Day 1: PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – PARO (L/D)
Upon arrival at the Paro International airport, you will be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel in Paro.
Visit Paro Dzong and Kyichu Lhakhang in the afternoon.
Overnight in Paro.
Day 2: TAKTSANG MONASTERY OR TIGER’S NEST – THIMPHU (B/L/D)
After a visit to the Tiger’s nest, drive to Thimphu.
Overnight in Thimphu.
Day 3: THIMPHU SIGHTSEEING (B/L/D)
In Thimphu, visit the National Memorial Chorten (stupa), and drive to Kuensel Phodrang where a large statue of Buddha Shakya Muni is being built. In the afternoon, visit Zorig Chusum (the Institute of Arts and Crafts) and the Craft Market for Religious items and souvenir shopping.
Overnight in Thimphu.
Day 4: THIMPHU – HIKING TO TANGO AND CHERI MONASTERY (B/L/D)
In the morning drive to the base of the Tango and Cheri monasteries. These monasteries are located about an hour and half away from Thimphu.
The Tango monastery was originally the residence of Phajo Drugom Shigpo (who introduced the Drukpa Kagyupa School into Bhutan) in the 13th century. The monastery was rebuilt in its present form in 1688 by Tenzin Rabgye, the 4th Temporal Ruler of Bhutan and 1st Tri rinpoche. The monastery was restored in the mid 1990s and is now the residence of the 7th Tri rinpoche, the young reincarnation of Tenzin Rabgye. It is also a Buddhist university.
Cheri monastery was built by ZhabdrungNgawangNamgyal in 1620 who established the first monk body here. Today, these monasteries host retreat centres for many monks and other Buddhist worshippers.
Overnight in Thimphu.
Day 5: THIMPHU – PUNAKHA (B/L/D)
Drive about two hours to Punakha. On the way, stop at Dochula pass to witness the famous 108 Druk Wangyel Chortens (Stupas) and visit Chimi Lhakhang. Visit Punakha Dzong in the afternoon.
Overnight in Punakha.
Day 6: PUNAKHA – GANGTEY – BUMTHANG (B/L/D)
Visit the beautiful Gangtey valley and the Gangtey monastery before lunch. Then drive to Bumthang via the Pelela pass. Visit Chendebji Chorten on the way. Built during the first half of the 18th century by a lama named Shida, in order to nail into the ground a demon who had been terrorizing the inhabitants of the Chendebji and Ada valleys, this Nepalese styled chorten has eyes painted at the four cardinal points.
Overnight in Bumthang.
Day 7: BUMTHANG – SIGHTSEEING (B/L/D)
Visit some of the holiest places such as Kurje Lhakhang, Mebar Tsho, Jambay Lhakhang and Tamshing.
Overnight in Bumthang.
Day 8: BUMTHANG – VISIT TO THARPALING (B/L/D)
Visit Tharpaling Monastery. Tharpaling meaning place of liberation, is located on a hillock overlooking the villages of Chumey and Gaytsa in Bumthang. It is about an hour’s drive along a dirt road which winds up from the village of Gaytsa.
Gyalwa Longchen Rabjampa, a 14th century Tibetan master visited Tharpaling and preached a dharma called Yodsel Dorji Nyingpo. In the course of his teaching he liberated many followers and gradually the place came to be known as Tharpaling or the place of liberation. Today, it is one of the important monastic bodies of Kagyu and Nyingma sects of Buddhism in Bhutan. Popularly known as the ‘Great cannon of Tharpaling,’ the Tharpaling cannon, is a massive phallus-carved of stone and cement. This seven foot wonder has a seemingly-strange but interesting history behind it. According to the curator of the temple, the massive phallus was erected with its tip pointed toward the valley. Legend has it that the valley facing the temple is in the shape of a female organ. As a result of this strange setting, it posed a threat to the sanctity of the temple and there were occasions when monks from the monastery gave up their monkhood which resulted in a decline in the number of monks there.
Overnight in Bumthang.
Day 9: BUMTHANG – THIMPHU (B/L/D)
Drive back to Thimphu.
Overnight in Thimphu.
Day 10: THIMPHU – PARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (B)
Early morning drive to Paro International Airport where your guide will accompany you to bid you farewell.
Joanne –
Hi! It’s Joanne Wong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I hope you are well. Thank you for all the arrangements during our stay in Bhutan.
Just to let you know, I have given your card to 3 of my friends Ms Lai, Mrs Tina Mac and Datin Sylvia Kam and they may contact you this year to enquire about visiting Bhutan.
They are very interested to visit after seeing our photos.
Hope to see you & family or staff in Kuala Lumpur soon
Katherine Mathews –
A wonderful, awesome visit to beautiful Bhutan!
A packed itinerary!!!
* Travel east was affected by road works and this was perhaps not fully taken into account.
* Guide’s historical knowledge was excellent – perhaps a little more knowledge of flora could be added.
* Some bathroom facilities were in need of maintenance
* on a tour of 10 days or more, perhaps a couple of late starts i.e. 10:30 am could be factored in.
* The guides were brilliant and our driver absolutely tops!!!
The service and our experience with Bhutan-Bhutan Travel were excellent.
Would come back to Bhutan any time!!!
Franz-Josef –
In January 2019 I booked a 10 days Spirituality and Wellness Tour.
Thank for a memorable and exciting tour. All the places, forts and monasteries I visited were very impressive and gave me a glimpse into the Bhutanese culture and way of living. Maybe you should offer the tourists a choice about the dinner options,
because for me it was a lot.
I also would thank Kezang Norbu and Tshering Penjor. They were very attentive. They illustrated and explained all places I have visited and established a connection between past and present.