9-Day Bhutan Honeymoon Tour with Tiger's Nest and Phobjikha

• Welcome to Bhutan - the Land of the Thunder Dragon. On arrival at Paro International Airport, your tour guide and driver will warmly welcome you.

• Depending on the time of day, you can have lunch or tea, coffee, and snacks in Paro town before beginning your magical experience of Bhutan with a visit to the impressive Rinpung Dzong, the Fortress of Heaped Jewels - a fine example of Bhutanese art and architecture. This Dzong is located at the heart of the town and is reached by a short walk through Nyimazam, one of the few last remaining traditional cantilever bridges in Bhutan. Dzongs serve as both monastic institutions and district administrative offices.

• Located above the Dzong is the National Museum, which houses various antiques and artefacts of Bhutan and provides a deep insight into the country's cultural and religious history.

• Drive for an hour to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. En route, you will catch a glimpse of the 15th-century Tachogang Lhakhang, built by the great master architect, iron bridge builder, and yogi Thangthong Gyalpo. You will drive south along the Paro River to the confluence at Chuzom, where it meets the Thimphu River. From there, the drive passes scattered settlements along the highway, paddy fields, and fresh fruit stalls. Do not hesitate to stop and buy some local fresh organic fruits.

• Check into your hotel, rest and relax, or stroll through the town and market places.

Overnight stay at Thimphu.

• Thimphu, with a population of about 130,000 people, is one of the last few capital cities without traffic lights, and traffic is still managed by traffic policemen. While the city strictly maintains the aesthetic beauty and traditional style of architecture in its modern buildings, it is also home to very old temples, numerous monasteries, and a few discotheques, karaoke joints, and pubs that you can visit in the evening. Soak in the panoramic view of Thimphu Valley from the site of the gigantic Lord Buddha, a 51-meter bronze Shakyamuni Buddha statue gilded in gold. You can also hike for an hour around the Buddha and enjoy views of the valley from various points.

• See the beautiful Memorial Chorten - a regular sight for the congregation of devout Buddhists circumambulating the Chorten from dawn till dusk. The main statue of the Buddha inside the Chorten is said to grant wishes to the earnest and honest-hearted.

• If you want to mingle with the Bhutanese people and jostle with local farmers among the aroma of organic fruits and vegetables, the Centenary Farmers Market is the place to be. Smiling tourists watch in awe as locals bargain with the vendors, and you could even stock up on organic fruits for the coming days.

• Visit the Simply Bhutan Museum, a living studio showcasing the age-old culture and traditional heritage of Bhutan. Walk for a few minutes from the museum to Changangkha Lhakhang, the oldest temple in Thimphu.

• In the evening, visit Tashichho Dzong, the Fortress of the Auspicious Religion and office of the Golden Throne of the Dragon King of Bhutan. Afterwards, stroll through market places and craft bazaar areas.

Overnight stay at Thimphu.

• After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive for about three hours to Wangdue and Punakha valleys, then continue for another two hours to reach Gangtey and Phobjikha valleys.

• En route, stop at Dochulaa Pass (3,150 meters) and, on a clear day, enjoy the spectacular views of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains. The 108 small stupas built over a small hill are also a beautiful sight.

• A visit to the Fertility Temple, Chimi Lhakhang, is a must for newlyweds to receive blessings from the Divine Madman. It is a pleasant 30-minute walk through mustard and paddy fields. Standing on a picturesque hilltop, the Lhakhang is famous for granting fertility wishes to couples. Inside the walls of the Lhakhang are beautiful frescoes depicting the colorful life of Lama Drukpa Kuenley.

• After lunch, continue the drive for two hours until you reach the beautiful glacial valleys of Gangtey and Phobjikha. Located at an altitude above 3,000 meters, these valleys are the winter roosting grounds for the sacred and endangered Black Necked Cranes. The Black Necked Cranes mate for life and are exemplary symbols of loyalty and fidelity. The cranes live in these valleys from November till March and fly to Tibet for the summer.

• Check into your hotel, rest and relax. In the evening, walk around the village and enjoy dinner with a local family at a homestay.

Overnight stay at Gangtey.

• Start your day with a visit to Gangtey Goemba Monastery. From the Goemba, you can enjoy a leisurely two-hour downhill hike and watch the cranes as they play around or, if you are lucky, watch them dance. At the annual Black Necked Crane Festival on 11th November and during the Gangtey Tshechu Festival on 23-24 September 2018, you can see the cranes dance with choreographed moves and steps.

• After lunch, you can hike for a short while to Kewa Lhakhang and interact with young novice monks, watching them as they go about their daily life. You can even sit with the monks during their evening prayers and rituals.

• You can either have dinner at the hotel or try another farmstay for dinner with a local family.

Overnight at your hotel in Gangtey.

