14-Day Bhutan Highlights Tour with Tiger's Nest and Phobjikha Valley

• On arrival at Paro airport, be received by our representative and transfer to the hotel. The flight to Paro on a clear day is one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights. One can see Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and other peaks in Bhutan, such as Chomolhari, Jichu Drake and Tsering Ghang.

• In the evening, take a stroll around Paro market and town.

Overnight at the hotel in Paro.

• After breakfast, proceed to Taktsang Palphug Monastery, more famous as Paro Taktsang or Tiger's Nest - a Buddhist temple complex that clings to a cliff 3120 meters above the sea level on the side of the upper Paro valley with the views of surrounding majestic mountains and emerald green valleys.

• After lunch, drive up the valley to Drukgyel Dzong, built in 1647 by the Shabdrung, to commemorate the Bhutanese victory over the Tibetans in the war of 1644.

• After breakfast, visit Ta Dzong (National Museum) and then walk down the trail to visit Rinpung Dzong, which has a long and fascinating history.

• Post lunch, move to Thimphu, past the idyllic countryside.

Overnight at the hotel in Thimphu.

• Today's full day of sightseeing in Thimphu valley includes a visit to Memorial Chorten - the beautiful stupa built in the memory of Bhutan’s third King. The paintings and statues inside the monument provide a deep insight into Buddhist philosophy.

• Then, proceed to Buddha Dordenma - a gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue under construction in the mountains of Bhutan. The statue will house over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which will look like the Buddha Dordenma itself. 

• Visit Arts & Crafts School or Painting School, famous for traditional Thangkha paintings.

• Then, see Textile and Folk Heritage Museum - the fascinating testimony of the Bhutanese material culture and living traditions.

• Explore Trashichhodzong - the beautiful fortress/monastery which houses the Secretariat building, King’s Throne room and other government offices. It is also the summer residence of Chief Abbot. Also, change to witness the national flag ceremony.

Overnight at the hotel in Thimphu.

• In the morning, go to Thimphu to visit the local market and town. Then proceed to Punakha across Dochula pass (3,080m).

• In Bhutan, the passes are marked by a large Bhutanese Chorten and prayer flag. Dochula pass offers the most spectacular view over the high peaks of the eastern Himalayas on a clear day.

• Arrive Punakha and check into the hotel. Until 1955, Punakha served as the capital town of Bhutan, and still, it is the winter seat of Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot.

• Visit Punakha Dzong, built by Shabdrung Ngawang, Namgyal in the 17th century and situated at the junction of Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers.

Overnight at the hotel in Punakha.

• After breakfast, drive to Wangdue Phodrang and visit the Dzong, which is perched on a spur at the confluence of two rivers. Wangdue district is also famous for its bamboo work, slate & stone carving.

• Then, drive to Phobjikha valley through a forest of oak and rhododendron. Phobjikha is one of the few glacial valleys in Bhutan and chosen the home of black-necked cranes, which migrate from the central Asiatic Plateau to escape its harsh winters.

• Explore Phojikha valley and also visit Gangtey Monastery, the only Nyingmapa monastery in western Bhutan.

Overnight at Guest House/Camp.

• In the morning, explore Phobjikha valley for Black-necked Cranes and later drive to Tongsa across Pelela pass (3,300m). This pass is traditionally considered the boundary between western and central Bhutan.

• Further ahead, stop at Chendbji Chorten, built in the 18th century in Nepalese style. The landscape around Tongsa is spectacular, and for miles on end, the dzong seems to tease you so that you wonder if you will ever reach it.

• On arrival, check into the lodge.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge in Tongsa.

• Morning visit to Trongsa Dzong, situated at the alt. of 2,200m and built in 1647 by the Shabdrung; it is the most impressive dzong in Bhutan.

• Then, visit the Ta Dzong, standing on the side of the mountain and built to guard Trongsa.

• After lunch, proceed to Bumthang, one of the most spectacular valleys in Bhutan and also the heartland of Buddhism. 29 km ahead of Trongsa cross Yutongla pass (3,400m) and from here again the landscape looks different and dense forests of conifers stretches.

Overnight at the lodge in Bumthang.

• Bumthang is the general name given to a complex of four valleys – Chumey, Choekhor, Tang and Ura with alt, varying from 2,600m to 4,000m.
• Visit Kurje Lhakhang, one of the most sacred places in Bhutan, as Guru Rinpoche meditated here. From Kurje monastery, a tarmac road heads south along the right bank of the river to the Jambey Lhakhang. Like Kyichu Lhakhang in the Paro valley, this temple is said to be the first that King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet constructed in the 7th century.
• In the afternoon, visit Tamshing Lhakhang, founded in 1501 by Pema Lingpa. It contains interesting and ancient Buddhist paintings. Later see the Jakar Dzong, “the dzong of the white bird”.
• In the evening, take a stroll through the Bumthang market area. 

Dinner and overnight at the lodge in Bumthang.

• The journey continues eastwards, winding through rugged terrain. The drive, with spectacular views, will take about 7 hours. Pass through Ura village in Bumthang before climbing sharply to the highest motorable pass in the Kingdom, the Thrumshingla pass – 4000m. Gradually drop down to Sengor, watching cascading waterfalls on the way. The descent stops at 700m on a bridge over the Kurichu. Ascent again through pine forests, maize fields and eastern hamlets to Mongar town.

• Visit Mongar Dzong; built albeit quite recently, the dzong still maintains the architectural traditions of old dzongs.

Overnight at the lodge in Mongar.

• This trip of about 96 km takes 3 hours, passing through Kori la pass (2,450m), the place marked by a pretty chorten and a stone wall. The first part of the journey is through a leafy forest filled with ferns. Later, the road descends rapidly through cornfields and banana groves, arriving at the famous zigzags of Yadi, which is a recent settlement.

• After that, it follows the Gamri River until the bifurcation to Dametsi, this temple, perched on top of a steep hill, was founded by Choeden Zangmo and is the most important monastery of eastern Bhutan. This is the place from where the famous Naga Chham masks dance with drums originated.

• Visit Trashigang Dzong, standing at the extreme end of the spur, overhanging the Gamri River. It serves as the administrative seat for the district and part of the Dzonis occupied by the Drukpa monastic community.

Overnight at the lodge in Trashigang.

• Visit the temple of Gom Kora, set on a small alluvial plateau overlooking the river. Gom Kora is a famous place where Guru Rinpoche subdued a demon.

• Further ahead reach Doksum village, where you can see women busy weaving traditional Bhutanese fabric and a chain bridge dating back to the 15th century.

• Visit Trashiyangtse Dzong, situated at the alt. of 1,850 m. In former times Trashiyangtse was an important centre because it lays on one of the caravan routes leading from western and central Bhutan. The dzong is new and nearby are the Art school and the famous Chorten Kora.

• In the evening, return to Trashigang.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge in Trashigang.

• Drive on Trashigang – Samdrup Jongkhar road completed in 1965, and the journey takes about 6 hours. Along the way, pass by Sherubtse College - the only college in the country, founded in 1978.

• Also, visit the Zangtho Pelri temple built in 1978 by the late Minister of Home Affairs. It represents Guru Rinpoche’s paradise.

• Driving ahead, reach Khaling to visit the Blind School and Weaving Centre. Deothang, 80 km from Khaling, is the center of the Technical training college and road maintenance headquarters for the east. From here, the road descends fairly rapidly to the plain through a dense tropical forest with an abundance of teak, bamboo and ferns.

Overnight at the lodge in Samdrup Jongkhar.

• After breakfast, transfer to the Bhutan border, where you will be picked up by an Indian agent for the onward program.