This Bhutan Cultural Tour covers 2 nights in Thimphu, 1 night in Punakha and 2 Nights in Paro; and the tour ends with an amazing hike to the famous Tiger’s Nest monastery.
Bhutan is a small kingdom nestled in the mighty mountains of the world. It is a place of dramatic landscapes; sacred Lhakhangs and Dzongs situated on high mountains. It's a place where Buddhism can be seen strongly engraved in its ancient cultures that are still alive and vibrant.
It is a place where happiness is pursued as a national goal and the Gross National Happiness is prioritized more than Gross Domestic Product.
It is a place where red rice with chilies and cheese are a major part of the meal.
Come visit Bhutan and with this 6 Days Bhutan Cultural Tour and discover the cultural essence of this kingdom.
Duration : 05 Nights/6 Days .
Destination Covered : Thimphu- Dochu La- Punakha- Paro .
The flight into Bhutan takes you close to the great Himalayas, offering dazzling scenic views of some of the world’s highest glacial peaks. On arrival in Paro Airport our representative will receive you and drive to Thimphu with sightseeing along the way.
Cruise to Thimphu the capital of Bhutan.
One of the first places to visit is the Tachog Lhakhang, a temple located across the famous iron bridge built over the meandering Pa Chhu (Paro River). The cool-sweeping breeze and bright colored prayer flags creates an invigorating ambience making the whole set up a feast to the eye.
Visit Dechen Phodrang monastery, where around 300 monks seek education. It is a great place to interact with young monks and to check out the monk way of life. For the people who are interested in history and paintings, the monastery has paintings that date back to the 12th century and it is one of the amazing places to see in Thimphu.
Later, take a short Wanditse trek after driving to Sangaygang Tower.Literally translated, Wangditse means "the Temple of Peak of Conquest."A short stroll leads through a pine and birch woodland.
You can also take pictures of the magnificent Thimphu valley while traveling.
In the evening stroll at Thimphu town, pay a visit to the Authentic Bhutanese Crafts Bazaar which is a perfect place to buy authentic Bhutanese souvenirs to take back home.
Overnight: Hotel in Thimphu
On the second day, you have the option to hike to Tango & Cheri Monastery or explore attractions in and around Thimphu city:
After a good breakfast, drive to the Northern end of Thimphu valley and hike an hour up to the Cheri monastery; a place of tranquility and overwhelming quietness. If you want to know more about this place, you can read our blog https://www.bhutaninbound.com/blog/2020/10/18/birding-hiking-chagri-monastery/. If you are still energetic we can continue our hike to Tango Monastery and capture images of red-robed monks on hilltop monastery.
In the evening we will visit Buddha Dordenma and Capture the vibrant Buddha statue in the sunset. Apart from the serenity of the place, the view of Thimphu city from this mountain is gorgeous.
However, if you are not a hiking person then we can do some other multi-day tours like visiting the National Institute of Zorig Chusum, National Folk Heritage Museum, National Handicraft Emporium, or visit Centenary Farmers Market.
In the evening, you are free to stroll in Thimphu town on your own.
Overnight: Hotel in Thimphu
Drive to Punakha, the ancient capital of Bhutan.
Dochula Pass: On the way make a stop at DochuLa at an altitude of 3,100 meters above sea level. Sip a cup of hot coffee at the cafeteria while enjoying the mesmerizing panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges which can be seen on a clear day. Click amazing pictures of the 108 stupas beautifully adorned on the pass with the snow-capped Himalayan ranges behind.
As we reach Punakha we will head toward Wolokha Nunnery. We can light some butter lamps at the monastery or take photos of the photogenic Punakha valley from there.
We will have an organic lunch at Leki Wangmo homestay in the beautiful village of Lapsakha.
We will also stop at Talo Goemba before checking into the hotel.
Overnight at a hotel in Punakha or if you like we can try a homestay.