• After breakfast, drive back to Punakha for two hours and enjoy the warm, balmy weather of Punakha and Wangdue. However, you will be driving through Wangdue and spending more time in Punakha Valley.

• Visit the impressive Punakha Dzong, the Fortress of Great Bliss, built in 1673 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the first spiritual and political leader of Bhutan, to commemorate the final victory against numerous Tibetan invasions. Located on a piece of land between two rivers, Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, literally meaning male and female rivers, the Dzong is massive, huge, and magnificent in all its architectural grandeur. Although ravaged by flood, fire, and earthquakes many times, the Dzong was always rebuilt in its original pattern and design. The first King of modern Bhutan was crowned in Punakha Dzong. Important religious ceremonies are still held in the Dzong, and the Royal Wedding ceremony on 13th October 2011 of the Fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to Jetsun Pema was conducted here.

• From the Dzong, enjoy a short walk along a beautiful pathway lined with giant flowering trees and flowers, leading to the longest iron suspension bridge. You can then drive a few minutes farther north and hike for an hour to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. You will walk through pine trees and paddy fields. From the Chorten, enjoy sweeping views of the valley with paddy fields, scattered villages, and the meandering Mo Chhu.

• Drive back and overnight at your hotel in Punakha.

• After breakfast, visit the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery, where you can interact with the nuns, most of whom speak English, and watch them as they go about their daily life and routine. You can also enjoy the view of both Wangdue and Punakha valleys from here.

• Drive back to Paro, which takes about 3.5 hours, with en route stops at Dochula Pass. If you are up for it, you can also visit Semtokha Dzong, the Fortress atop a demon on the outskirts of Thimphu Valley. Semtokha Dzong was built in 1629 and is the first Dzong to be built in Bhutan. As the name suggests, it was built on top of a demoness that was creating havoc for the people of Thimphu Valley at that time.

• Back in Paro, check into your hotel, rest for a bit, and in the evening stroll through the small town and market areas. There are also a few pubs, karaoke joints, and discotheques.

Overnight at your hotel in Paro.

• Drive on to Haa Valley, which is about a two-and-a-half-hour journey over Chelela Pass at 3,988 meters (12,402 ft). From the top, the pass offers spectacular views of both Haa and Paro valleys on either side. Your guide will also point out the majestic Himalayan mountains of Bhutan seen from here. The national flower of Bhutan, the Blue Poppy, along with other exotic highland flowers and orchids, grows in the wild and is a beautiful sight in spring.

• If you wish, you can also visit Kila Gomba Nunnery below the pass. Located on a cliffside, it consists of several small temples and retreat huts. The nuns here live in self-imposed isolation, either in meditation or chanting and reading the holy scriptures.

• From the pass, continue driving until you reach the picturesque and remote Haa Valley. An excursion to Haa Valley is truly an off-the-beaten-path experience and has only recently been introduced into tourism in Bhutan. Even though Haa is an exclusive destination, it still remains on the fringes of mainstream tourism and is not much visited by tourists. Stroll through the valley, visit the few shops, and interact with the locals. To maintain the pristine environment and preserve their culture, the people of Haa Valley specifically requested the government not to allow any tourist hotels or big buildings to be built.

• Visit the White and Black Temples and, while there are no major attractions or touristy places, the valley is very beautiful and peaceful, and the drive around is enough to soak in the peace and tranquility of Haa.

• In the evening, drive back to Paro via Chelela Pass. Rest well for your hike to Tiger's Nest the next day.

Overnight at your hotel in Paro.

• Have a sumptuous breakfast before your hike to Taktsang Monastery, Tiger's Nest, which takes about three hours uphill and two hours down. Located around 900 meters above Paro Valley on a precarious, almost vertical mountain cliff, Taktsang Goemba is truly a wonderful and spectacular sight in terms of location, setting, and history. In the 8th century, this was one of the major sites where Guru Padmasambhava - the patron saint of Buddhism in Bhutan - meditated with his consort Khandro Yeshey Tshogyal. It is believed that Guru flew on a female tigress in pursuit of a demon, which he subdued at the current site of the monastery. It is one of the holiest sites in the Buddhist world and the most important cultural icon in Bhutan. While ponies are available only until halfway, we suggest that you hike and enjoy climbing up the mountain. You can have lunch, tea, or snacks at the cafeteria midway.

• Back at your hotel, you can enjoy a relaxing massage with a professional and trained spa therapist, along with a traditional hot stone bath that is believed to be very curative and to have numerous healing and medicinal properties.

• Enjoy a romantic dinner by yourselves or with your tour guide and driver.

Overnight at your hotel in Paro.

• After breakfast, we will drive you to Paro International Airport. Your guide and driver will bid you farewell, and we hope you had a pleasant holiday in Bhutan.