A Cultural Journey With Nature Trek in Central Bhutan

Our guide and driver will receive you at the Paro Airport and then you'll be on your first adventure in the ‘Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon’. We'll visit an auspicious 7th-century monastery Kyichu Lhakhang and the National Museum of Bhutan. Later you will explore the Paro town and witness archery match if the game is in progress.

7th-century Paro Kyichu Lhakhang was built by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 AD to subdue the spirit of demoness who was obstructing the propagation of Buddhism.

Visit the National Museum of Bhutan housed in the 17th century watchtower to get insights into the rich culture & traditions of Bhutan.

Today, you will take a domestic flight to Bumthang in central Bhutan. This domestic flight service has helped the visitors cut short travelling time from 12-hour strenuous drive to just under 30 minutes and the flight presents stunning aerial views of the pristine valleys and mountainous topography of Bhutan.

On arrival in Bumthang, you'll visit Swiss Cheese & Wine Factory which was established by Mr. Fritz Maurer, a Swiss volunteer who came to Bhutan in the early 1960s and made Bhutan his home.

Then visit Tamzhing Lhakhang, a temple built in 1501 by the patron saint of Bhutan, Terton Pema Lingpa. Among the many treasures and religious artifacts handcrafted by the Pema Lingpa himself, there is an armoury that stood the test of time for five centuries bearing no rust or any sign of deterioration. It is believed that you will be cleansed of all your past sins and defilement if you circumambulate the inner sanctum of the temple 3 rounds carrying that sacred armour.

Leisure time in Chamkhar, the main town of Bumthang District.

After breakfast, drive for about 45min to the sacred lake called Mebartso from where a sacred statue and other religious treasures were discovered by Terton Pema Lingpa. Visit the nearby Tang village and ramble through the rural settlements to understand the daily lives of the farmers of Bumthang. Home-cooked local cuisine unique to Bumthang will be organized at one of the village farmhouses for lunch. After lunch, spend some time with the local family.

If interested visit Ogyen Choling Museum owned by the ancestors of the Royal family of Bhutan. You'll get profound insights not only about the lifestyles and living conditions of households of the religious and nobility during the 19th and 20th centuries but also on how Bhutan has changed over the years.

We then drive back to Bumthang also known as Jakar and visit two sacred temples - Jambay Lhakhang and Kurjey Lhakhang. Jambay Lhakhang wasalso built by the same Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo who built Paro Kyichu Lhakhang Both the temples are believed to have been built in a single day.

Visit Kurjey Lhakhang which is built on the sacred site blessed by Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century. Guru Padmasambhava brought Buddhism to Bhutan and is revered as the second Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism.

Driving Time: 2-hours round trip

Following hearty breakfast at the hotel, drive to the district of Tongsa. En route, stop briefly at Chumey village to see Yathra Weaving Center (Yathra is the colourful textiles hand woven out of sheep and yak hair) and get insights on the traditional attires and the weaving culture of the people of Bumthang. From there continue to drive gaining altitude gradually and reach a serene mountain pass, Yotong La at 3,425m/11,235ft and then descend to Trongsa.

After lunch in Trongsa, visit Trongsa Dzong which holds a significant place in the history of Bhutan as it was from here that the ancestors of the Royal family of Bhutan emerged as the most powerful rulers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first and second hereditary Kings of Bhutan ruled the country from this ancient seat of power. There is a tradition that the crown prince must be invested as Trongsa Penlop (Governor of Trongsa) here at Trongsa Dzong before he ascends the golden throne of the King.

From there walk up to the promontory on which the Royal Heritage Museum housed in the 17th-century watchtower is located. The Royal Heritage Museum provides an insight into the significance of Trongsa in Bhutan’s history and showcases the religious and artistic traditions of Bhutan.

In the neighbourhood, there is also Thruepang Palace which you can visit if interested. This two-storied simple palace situated just above the highway in the town is the birthplace of our Late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It was here that on 2nd May 1928, His Majesty was born to King Jigme Wangchuck and Ashi Puntsho Choden. He spent most of his early childhood days here in this Thruepang Palace.

