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1h · Admission ticket included
After receiving you at the Paro International Airport, our guide and the driver will escort you on your first adventure in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
The National Museum of Bhutan is located in Paro just above the Rinpung Dzong (administrative headquarter of the Paro district) was established in 1968. It is housed in an ancient watchtower called Paro Ta Dzong (Ta Dzong means “watchtower fortress”) built in 1649. It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artifacts and artworks including traditional costumes, armour, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum preserves a snapshot of the rich cultural traditions of the country. We will then drive to Thimphu, the capital city.
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Thimphu
2h
Thimphu is home to approximately 115,000 residents. This bustling little city is the main center of commerce, religion and government in the country. Arriving in Thimphu, our guide will assist you to check into the hotel so that you can relax for a while and then have your first taste of Bhutanese cuisine for lunch.
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Bhutan Postal Museum
1h · Admission ticket included
After lunch, visit the Bhutan Postal Museum in the heart of Thimphu town. Postal service in Bhutan was launched only in 1962 until which time communications and delivery of mails were done by messengers on foot (building of roads started from 1961) . The museum was established in 2015. Philatelic enthusiasts can find rich collection of stamps, stamp albums and First Day Covers. You may want to have stamps printed with your own photo. A bank is also located in the same complex so you can exchange your money into local currency Ngultrum (Nu.) if you want to.
If time permits, we can go and visit one of the weaving centers.
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Gagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre
45m · Admission ticket included
Weaving is an integral part of Bhutanese culture and tradition. You will see both men and women at work weaving some of the most intricate designs and sophisticated patterns of traditional Bhutanese textiles. Not long ago, it was common to see one member in the family weaving for the entire family.
Leisure time to explore the streets of Thimphu.
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Buddha Dordenma
45m · Admission ticket included
Today, you’ll visit some prominent historical sites in Thimphu and then after lunch, transfer to Punakha valley. The magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also promote peace in the world. The giant Buddha statue houses more than 100,000 8-inch-tall Buddha statues of the same type. The construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2015 after almost 10 years.
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Changangkha Lhakhang
45m · Admission ticket included
Located on a hilltop above the main town overlooking the valley below, Changangkha Lhakhang was built in 13th century by Lama Drugom Zhigpo who played an important role in early spread of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism to Bhutan. His son, Nyima, extended and built many of the statues inside the temple which are invaluable national treasures of Bhutan. Apart from the magnificent statues and other holy scriptures, the temple also has Bum Gye Dring Due Sum (sixteen volumes of Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita) which is the original copy handwritten by Nyima himself. From here, we drive to visit the only animal enclosure in Bhutan, the Royal Takin Preserve in the northern outskirt of Thimphu.
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1h · Admission ticket included
Takin (Budorcas Taxicolor) is the national animal of Bhutan. This takin preserve is the only animal enclosure in the whole of Bhutan. It initially started as a mini zoo where orphaned Takins were kept and later converted to a preserve and its enclosure expanded recently. These unique animals are usually found at an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 4,500 meters above sea level depending on the season and feed primarily on grasses.
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National Institute for Zorig Chusum
45m · Admission ticket included
The National Institute for Zorig Chusum where 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan are taught was established to promote and preserve the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan and to facilitate increased access in learning the art skills to the youths. The thirteen arts and crafts are categorized as 1) Shing Zo (woodwork), 2) Dho Zo (stonework), 3) Par Zo (carving), 4) Lha Zo (painting), 5) Jim Zo (sculpting), 6) Lug Zo (casting), 7) Shag Zo (woodturning), 8) Gar Zo (blacksmith), 9) Troe Zo (ornament making), 10) Tsa Zo (bamboo work), 11) De Zo (paper making), 12) Tsem Zo (tailoring, embroidery and applique) and Thag Zo (weaving).
A traditional lunch will be served at the Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant or at a similar one.
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Changlimithang Stadium & Archery Ground
30m
After lunch, we pass by the Changlimithang Archery Ground and witness the game of archery if the match is in progress. You will see archers dancing and singing each time they hit the target from a whopping distance of 145m. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. We then drive to Punakha valley via Dochula, a sacred mountain pass.