In the morning we will take a short hike to Chimi Lhakhang and discover the tale of Phallus. We will also pay a visit to Punakha dzong.
After completing the sightseeing at Punakha take a scenic drive back to Paro. On the way back you can drop by Royal Botanical Park, Lamperi. It is a breathtaking 125 acres’ botanical garden with 46 species of rhododendron flower. The best time to visit this place will be between April and June. The annual rhododendron festival is held here.
The park also has trekking routes, walk around the Barisho Lake, tree house and camping space for visitors.
Evening free or can visit the Paro town with a street of typical Bhutanese traditional buildings.
Overnight: Hotel in Paro
Today you will be hiking to one of the famous sites called the Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang) perched 900m above the Paro valley. It is a pilgrimage site which the Bhutanese try to visit at least once in a lifetime. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche flew on the back of a tigress from eastern Bhutan to this site and meditated in a cave here for 3 months, hence its name, ‘Tiger’s Nest’.
The hike can be broken down into various stages. The first stage is the trek to the cafeteria (where lunch will be served later today) which is situated on a rocky outcrop across a ravine from the monastery. This leg of the trek takes approximately 45 minutes to 60 minutes, depending on your level of fitness. At the Cafeteria we can stop for some tea or coffee and biscuits whilst pondering the journey ahead and looking at the monastery, the distance above us.
The 2nd stage of the walk is from the cafeteria to the lookout opposite of the monastery. This leg takes close to one hour. At this point some may be content to snap photos and return to the cafeteria. The next stage is the trek/climb down the 475 steps in the cliff face to the bottom of the ravine which crosses over a stream and a waterfall before the path again ascends another 300 odd steps to the entrance of the monastery. Once here we should be able to enter into the monastery and view the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated.
Visit the ancient Kichu Temple, one of the oldest temple build in 7th century by Emperor Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in his mission to built 108 temples in a day through his miraculous power over the Himalayan ranges in order to suppress a giant ogress and to spread the Buddha Dharma.
Overnight: Hotel in Paro
Our team will drop you to the airport and bid you farewell.
5.0 / 4 Reviews
We have visited Bhutan with Bhutan Inbound Tour operator. We are very happy. Guide Dorji and driver Pema were very knowledgeable and helpful. They have shown us all important tourists spots. Mrs. Geeta and Mr. Thinley were also very helpful without any hassle. We highly recommend Bhutan Inbound Tour. We have a mind to visit Bhutan again indeed with Bhutan Inbound Tour.
Phurba has been a great guide and has been extremely good with our ever evolving itinerary.. thanks for a great trip
Thanks to Bhutan Best Inbound Tour, we had an unforgettable journey through Bhutan. We were a group of 16 ppl and this company proved to be extremely professional in running the tour for us. Our trip included Thimpu, Paro and Punakha. The experience from the very beginning was 100% satisfaction guaranteed from designing the itinerary, to the quality of stay, on road coach experience, knowledgeable guide and courteous support staff. The overall service provided in Bhutan was fantastic, warm and hospitable and an experience of genuine kindness. Thanks to Mr. Thinley the owner of Bhutan Inbound Tour and Mr. Namgay Wangchuk our guide, who made this visit a memorable one. The country is so fresh when it concerns its environment and you feel emotionally, physically and mentally all charged up experiencing Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. We surely recommend experiencing the country of Bhutan with Bhutan Best Inbound Tour.
Beautiful and well organized tour!
Me and my friend booked a trip to Bhutan through Bhutan Best Inbound Tour and we did not regret it! They had planned such a nice and very well organized tour for us. The itinerary was amazing and they even let us add different activities if we were interested such as riverrafting and a hot stone bath. Thinley and his wife was amazing and greeted us with beautiful presents. The best part about the trip was our lovely guide Tshendu and driver Chencho! They took such good care of us and and had a great knowledge about Bhutan and its people, culture and nature. Overall an amazing and beautiful trip!