Bhutan Cultural Tour Incl. 2-Day Return Trek To a Sacred Mountain meadow (Bumdrak)

On your arrival in Paro International Airport, our guide and driver will receive you and then you will be on your first adventure in the Kingdom of Happiness.

Begin with a visit to the National Museum of Bhutan housed in the 17th-century watchtower called Ta Dzong. The museum provides a snapshot of the rich history and cultural heritage fo Bhutan.

If interested visit 17th-century Paro Rinpung Dzong which now serves as the office of the Paro district governor and residence of the district clergy head. A part of the Hollywood movie "Little Buddha" was filmed in this Dzong.

After lunch transfer to Thimphu and visit the National Memorial Chorten. You will see people from all walks of life circumambulating the stupa built in memory of the 3rd King of Bhutan.

Visit weaving center to get insights into Bhutan's rich textile traditions and way of life. Weaving is the integral component of culture and tradition of Bhutan.

Leisure time in Thimphu town.

Driving time from Paro to Thimphu: 1.5-hours

Today after breakfast at the hotel, you will hike to one of the important religious centers in Bhutan, Tango Monastery and spend the rest of the day sightseeing in Thimphu.

Drive about 14km towards the north of Thimphu city and hike to the 12th-century religious site called Tango Monastery. The roundtrip hike takes 2-3-hours for most visitors through forested footpath and the uphill ascent is not so steep. You will have the opportunity to interact with monks who study Buddhist philosophy.

Descend back to the roadhead and drive to Thimphu where local lunch will be served in one of the traditional restaurants.

After lunch visit the National Institute of Zorig Chusum where 13 arts & crafts of Bhutan are taught. If the class is in session you will have an opportunity to see students getting hands-on training on this unique arts & crafts. Opens during weekdays.

Located nearby is the National Library & Archives of Bhutan which has an extensive collection of manuscripts, xylographs and wooden printing blocks that were used for printing religious text books and scriptures. It is the fundamental source of Bhutanese history, religion, medicine, arts, and culture. Opens during weekdays.

Visit Centenary Farmers' Market to learn food preference and culture in Bhutanese society. Farmers come from all over the country to sell their farm produce. Opens from Friday to Sunday.

Pass by the Changlimithang National Stadium & Archery Range to watch archery if the match is going on. 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 in Thimphu town.

Round trip driving time from Thimphu to Tango base: 1.5-hours

After breakfast, visit the tallest sitting statue of Buddha overlooking Thimphu, transfer to Punakha via the sacred Dochula Pass and then on arrival in Punakha valley, you will visit some important landmarks in the valley.

Before starting the journey to Punakha valley, visit the magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley.

About 45 min drive from Thimphu towards Punakha is a mountain pass at an altitude of 3,150 meters above sea level from where you can see, on a clear day, some of the highest peaks of Bhutan.

Just about 11km before reaching the proper Punakha town, you will visit a famous temple popularly known as "Temple of Fertility". Chime Lhakhang is located on a gentle hilltop near the village of Sopsokha. To reach the temple, you have to walk 20 – 30 minutes through beautiful terraced paddy fields and traditional farmhouses.

After lunch, drive to visit the masterpiece architecture of Bhutan, 17th century Punakha Dzong. The sacred wall paintings and main artifacts inside the dzong, the intricate woodworks and the architectural structure of the dzong displays a fine example of Bhutanese arts and craftsmanship which continues to influence Bhutanese architecture even today.

After visiting Punakha Dzong, walk to the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan that runs over the Phochu river. Punakha Dzong is flanked by the two glacial-fed rivers - Phochu (male river) and Mochu (female river).

If time permits, drive to visit Sangchen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery located on a hilltop overlooking Punakha valley. You will opportunity to pray and interact with the nuns studying Buddhist philosophy.

Driving time from Thimphu to Punakha: 2.5-hours

On the fourth day, hike to the picturesque Khamsum Yulley Namgyel Chorten and then transfer to Phobjikha valley where you will do 2.5-hour Gangtey Nature Hike in the pristine valley of Phobjikha.

Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the picturesque Punakha valley, this wonderful Buddhist structure is a fine example of Bhutanese architecture used in building temples, monasteries and Zangdogpelri (copper coloured mountains). The roundtrip hike takes about 3-hours through the beautiful terraced rice fields and traditional houses.

After lunch, transfer to Phobjikha valley and do the exciting Gangtey Nature hike through woods surrounded by splendid nature all around, wonderful meadows, beautiful traditional village houses, farmlands and crystalline streams. It takes about 2.5-hours to complete the hiking.

