BHUTAN

Day 2 : Thimphu

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, proceed for full day sightseeing tour of Thimphu.

Kuensel Phodrang – The statue was cast in bronze in China and transported by sea and road to this site once occupied by the palace of Druk Desi, a secular ruler of Bhutan in the eighteenth-century. At its completion, the statue will contain 125,000 gilded Buddha statues and a wealth of other statuary.

Takin Reserve & Mini Zoo - Add to Wish List Hidden in a fold of the forest-draped hills high above Thimphu, a herd of takin make their home in the Mothithang Takin Preserve. Formerly a small zoo, the king decreed that the animals should be freed rather than kept in captivity. However, instead of wandering deeper into the hills, the tame takin took to the streets of Thimphu, where they became a traffic hazard as they foraged for food.

Anim Dratshang (Nunnery) - On a hillside above Thimphu's Tashichho Dzong, just off Gaden Lam, stands Thangtong Dewachen Dupthop Nunnery. Home to around 60 nuns, the modest structure was built in 1976 by the 16th incarnation of Thangtong Gyelpo, the famed fifteenth-century "Iron Bridge Monk" who forged chain-link bridges that still span several of Bhutan's fast-flowing rivers. The road to the nunnery offers magnificent views of Tashichho Dzong, while the small complex houses a covered chorten and an unusual pillar topped with two carved deer (symbolic of the Deer Park at Sarnath, where Buddha first taught after his enlightenment) and a wheel of law.

Folk Heritage Museum - The Folk Heritage Museum, located on the outskirts of Thimphu, recreates a traditional Bhutanese family home inside a beautiful 19th century rammed earth and timber building. Here, the family's prized possessions are on display: shiny wooden bowls line the kitchen shelves, richly patterned fabrics hang alongside aged leopard fur bags in the room next door, and gold glints from thangkas hung in the family's altar room.

Royal Textile Academy & Museum - Intricately patterned wild silk kiras from Lhuentse hang alongside rough nettle fiber cloth from Zhemgang in Bhutan's excellent Royal Textile Academy. The museum, housed in an impressive modern building, celebrates the country's vibrant and varied tradition of hand weaving.

Handicrafts Market – An interesting market with local items and bargain price handicraft goods.

Tashichho Dzong - Standing proudly on the western bank of the Wang Chhu a few kilometers north of central Thimphu, Tashichho Dzong looks every inch the seat of government. While the National Assembly no longer convenes inside the fortress's whitewashed walls, today the dzong still houses the throne room and the king's offices as well as the ministries of home affairs and finance.

Overnight stay in Thimphu.

Night Stay : Thimphu

Meals : Breakfast

Day 3 : Thimphu – Punakha (Approx.120 kms/ 4 hours with en-route stop)

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, visit Punakha.

En-route visit Dochu La - A mountain pass leading further into the Punakha Valley. It offers a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of Eastern Himalayan mountain ranges. The view is especially scenic on clear, winter days with snowcapped mountains forming a majestic backdrop to the tranquility of the 108 chortens gracing the mountain pass. Enjoy lunch at newly open restaurant Druk Wangyel Cafe and visit Punakha Dzong and Chimi Lakhang on your way to Punakha.

Arrive at Punakha and check-in to the hotel.

Night Stay : Punakha

Meals : Breakfast

Day 4 : Punakha

ChimiLha Khang - Built in 1499, ChimiLhakhang is dedicated to the "Divine Madman," DrukpaKunley, a sage revered in Bhutan for his unorthodox teachings and his use of a "flaming thunderbolt" to fight evil. While ChimiLhakhang marks the spot where DrukpaKunley defeated and buried a much-feared demoness, today the hilltop lhakhang is visited by expectant mothers and families with newborns to pray for their children's health. Kindly note that a walking of good 45 minutes has to be undertaken.

