonpa Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Lecture on Gross National Happiness, Thimphu
- Arrival and departure transfer
- Sustainable Development Fees
- Visit the Rimpung Dzong
- Hike to Punakha Dzong monastery and fertility shrine
- Visit the town of Wangdue and walk to Khamsum Yueley Chorten shrine
- Visit the village of Khewa
- Black-Necked Crane Centre visit
- Hike to the monastery of Gangtey Goempa
- Walk across Phobjikha and Khewa valleys
- Visit the National Library, the Institute for Zorig Chusum (arts and crafts) and the Thimphu Chorten
- Hike to Kila Goempa nunnery
- Explore shrines and temples of the Haa Valley
- Visit the fortress of Drukgyal Dzong and hike to Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest)
- Visit Kyichu Lhakhang Temple
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodation
- Hotel/lodges (9 nts).
- 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 9 dinners
Transport
- Private vehicle, walking, hiking.
Group Leader
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD 6679 (CAD 668 /day)
Itinerary
Day 1: Paro/Thimphu
Arrive at any time and transfer to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital. Time permitting, take a guided walk around town.
In clear weather, the flight over the Himalayas offers magnificent views of the world's highest peaks as they give way to the lush green Paro valley. The first gift from Bhutan will be the cool, clean fresh air as you step off the plane. After clearing customs and visa control, an arrival transfer will take you to Thimphu, where we'll be met by our local CEO who will conduct a welcome meeting and orientation.
Day 2: THIMPHU/PUNAKHA
This morning, meet a Buddhist monk and scholar to discuss Buddhist beliefs and ways of life in Bhutan. Then drive to scenic Punakha, crossing the lofty Dochu La pass and enjoying stunning views of the Himalaya through flickering prayer flags. Settle into your hotel and drive to Lobesa after lunch. From here, hike up to Chimi Lhakhang, a 15th-century monastery dedicated to the Buddhist saint Drukpa Kunley, known as the “Divine Madman.” Learn about his colourful, eccentric life, and witness women devotees who visit the monastery to receive blessings of fertility.
After breakfast, drive through dense forests of blue pine, oak, and rhododendrons and enjoy views of the Himalayan range and the valley beyond. After a lunch stop, the road climbs steeply through a forest of pine and cedar, festooned with hanging lichen high up near Dochula pass at 3,050m (10,007 ft). After stopping here for tea and panoramic views of the Himalayan mountain range, we descend along a series of hairpin bends to the fertile valley of Punakha.
Day 3: PUNAKHA
Enjoy a full day of exploration in Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan. Visit the magnificent Punakha Dzong, or fortress, situated at the confluence of two important rivers. Drive to the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup nunnery, a meditation and training center for Buddhist nuns. Then drive to Wangdue Phodrang to discover the town's dzong. In the afternoon, weave your way through rice terraces and pine forests to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, a cheerful temple perched on a picturesque mountain ridge overlooking the Punakha Valley.
Day 4: PUNAKHA/GANGTEY
Travel to the Gangtey Valley—also called Phobjikha Valley—the winter habitat of rare black-necked cranes. If your trip falls between October and February, you'll have a chance to visit the information center of the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) to learn about these graceful, vulnerable birds, which migrate from Tibet to Bhutan every year.
Day 5: GANGTEY
Set out to discover the stunning Gangtey Goempa, one of the oldest Nyingma monasteries in Bhutan. This 17th-century temple recently underwent an elaborate renovation. Afterward, we'll walk across Phobjikha Valley to Khewa Valley, stopping at an old temple on the way to make an offering. This evening, explore Khewa village and enjoy a cooking demonstration and delicious home-cooked dinner at a family farmhouse.
Day 6: GANGTEY/THIMPHU
Return to Thimpu and take in the golden splendour of the Buddha Dordenma, a massive Buddha statue that graces a hill overlooking the city. Visit the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, an arts and crafts school where we can watch students practicing traditional arts such as woodworking, painting, and ceramics. Later, enjoy a talk on Gross National Happiness, an index used by the Bhutanese to measure the nation's progress.
Please note that on occasion the Institute for Zorig Chusum art school is closed due to school breaks and holidays. If it is not open on the day of your visit, another activity will be arranged.
Day 7: THIMPHU/HAA
This morning, visit the National Memorial Chorten, one of Thimpu's most recognizable landmarks and a focal point of daily spiritual life. Then venture off the beaten path towards the remote Haa Valley, stopping for a night in charming Haa town. Explore Lhakhang Nagpo, the “black temple,” and Lhakhang Karpo, the “white temple”—two ancient Buddhist shrines which are said to be among the 108 temples built in one day by the seventh century Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.
Day 8: HAA/PARO
Drive into picturesque Haa Valley by way of the dramatic Chele La pass, one of the highest mountain roads in Bhutan. Hike through thick pine forests to the Kila nunnery, which clings to a rocky cliff. Later, return to Paro and visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the country's oldest and most beautiful temples. Then head to a local archery ground to watch locals practice Bhutan's national sport.
Day 9: Paro
Today, we embark on a vigorous hike to Bhutan's most iconic and revered site: the Taktsang Lhakhang or Tiger's Nest Monastery, perched high above the Paro Valley. Visible from afar, this architectural masterpiece straddles a vertical granite cliff 2,000 feet above the valley floor. Later, drive the winding road to Drukgyal Dzong, a ruined fortress that once defended Paro Valley from Tibetan invasions.
Day 10: Paro
Depart at any time. Airport transfer is included.
Tour Operator
G Adventures
G Adventures is an operator of small-group escorted tours. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with 28 offices worldwide. It offers more than 700 itineraries in more than 100 countries, and carries 200,000 travelers from 160 countries each year.
In Business Since 1990
Reviews
Isabella - Traveled, October 2019
The food at the lovely Namgay Hotel was not as good as at the other hotels.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/16/2019
Kathryn - Traveled, October 2017
Excellent tour leader in a wonderful country, overall outstanding
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/27/2017
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