| Duration: | 7 Day(s) - 6 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Art And Crafts Tours |
Day 01: Arrival at Paro
Arrive Paro by Druk Air, the only national carrier. The flight offers you a beautiful 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.
Day 02: Paro-Thimphu
Drive to Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. The journey would take us one and a half hours. Before reaching Thimphu, we will pass by Simtokha Dzong, the oldest fortress built in 1629 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (the man who unified Bhutan). The fortress serves as an administrative center and the center for the monk’s religious activity. The fortress now houses a language school, where scholars study both Dzongkha (the national language) and English.
Upon arrival in Thimphu, visit some of the workshops where young men are trained to continue the handicrafts tradition. Some are busy making masks for religious dances while others learn the ancient art of thangka (scroll) painting. Overnight stay in a hotel.
Day 03: Thimphu
We will introduce you to the only handmade paper factory in Thimphu. They will brief you about the art of making paper and its steps. Day one at the training center:
- Raw material(daphne) fiber soaking and cooking
- Cooked fiber cleaning/ shredding into smaller sizes while selecting to remove bad ones.
Day 04: Thimphu
After breakfast, you will be picked up by our representative from the hotel and dropped you at the training unit. Day two at the training center:
- Grinding/chopping fiber into pieces
- Sheet processing
Day 05: Thimphu
After breakfast, you will be picked up by our representative from the hotel and dropped you at the training unit. Day three at the training center:
- Compressing the stack of sheet
- Drying
- Designing of semi-finish product into the final output.
Night halt at hotel.
Day 06: Thimphu – Paro
After our breakfast, we will drive to Paro. Afternoon, visit Ta Dzong (watch tower) which houses the National Museum. The museum has an interesting collection of different costumes and thangkas from various parts of Bhutan.
After the Museum visit, we drive towards the north to see the Drukgyel Dzong, which is in ruins. Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel built it in 1649 to commemorate a victory over the Tibetan and Mongolian forces. Unfortunately, the fortress was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt.
In clear weather, we will be able to see Mt. Jomolhari from the Drukgyal Dzong. En route visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the two oldest monasteries built in Bhutan by the King of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. Overnight at a hotel in Paro.
Day 07: Departure
After breakfast drive to the airport for departure.