Suspension Bridge - Behind Punakha Dzong stretches the Punakha Suspension Bridge, the longest of its kind in Bhutan. The bridge connects the dzong with the villages on the other bank of the Po Chhuriver -- Shengana, Samdingkha, and Wangkha -- where traces of the Divine Madman DrukpaKuenley can still be found, in the form of local stories, monasteries and markings on rocks.

Punakha Dzong - Visitors approach the dzong over a long cantilever bridge that spans the Mo Chhu and up a steep flight of wooden steps. The first dochey or courtyard houses Punakha dzongkhag's government offices, with darkened passages leading south around the six-story utse to the monastic quarters that line the second courtyard. The utse contains Bhutan's holiest relic, an image of Chenrezig (the bodhisattva of compassion) that the Zhabdrung brought to Bhutan from Tibet — although this is not on public display.

Return back to the hotel.

Night Stay : Punakha

Meals : Breakfast

Day 5 : Punakha - Paro (Approx. 150 kms/ 4.5 hours)

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you will be transferred to Paro. Arrive Paro by the afternoon and proceed for a brief sightseeing of Paro.

Paro – The valley extends from the confluence of the Paro Chhu and the Wang Chhu rivers at Chuzomupto Mt. Jomolhari at the Tibetan border to the North. This picturesque region is one of the widest valleys in the kingdom and is covered in fertile rice fields and has a beautiful, crystalline river meandering down the valley.

DrukgyelDzong – The smoke-smudged walls of DrukgyelDzong's four-story utse (central tower) still stand intact among the surrounding ruins. Located at the head of the Paro Valley, the once-magnificent DrukgyelDzong was built in 1649 and stood along a major route into Tibet for three centuries until it burned to the ground in a 1951 fire. The dzong's name, which translates as “Bhutan's Victory,” commemorates a 1644 defeat of Tibetan forces in this region. Today, a narrow path spirals up towards the dzong past the collapsed remains of a walled passage that once secured the dzong's water supply. Go through the gate to access a flagstoned courtyard once used for festivals. Beyond this lies the main body of the dzong, where wild strawberries and herbs sprout among the rubble.

KyichuLakhang – When it was divined that she was preventing the spread of Buddhism, the great seventh-century Tibetan king SongtsenGampo pinned her in place with 108 magically constructed temples -- allowing Buddhism to flourish above her restrained body. One of Bhutan's two ancient demoness-pinning temples, Paro'sKyichuLhakhang is believed to hold the demoness's left foot in place. With its tiered roof and luminous white walls, the lhakhang's age is not immediately apparent. It is only inside the monastery's ancient heart, the JowoLhakhang, that the sanctuary's long history is palpable. Golden murals shine faintly from smoke-darkened walls, and the floor has been polished smooth by the feet of countless faithful practitioners. The holiest part of the chapel surrounds the revered seventh-century statue of JowoSakyamuni, visible through a gilded door.

Ta Dzong – National Musuem of Bhutan

Night Stay : Paro

Meals : Breakfast

Day 6 : Paro

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, visit Paro.

Tiger Nest – From a distance, Bhutan's most iconic building seems to float, weightless, halfway up a sheer cliff-face, 900 meters (3,000 feet) above the floor of the Paro Valley. As you wind your way breathlessly up the long, steep path towards TaktsangLhakhang, the monastery periodically reveals itself, rising out of the forest, closer and more solid with each re-appearance.

OR

Chele La Pass – the highest point on Bhutan’s Dantak roads, crests at 3988 meters (roughly 13,000 feet) above sea level. The bright yellow sign marking its location stands next to a traditional stone fireplace and stove, a Buddhist prayer wheel marked with a quote advocating kindness, and a small hut and seating area.

Return back to the hotel.

Night Stay : Paro

Meals : Breakfast

Day 7 : Depart from Paro

Breakfast at the hotel.

*for early flights, there will be no breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, transfer to the airport to board your flight back to home.

Night Stay : -

Meals : -