On the 5th day, visit the famous Gangtey Monastery where you can spend some time interacting with the monks, then transfer back to Paro and visit an auspicious 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang.

The famous landmark in Phobjikha valley – a 17th century Gangtey Monastery popularly known as Gangtey Goenpa (goenpa 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. Then transfer back to Paro valley.

On reaching Paro, visit Kyichu Lhakhang located just a few minutes drive from the main town of Paro. Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan. It is believed to have been built in 659 A.D. by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in his effort to build 108 such temples across the Himalayan region to subdue the spirit of a demoness who was causing obstruction to the spread of Buddhism. Bhutan is blessed with two of these temples, one being Jampa Lhakhang in Bumthang, central Bhutan. Both Kichu Lhakhang and Jampa Lhakhang are believed to have been built on the same day.

Driving time from Phobjikha to Paro: 5.5-hours

Today is the main highlight of this 8-day trip. You will hike to the sacred mountain meadow called Bumdrak at an altitude of 3860 meters above the sea level through the pristine forests following the ancient route and ridges.

Following an early breakfast at the hotel, drive for about 30 minutes to the starting point of trekking, Paro Sangchoekhor Buddhist College which is located at an elevation of 2,950m/9,680ft above sea level. f you are interested, visit the monastery and get blessings. Start the trek and steadily climb uphill through the ridge covered by the forest of fir and pine trees. About 2 hours 30 minutes into gradual climbing, you will come to a cleared spot on which colourful prayer flags are hoisted and you can see beautiful Paro valley below.

Lunch will be served on this spot overlooking the Paro valley with stunning views. There is also a temple called Choechongtse on this lunch spot which you can visit and pray after lunch.

Continue to trek for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to reach your campsite, Bumdrak at 3,860m/12,665ft above sea level. Your camp will be just below the sacred Bumdrak temple, on a peaceful and heavenlike mountain meadow.

For those still energetic, can venture further up for about 45 minutes to the summit and enjoy unobstructed panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below.

Bumdrak temple is perched on a cliff so close to the campsite. There is a sacred cave inside the temple which was blessed by 100,000 dakinis in the 8th century AD during the life of Guru Padmasambhava. You can visit the temple and spend some time praying and meditating.

Total hiking time: 5-6 hours

After breakfast at the campsite, spend some time appreciating the pristine environment in the mountains and then we begin descending back to Paro valley via the famous Taktsang Monastery.

For early risers, you may want to observe and take pictures of a beautiful sunrise on a clear day. You may also see an endangered species of birds called Himalayan Monal Pheasant wandering freely near the camping tents.

After breakfast, you can hang around for a while appreciating the pristine environment or taking pictures before we begin our return journey viaTaktsang monastery. The downhill descent is steep but we will walk at our own pace and explore the flora along the ancient trails used by monks and pilgrims.

After descending for less than 2 hours, a view of Yoeselgang Monastery, one of the three monasteries situated above Taktsang monastery, opens up. We’ll walk past Yoeselgang, reach 15th-century Ugyen Tsemo monastery and hiking further down will bring us to the third temple, Zangdogpelri (zangdogpelri means “copper coloured mountain”) which is referred to as Guru Padmasambhava’s abode. From this temple, you can look down and see impressive Taktsang monastery perched precariously on a rocky cliff. We will continue our descend and visit sacred Taktsang monastery, the most recognized site in Bhutan.

Taktsang Monastery
Taktsang, or the Tiger’s Lair (people prefer to call Tiger’s Nest), is regarded as one of the most important monasteries in Bhutan. Its history is associated with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava (known as Guru Rinpoche), the Indian saint who came to Bhutan and introduced Tantric Buddhism in the 8th century A.D. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava flew to Taktsang from Kurtoe Khenpajong in eastern Bhutan, riding on a tigress.

After lunch at Taktsang Cafeteria, descend further down to the base where your driver will be waiting for you. Drive to the hotel or spend leisure time in Paro town.

Visit a Farm House and relax in the hot stone bath. Towards the late afternoon, you will visit one of the beautiful farmhouses in Paro and experience the traditional Bhutanese way of life. If you are interested, you can indulge in a therapeutic traditional hot stone bath for an additional fee of about $15 per person. Specially selected stones are heated in a wood-fired fireplace. The bathtub is made of wood and a medicinal shrub is added to the hot bath. You can enjoy locally brewed warm liquor known as Ara while soaking in the relaxing bath.

Total hiking time from Bumdrak to Paro: 5-5.5-hours leisurely

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Paro International Airport for your onward journey. Your guide and the driver will bid you farewell.