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Dochula Pass
2h · Admission ticket included
About 45 mins drive from Thimphu, stop briefly at Dochu La Pass (3,150m/10,334ft) and enjoy spectacular panoramic view of some of the highest snow-capped mountains of Bhutan (weather permitting). This picturesque mountain pass was only a sacred site until 2004 when Her Majesty Grand Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck built 108 stupas adorning the pass. Continue driving to Punakha, the elevation drops gradually in a short period of time to a warmer subtropical valley at 1,200m from an altitude of 3,150m within an hour and a half.
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Chimi Lhakhang Temple
1m · Admission ticket included
About 11km before arriving in Punakha town, visit Chimi Lhakhang popularly known as the "Temple of Fertility". Chimi Lhakhang is located on a gentle hilltop near the village of Sopsokha about a 20-30 minutes walk through terraced rice fields and traditional farmhouses. The history of Chimi Lhakhang is associated with 15th-century Lama Drukpa Kunley who was affectionately known as “Divine Madman” for his obscene behavior and outrageous ways of cleansing people from religious dogmatism and egoistic self-possession by exhibiting his strong desire for sex. One of the relics of Chimi Lhakhang is a phallus. The blessing of the phallus is considered sacred particularly to couples who are unable to have children as it brings fertility giving them the ability to bear offspring. Because of this belief, people like to call Chimi Lhakhang as “Temple of Fertility”. We then drive to Namgay Zam Homestay in the village of Yusakha for overnight with the local family.
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Trongsa
45m
After breakfast, visit the largest fortress in Bhutan, Trongsa Dzong. Known as Choekhor Rabtentse Dzong, Trongsa Dzong was built in 1648 and holds a significant place in the history of Bhutan as it was from here that the ancestors of the Royal family of Bhutan emerged as the most powerful rulers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first and second hereditary Kings of Bhutan ruled the country from this ancient seat of power. There is a tradition that the crown prince must be invested as Trongsa Penlop (Governor of Trongsa) here at Trongsa Dzong before he ascends the golden throne of the King.
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30m · Admission ticket included
Just a few hundred meters from the main Trongsa Dzong, standing on the promontory overlooking the majestic Trongsa Dzong is the Royal Heritage Museum. The museum is housed in a watchtower called Ta Dzong built in 1652 and provides visitors an insight into the significance of Trongsa in Bhutan’s history.
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Bumthang
3h
We then drive to Bumthang also known as Jakar in Central Bhutan. You’ll drive over Yotong La at 3,425m above sea level, the highest pass between Trongsa and Bumthang. The journey gradually descends to the village of Chumey where we’ll stop by at Yathra weaving center (Yathra is the colourful textiles hand woven out of sheep and yak hair) and get insights on the traditional attires and the weaving culture of the people of Bumthang. Continue driving towards Chamkhar, the main town of Bumthang. The valley of Bumthang is considered the cultural heartland of Bhutan and home to some of the oldest temples and monasteries in the country. The total driving distance is 68km and takes about 2.5 hours.
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2h · Admission ticket included
Arriving in Bumthang, check into the hotel and after lunch, visit Swiss Cheese & Wine Factory and Tamzhing Lhakhang. The Swiss Cheese and Wine factory was established by Mr. Fritz Maurer, a Swiss volunteer who came to Bhutan in the early 1960s and made Bumthang his home.
After that visit the sacred Tamzhing temple built in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa who is considered the patron saint of Bhutan. Among the many treasures and religious artefacts handcrafted by Pema Lingpa himself, there is an armory that stood the test of time for five centuries bearing no rust or any sign of deterioration. It is believed that you will be cleansed of all your past sins and defilement if you circumambulate the inner sanctum of the temple 3 rounds carrying that sacred armory.
Leisure time around Chamkhar, the main town of Jakar.
