Mythical Bhutan Tour

Day 1: Arrival Paro, Paro to Thimphu

Arrive Paro by Druk Air, the only national carrier. The flight offers you a view of mountains and landscapes. Upon arriving in the Paro Valley and after completing visa formalities, you will be met by our representative at the airport.

Visit Ta Dzong, built in the 17th century, as a watchtower to defend Paro Dzong and the Paro valley. The fortress was later converted into the National Museum in 1968 by the Third King. It has a rich collection of antique Thangkha paintings, textiles, weapons, and Bhutan’s renowned postage stamps. Below the Ta Dzong, is the fascinating Rinpung Dzong meaning ‘fortress of the heap of jewels, which is the seat of the Paro district built in 1645 by Shadrung Ngawang Namgyal. Drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. The journey would take us one and a half hours. Overnight stay in a hotel.

Day 2: Thimphu to Punakha

Drive over the DochuLa pass in the morning. On clear weather, we can see around 200 miles of Himalayan summits bordering northern Bhutan.

As we descend from the past, we will notice that the vegetation changes from sub-alpine to sub-tropical. At the lower elevation, we can see banana plants, cacti, and other semi-tropical plants, and the green terraced rice fields of Punakha.

We begin our explorations of Punakha valley with a visit to Punakha Dzong, located between two rivers. The next hike to Chimi Lhakhang, the monastery dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kunley's” Divine Madman” is known for his outrageous behavior. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 3: Punakha (Excursion to Phobjikha)

Make an excursion to Phobjikha valley, Visit Gangtey Gonpa, the seat of Ngyingmapa Buddhism, one of the religious sects in Bhutan. The present reincarnate is the 9th descendant of Terton Pemalingpa. We will visit the Gangtey Gonpa monastery and take a stroll around the place. This place serves as the wintering place for endangered black-necked cranes migrating from Tibet from November to February to escape the harsh winter there. The road to Gangtey passes through dense forests and oak, and rhododendron trees and is beautiful. Overnight at a Hotel.

Day 4: Punakha to Haa

After breakfast Drive towards Thimphu. Visit,

# Traditional handmade Paper Factory: where you can see the art of papermaking from the bark of the Daphne plant.

# Handicraft Emporium

# Memorial Chorten- built-in memory of the 3rd king of Bhutan in 1974.

# Buddha Point –where you can see 169 feet tall statue of Buddha.

# Visit some Souvenir shops

Towards the evening visit Thimphu Tashicho Dzong - the office of the king of Bhutan.

Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 5: Thimphu to Haa

Drive to Haa Valley – Haa District is one of the 20 Districts comprising Bhutan. Haa District is recently opened up for tourists. Visit Lhakhang Karpo, Haa Dzong and Lhakhang Nagpo

Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 6: Haa to Paro

Drive towards Paro, over Chelela pass (3900m) – the highest motorable pass in Bhutan. On arriving at Paro, Visit,

Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the two oldest monasteries built in Bhutan by the King of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, and the most sacred monastery of Bhutan.

Then, we drive towards the north to see the Drukgyel Dzong, in ruins. It was built by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in 1649 to commemorate a victory over the Tibetan forces. Unfortunately, the fortress was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt. In clear weather, we will be able to see Mt. Chomolhari from the Drukgyal Dzong. Overnight stay in Hotel.

Day 7: Hike to Tiger’s Nest

Paro is a valley of religion and myth. The most famous landmark, the Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest), stands on a granite cliff about 800m above the valley. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche, a famous Buddhist saint, flew to Paro on a tigress and meditated at Taktsang.

The monastery is considered a national treasure of Bhutan. The hike to Taktsang would take us around two and a half hours. To reach a cafeteria, a point from where one can enjoy a great view of the monastery is more than an hour's walk from the roadhead uphill. Those interested can walk a further 45 minutes uphill to get a closer view of the monastery and return to the cafeteria for lunch. The journey downward to the road-head would take us less than one and a half hours.

Day 8: Departure

After breakfast drive to the airport for departure.

These Minimum Daily Rates are Inclusive of the Following Services :

. All private transfer & transportation during the tour in a 4x4 deluxe vehicle
. Proficient English-speaking guide.
. Tours & excursions as mentioned in the program.
. All entrance fees for museums & monuments.
. Twin-sharing accommodations in govt. approved hotels with a full board.
. Govt. Royalty of per person/night.
. All Govt. Taxes.

Not Included:

. Personal expenses, laundry, drinks, etc
. Tips to guide and driver
. Horse ride to Tiger's Nest
. Flight Fare