6-Day Bhutan Cultural Tour of Paro, Thimphu and Punakha with Haa

• Arrive in Paro (2250m) by Bhutan's national carrier plane.

• After clearing customs and visa formalities, meet your Paro tour guide or representative and transfer to Paro for lunch.

• Afterwards, visit Paro Rinpung Dzong, built in 1646 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, Bhutan's first spiritual and temporal ruler. The southern approach to the Dzong has a traditional roofed cantilever bridge called Nemi Zam.

• Drive to Thimphu, about an hour away.

Overnight at hotel (Lunch/Dinner included)

• After breakfast, visit the National Memorial Chorten, with its golden spires and tinkling bells, built in honour of the third King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Continue to the Institute of Traditional Medicine, where old healing arts such as acupuncture and herbal remedies are still practised.

• Explore the Folk Heritage Museum, dedicated to Bhutan's rural past with its exhibition of items and artefacts used in rural households, and the Textile Museum, where the art of traditional weaving is kept alive through its exhibitions.

• Afterwards, drive to Punakha (1310m) from Thimphu for about 1 and a half hours. First, the road climbs steeply through the pine and cedar forests near Dochula Pass (3,050m), where panoramic Himalayan views can often be seen. After stopping for tea, the road descends along a series of hairpin bends to the fertile valley of Punakha.

Overnight at Hotel (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

• Visit Punakha Dzong after breakfast, crossing the bridge. It is the ancient capital of Bhutan and stands at the meeting point of the Mo Chu and Pho Chu Rivers.

• Afterwards, drive to Lobeysa for lunch.

• Hike another 20 minutes to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the 'Divine Madman', built in 1499 and also known as the temple of fertility.

• Afterwards, drive to Thimphu.

Overnight at Hotel (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

• Cross Chelela Pass (3899m) after breakfast. From the pass, see the Himalayan ranges and the valley beyond.

• Continue the drive towards Haa (2740m).

• In Haa Valley, visit Wangchucklo Dzong, Lhakhang Nakpo (Black Temple), and Lhakhang Karpo (White Temple).

• Drive to Paro.

Overnight at Hotel (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

• After breakfast, drive towards the base camp of Taktsang for the hike up to Taktsang Monastery - Tiger's Nest (3120m). It is about a two-hour hike up to the cafeteria. From this point, enjoy the spectacular view of the monastery, where Guru Padmasambhava landed on the back of a tigress in the 8th century.

• Visit Taktsang Monastery and hike back to the road point, then drive to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest and most sacred shrines.

• Drive back to the hotel.

Overnight at hotel (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included)

• After breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch your onward flight.

(Breakfast only included)