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Burning Lake
3h · Admission ticket included
Today, we’ll drive to Tang valley and explore the typical village in the valley and interact with the local people and get insights into their daily lifestyle. Later, return to Jakar and visit some of the oldest temples.
En route, stop briefly at Mebar Tso (Burning Lake) from where a sacred statue and other religious treasures were discovered by 15th-century patron saint of Bhutan, Terton Pema Lingpa. He went into the lake holding a butter lamp (candle-like lamp used for ritual offering) and resurfaced holding treasures hidden by Guru Padmasambhava in the mid-eighth century with the butter lamp still burning. You’ll see some of the discovered sacred objects at Tamzhing temple on Day 4.
Visit the nearby Tang village and ramble through the rural settlements to understand the daily lives of the farmers of Bumthang. Home-cooked local cuisine unique to Bumthang will be organized at one of the village farmhouses for lunch.
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Ogyen Choling Palace Museum
3h · Admission ticket included
If interested, you can also visit Ogyen Choling Museum. A private museum owned by the ancestors of the Royal family of Bhutan was regarded as being a monastery or hermitage because of its past connections with great Buddhist masters like Longhcen Rabjam (1308-63) and Terton Dorji Lingpa (1346-1405). It was turned into a museum in 2001 with the aim to share its heritage and to preserve and maintain its religious and cultural significance. The museum gives you profound insights not only about the lifestyles and living conditions of households of the religious and nobility during the 19th and 20th centuries but also on how Bhutan has changed over the years.
From here, we drive back to Jakar and visit Kurjey Lhakhang. The round trip driving distance is 60km and takes about 2 hours.
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45m · Admission ticket included
Kurjey Lhakhang is built on the sacred site blessed by Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century. Kurjey means “body imprint” and Lhakhang means “temple”. Guru Padmasambhava brought Buddhism to Bhutan and is revered and known as Guru Rinpoche in Tibetan Buddhism. There are three Lhakhangs at Kurjey. The oldest Lhakhang was constructed by the Trongsa Governor Chogyel Minjur Tenpa in 1652 on the site where Guru Padmasambhava meditated after subduing an evil spirit that was harming the local people and the King Chakhar Gyab popularly known as Sindhu Raja. Inside the Lhakhang are the statues of the Buddhas and the cave known as Dragmar Dorji Tsegpa, meaning a “red-colored cave resembling a pile of vajras”, in which Guru Rinpoche meditated and left his boy imprint and hence the name Kurjey.
In the close proximity, there is a holy water believe to have been created by Guru Padmasambhava.
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Phobjikha Valley
5h · Admission ticket included
After breakfast, transfer to Phobjikha valley following the same route via Trongsa. In Trongsa, you'll visit the Thruepang Palace.
Phobjikha is a vast U-shaped glacial valley at an elevation of about 3,000m/9,845ft and it is a winter home for endangered Black-necked Crane from November to March and migrates back to Tibetan Plateau by the beginning of the spring season. As part of the conservation effort, Phobjikha valley has been declared a protected area.
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30m · Admission ticket included
Arriving at Trongsa, visit Thruepang Palace. This two-storied simple palace situated just above the highway in the town is the birthplace of late Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It was here that on 2nd May 1928, His Majesty was born to King Jigme Wangchuck and Ashi Puntsho Choden. He spent most of his early childhood days here at Thruepang Palace. Lunch will be served in Trongsa.
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Gangtey Monastery
45m · Admission ticket included
After lunch in Trongsa, we continue to drive to Phobjikha valley. Arriving at Phobjikha valley, visit Gangtey Monastery, the famous landmark in the valley. The 17th-century Gangtey Monastery is popularly known as Gangtey Gonpa (gonpa literally means “remote place” and is usually a place of religious significance). Founded in 1613, this is one of the largest monasteries in Bhutan. The monastery also has a monastic college where hundreds of monks study Buddhist philosophy for 9 years. An annual religious festival, Gangtey Tshechu, is held at this majestic monastery during autumn when the harvest season is just over. A series of dazzling sacred mask dances interspersed by Bhutanese folk dances are performed during this festival.
