Best of Bhutan Tour

On your arrival at the Paro International Airport, our guide and the driver will be there to receive you and then you will be taken on your first adventure in this beautiful Kingdom. After lunch, transfer to the capital city Thimphu.

The National Museum of Bhutan housed in the 17th-century watchtower called Ta Dzong. The collection at the National Museum preserves a snap-shot of the rich cultural traditions of the country.

17th-century Paro Rinpung Dzong which means "Fortress of the Heap of Jewels" was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in 1646 and established as the administrative and monastic centre of the western region. Today, the Dzong serves as the office of the governor of Paro district and head of the district monk body in Paro.

After visiting the Dzong, take a short walk to the traditional wooden cantilever bridge called Nemeyzampa, where your driver will be waiting for you. The roofed wooden cantilever bridge is built in a traditional style and this type of bridges are called Bazam. After lunch at one of the restaurants in the town, you will be transferred to the capital city Thimphu. The road distance is 55km and takes approximately 1.5-hours.

On arrival in Thimphu, visit the magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. The statue which was completed in 2015 was built to commemorate 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth Great King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk.

Leisure time in Thimphu town.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, drive about 14km north of Thimphu city and hike to the 12th-century religious site called Tango Monastery. Following the trail through the forests, the walk uphill takes about 1.5 hours at a slow pace. Tango Monastery was founded in 1222 by the Tibetan saint Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, who first established the Drukpa Kagyu School of Buddhism in Bhutan and subsequently became the state religion. The present form of monastery was built later in 1689 by the Tenzin Rabgye, the 4th Temporal ruler of Bhutan. After the hike, drive back to the town where traditional lunch will be served at one of the traditional restaurants.

After a traditional lunch at the Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant, visit the National Institute of Traditional Arts & Crafts (Zorig Chusum). If the class is in session when you arrive, you will be allowed to enter the classroom and observe students as they get hands-on training.

Visit the National Library & Archives of Bhutan considered as national treasure of Bhutan and fundamental source of Bhutanese history, religion, medicine, arts and culture.

Then drive to visit Changangkha Lhakhang located on a hilltop above the main Thimphu town. It 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.

If time permits, drive to Changlimithang Archery Range to witness the game of archery is the match is in progress. You will see archers singing and dancing each time the target is hit from a whopping distance of 145m. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan.

Leisure time to explore the streets of Thimphu

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Punakha valley via the sacred Dochula pass.

After about 45min drive from Thimphu, stop briefly at Dochula, a sacred mountain pass at 3150m above sea level. On a clear day, you'll see some of the highest peaks of Bhutan.

From Dochu La Pass, we will continue driving towards Punakha, passing through some villages, the elevation drops gradually and the road winds through the pine trees. As you reach the lower subtropical valley, you will feel the drastic change in altitude from 3,150m just an hour and a half ago to subtropical valley at 1,200m. Arriving Punakha valley, you will be transferred to the hotel.

About 11km before reaching the proper Punakha town, visit the famous Chimi Lhakhang, 15th-century temple located on a hilltop. You'll walk 20-30 minutes through the terraced rice fields and traditional houses to reach the Lhakhang. This temple is popularly known as "Temple of Fertility" and is associated with the 15th-century Buddhist mastery Lama Drukpa Kunley who is affectionately known as the "Devine Madman".

Home-cooked local cuisine can be arranged for lunch at one of the homestays in the nearby village. After lunch, explore the village and drive to Punakha town.

Visit the historic Punakha Dzong built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel , the founding father of nation state of Bhutan. You'll spend sometime appreciating the ornate woodworks and sacred wall paintings. Punakha Dzong which means "Palace of Great Bliss" is undoubtedly the masterpiece of Bhutanese architecture.

From there walk to the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan which runs over the Phochu (male river), one of the two glacial-fed rivers which forms confluence near the Punakha Dzong.

Driving distance 74km, Time 2.5-hours, Punakha Altitude 1200m

After early breakfast at the hotel, drive to the nearest road head and hike to the picturesque Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten and later in the afternoon, transfer back to Paro valley.

The round trip hike to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten takes about 2.5-3 hours for most visitors. The trail leads through terraced rice fields and a short gently uphill through the pine forests before reaching the Chorten. The view below is stunning with glacial-fed Mochu river snaking through the fertile valley of Punakha. After the hike, return to the road head and drive to town for lunch.

After lunch, transfer back to Paro. Driving distance 110km, Time 3.5-hours.

On reaching Paro, visit the auspicious 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang which was built in 659 A.D by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in his mission to build 108 such temples across the Himalayan region to subdue the spirit of a demoness that was causing obstruction to the propagation of Buddhism in the region.

After early breakfast at the hotel, you will hike to the famous Paro Taktsang popularly known as Tiger's Nest. Taktsang monastery is located on the face of a sheer 800-meter rock cliff in Paro. It normally takes about 2 hours to reach the monastery from the road head. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Bhutan.Taktsang which literally translates to ‘Tiger’s Nest’, is regarded as one of the most important monasteries in Bhutan. The roundtrip hike usually takes about 4-5-hours.

After lunch at the Taktsang Cafeteria, descend back to the base and drive to Paro town where you will spend some leisurely afternoon. Later, visit one of the beautiful farmhouses for an authentic home-cooked local cuisine. You can participate in preparing some of the popular local dishes. If interested in a relaxing home span, you can soak in a traditional hot stone bath with believed to have therapeutic, revitalizing benefits for an additional fee of about $15 per person, as charged by the owner.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Paro International Airport for your onward journey depending on your departure time. Our guide and drive will bid you farewell.