Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Paro International Airport / Transfer to capital city Thimphu (2334m)
Stop At: National Museum, Tag-Dzong Rinpung Dzong, Paro 12001 Bhutan
Our guide and the driver will receive you at the Paro International Airport and escort you on your first adventure in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
The National Museum of Bhutan is located in Paro just above the Rinpung Dzong (administrative headquarter of the Paro district). It is housed in an ancient watchtower called Paro Ta Dzong (Ta Dzong means “watchtower fortress”) built in 1649. It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artifacts and artworks including traditional costumes, armour, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum preserves a snapshot of the rich cultural traditions of the country.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Rinpung Dzong, Paro Bhutan
Paro Rinpung Dzong (Rinpung Dzong means “fortress of the heap of jewels”) was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in 1646 and established as the administrative and monastic centre of the western region. Today, the Dzong serves as the office of the governor of Paro district and head of the district monk body in Paro. A great annual festival known as Paro Tsechu is held in Rinpung Dzong from the eleventh to the fifteenth day of the second month of the traditional Bhutanese lunar calendar (usually in March or April of the Gregorian calendar).
After visiting the Dzong, take a short walk to the traditional wooden cantilever bridge called Nemeyzampa, where your driver will be waiting for you. The roofed wooden cantilever bridge is built in a traditional style and this type of bridge is called Bazam. From here, transfer to the capital city, Thimphu. Lunch can be arranged either in Paro or Thimphu depending on your flight arrival time.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Buddha Dordenma, Kuensel Phodrang Viewing Point, Thimphu 11001 Bhutan
The magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop, Kuensel Phodrang, overlooking the Thimphu valley. From here you can see a nice view of Thimphu city. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also usher peace in the world. The giant Buddha statue houses more than 100,000 8-inch-tall Buddha statues of the same type. The construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2015 after almost 10 years. The total cost of the entire project is well over US$100 million.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Gagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre, Industrial Estate Changzantok, Thimphu 00975 Bhutan
A visit to this Weaving Center will give you insights into the weaving culture and tradition of the Kingdom of Bhutan. You will see men and women at work weaving some of the most intricate designs and sophisticated patterns of traditional Bhutanese textiles.
Duration: 45 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Dinner and overnight at Kuenphen Rabten Resort or Hotel Amodhara
Day 2: Sightseeingin Thimphu / Transfer back to Paro valley (2200m)
Stop At: National Memorial Chhorten རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་རྗེས་དྲན་མཆོད་རྟེན།, FJ8Q+J47, Chhoten Lam, Thimphu, Bhutan
This is one of the important landmarks in Thimphu and the most frequented religious site. You will see people from all walks of life circumambulating and offering prayers.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Changangkha Lhakhang, Thimphu Bhutan
Located on a hilltop above the main town overlooking the valley below, Changangkha Lhakhang was built in 13th-century by the Tibetan Scholar Lama Drugom Zhigpo who played an important role in early spread of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism to Bhutan. His son, Nyima, extended and built many of the statues inside the temple which are invaluable national treasures of Bhutan. Apart from the magnificent statues and other holy scriptures, the temple also has Bum Gye Dring Due Sum (sixteen volumes of Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita) which is the original copy handwritten by Nyima himself.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Bhutan Postal Museum, Thimphu Bhutan
visit the Bhutan Postal Museum especially if you are interested in philatelic products and stamp collection. You may also want to print stamps with your own photos. Postal service in Bhutan was launched only in 1962 until which time communications and delivery of mails were done by messengers on foot (building of roads started from 1961). The museum was established in 2015. A bank is also located in the same complex so you can exchange your money into local currency Ngultrum (Nu.) if you want to.
Duration: 1 minute
Stop At: National Institute for Zorig Chusum, Thimphu Bhutan
The National Institute for Zorig Chuzum was established to promote and preserve the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan and to facilitate increased access in learning Zorig skills by Bhutanese youths. The thirteen arts and crafts are categorized as Shing Zo (woodwork), Dho Zo (stonework), Par Zo (carving), Lha Zo (painting), Jim Zo (sculpting), Lug Zo (casting), Shag Zo (woodturning), Gar Zo (blacksmith), Troe Zo (ornament making), Tsa Zo (bamboo work), De Zo (paper making), Tsem Zo (tailoring, embroidery and applique) and Thag Zo (weaving).
A traditional lunch will be served at the Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant or at a similar one.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Changlimithang Stadium & Archery Ground, Chang Lam, Thimphu Bhutan
After lunch, pass by Changlimithang Archery Range to witness the game of archery if the match is in progress. You'll see archers dancing and singing each time they hit the target from a whopping distance of 145m. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. From there we drive back to Paro for overnight.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Kyichu Lhakhang, Lamgong Gewog, Paro 12001 Bhutan
Located just a few minutes drive from the main Paro town, Kyichu Lhakhang is one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan. It is believed to have been built in 659 A.D. by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo to subdue spirit of a giant demoness causing harm to the propagation of Buddhism in the Himalayan region. In order to subdue this demoness, King Songtsen Gampo was required to built 108 temples across the affected region. Bhutan is blessed with four of these 108 temples; two in Haa valley (Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo) and fourth one is Jampa Lhakhang located in the district of Bumthang in central Bhutan. Both the temples were believed to have been built overnight.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Dinner and overnight at Udumwara Resort or Bhutan Mandala Resort
Day 3: Hike to the famed Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) & later visit farmhouse for dinner comprised of home-cooked local cuisine
Stop At: Paro Taktsang, Taktsang Trail, Paro Bhutan
Today, on the 3rd day of your trip, you will hike to the famous 17th century Paro Taktsang Monastery popular known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Originally built in 1692, the iconic sacred site Taktsang is perched on the 800-meter rock cliff above the valley floor. The round trip hike takes about 4-5 Hours for most visitors. We recommend starting early before the sun gets stronger. One-way horse riding is available for about USD20 up to the midpoint (Taktsang Viewpoint Cafeteria). Horse riding on the way down is not recommended.
The history of Taktsang is associated with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava (known as Guru Rinpoche), the Indian saint who came to Bhutan and introduced Tantric Buddhism in the 8th century AD. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava flew into the cave from Kurtoe Khenpajong in eastern Bhutan, riding on a tigress.
After lunch at the Taktsang Viewpoint Cafeteria, we retrace our steps back to the base where the driver will be waiting.
Duration: 5 hours
Stop At: Aum Choden Homestay, Nemjo Paro Paro Bhutan, CCM3+FF4, Paro, Bhutan
Towards the late afternoon, visit one of the beautiful farmhouses and experience the traditional Bhutanese way of life. If you are interested, you can soak in a traditional hot stone bath which has a therapeutic and revitalizing effect for an additional fee per person. Specially selected river stones believed to contain minerals are heated in a wood-fired fireplace and dropped into a chamber of wooden tub releasing minerals. A delicious dinner of authentic home-cooked local cuisines will be served. You may also participate and learn how to cook some of the popular Bhutanese dishes.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Overnight at Udumwara Resort of Bhutan Mandala Resort
Day 4: Transfer to Paro International Airport for Departure
Pass By: Paro Airport Bird's Eye View Point, Paro Bhutan
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Paro International Airport for your onward journey.
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.