8-Day Western Bhutan Tour with Tiger's Nest and Punakha

• Arrive at the Paro Airport, where your guide will be there to welcome you.

• Drive to Thimphu, which would take about an hour.

• Make a stop on the way to the confluence of the two rivers to see three different Buddhist stupas- the Tibetan styled stupa, the Nepali styled stupa and the Bhutanese styled stupa.

• Check-in at Thimphu, where you'll have your lunch after a brief rest at the hotel.

• Visit the Memorial Chorten (temple), built in 1974, in memory of the late Third King of Bhutan.

• Go to Kuenselphodrang, popularly known as the “Buddha Point”, where a statue of the Buddha measuring 54 meters tall sits above the Thimphu valley.

• Admire the Changgangkha Lhakhang (temple), which is one of the most popular temples for the people living in Thimphu.

• Make your way to The Takin Reserve to get a view of Takin, a hill goat exclusively found in Bhutan.

• Visit the School of Traditional Arts & Crafts, where you shall observe students wood carving, metal crafting, painting, sculpturing etc.

• Go for a walk through the Tashichhoe Dzong, the “Fortress of Auspicious Religion”, which serves as the Administrative and Religious Center.

Spend the evening at leisure in the town, with dinner at the hotel.

• Hike all the way up to the Tango Monastery, which is also the University for Buddhist Studies.

• Interact with monks, catch them attending their classes or performing religious ceremonies.

• Trek a little further to the Chari Monastery for another session in enlightenment.

• Lunch amidst the woods in the pristine environment.

Head down back to the town for dinner and rest at the hotel.

• Drive to Punakha, a place with subtropical vegetation, after a heartwarming breakfast.

• Stop at the mountain pass called Dochula, on your way, where the Queen Mother of Bhutan built 108 stupas and enjoy the breathtaking view of the chain of some of the tallest mountains in Bhutan.

• Have your lunch on your way, and then visit the Chimi Lhakhang (temple), also known popularly as the “fertility temple”, reputed for granting children to couples who come to seek blessings for a child.

• Be blessed with a wooden phallus with a silver handle and the bow and arrows of the famous 15th-century Buddhist saint called “Drukpa Kuenley”, to whom this temple is dedicated.

Check-in at your hotel at Punakha for an evening at leisure.

• Having had your breakfast, drive to Punakha Dzong (Fortress), which is perhaps the most important and beautiful Dzong in Bhutan, apart from being the place of coronation for the First King of Bhutan 1907. 

• Marvel at the winter residence of the 70th Chief Abbot of Bhutan, as you watch the confluence of the two rivers, the Pho Chu and the Mo Chu, which literally translates as the “male river” and the “female river”.

• Hike to temple called Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal, which lies at about 45 minutes climb from the road end-point.

• Admire the beauty, post crossing the suspension bridge, as the path to the temple passes through fields of mustard and paddy and then gradually starts climbing.

• Experience a completely different culture as this temple is renowned for housing some of the most intricate sculpturing and paintings made in Bhutan.

• Visit the nunnery, post-lunch and then proceed onward to Gangtey.

Dine and rest at a guest house in Gangtey.

• Marvel at the serenity of Gangtey, also called “Phobjikha", for being one of the most famous marshlands in Bhutan.

• Visit the Black Necked Craned Information Center to learn more about the Black Necked Cranes that come here to roost during the cold winter months.

• Visit  Gangtey Goenpa, an ancient temple on top of a hill and head out for lunch.

Drive to Wangduephodrang for dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Start for Paro, making a pitstop at Thimphu for lunch.

• Indulge in sightseeing in and around Paro valley, learning new things on the way.

Grab dinner as you head for the hotel.

• Start your day with a hearty breakfast as you driving to the base of Taktshang (Tiger’s Nest).

• Take an uphill walk, savouring the clean and pristine air for breathing while you enjoy the occasional view of the valley below.

• Have some tea and snacks at the restaurant with the stunning view of the temple suspended on a cliff as you work your way up.

• Proceed to the temple, visit the many shrines, and have your lunch at the restaurant on your way back. 

• Get back to the base where your car will be waiting for you.

• Spend the rest of the day in leisure to relax and take a walk in Paro town.

Dine and reflect upon your last day in Paro.

• Depart from Paro Airport, post-breakfast; your guide will be there to see you off on behalf of the company.