Driving Time: 2-hours

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we drive for about 2.5 hours along the Trongsa-Zhemgang highway to the starting point of the trek, Tongtongphey.

En route, stop briefly and visit Kuenga Rabten Palace, an important heritage in Bhutanese history. It was built in 1929 as the winter palace of the second king. You will learn about the early days of Bhutan’s monarchy.

We then drive to the starting point of the trek and hike down to the Mangdi river where you cross a suspension bridge. On this stretch of the journey the otherwise rare Golden Langurs, an endangered species of primate are abundant and almost impossible to miss. You will come in contact with the Monpas who are believed to be the first inhabitants of Bhutan.

A glimpse into their lifestyle coupled with mythical legends about their origins further validates this claim. The campsite in Jangbi stands on the valley sill, which offers a resplendent view of the Mangdi valley.

Distance 7-10km
Hiking Time 3-4 hours
Campsite Altitude 1,350m/4,430ft

The morning allows you to further interact with the Monpas. Before you proceed, you can also pay a visit to the orchid garden that houses around 75 different varieties of orchids. The trail to Kudra is especially interesting as it passes stone imprints of Guru Rinpoche’s footprints, dagger and phallus. Lunch is served just before you arrive at Phrumzur, one of the Monpa villages. After a quick visit to the village Lhakhang in Phrumzur and you then proceed to the campsite in Kudra. En route, you’ll encounter another small Monpa village called Lekpogang, after which, the campsite in Kudra is just an hour’s walk. The campsite offers a bird’s-eye view of Nyimshong village and also of Zhemgang town.

Distance 13-14km
Hiking Time 6 hours
Campsite Altitude 1,500m/4,921ft

This part of the trek is a collage of streams, waterfalls and thick forests that will give you an invigorating feeling of being out in the wild. Animals such as Himalayan Squirrels, Rhesus Macaques, and small snakes are often spotted along the trail. Himalayan black bears, Red pandas, tigers and Clouded leopards are also present this region. Upon arrival at the holy tree in Nabji, the villagers will give you a warm reception. Nabji is a beautiful village with paddy fields circling the clustered houses. You can also hike to the community school and interact with students.

Distance 11-14km
Hiking Time 5-6 hours
Campsite Altitude 1,370m/4,495ft

En route to Korphu, Nabji temple is located amidst verdant paddy fields. Inside, there is a stone pillar on which Guru Rinpoche imprinted the thumbs of two warring kings as a symbol of resolution after bringing about peace. Korphu is situated on a mountaintop at an altitude of 1,500m. The most striking thing about Korphu is that the people exemplify hospitality almost treating you like royalty.

You have the option of being welcomed with a traditional ‘Chipdrel’ procession and a ‘Marchang’ ceremony. These ceremonies are typically reserved for royalty but here the villagers will greet you by singing these traditional songs of praise and wellbeing. They also perform the traditional ‘Tashi Labey’ dance to bid you farewell. The villagers can explain and demonstrate and even allow you to participate in the quintessential Bhutanese games of ‘Khuru’, ‘Dego’, ‘Sok-sum’, and ‘Gee-dum’.

You can also visit the village temple that houses sacred relics of Pema Lingpa, the most famous Terton or ‘Treasure revealer’ in Bhutan. Lunch can be provided in the village campsite which also provides a spectacular bird’s-eye view of Nabji and other surrounding areas.

Distance 11-12km
Hiking Time 4-6 hours
Campsite Altitude 1,550m/5,085ft

The hike from Korphu to Nyimshong is pleasant and arguably the best location for bird watching as it is home to over 395 avian species. The elusive Rufous Necked Hornbill has its nesting holes adjacent to the trail. The walk is interspaced with waterfalls and, streams and cantilever bridges. The evening brings you to Nyimshong village. The campsite is equipped with an amphitheatre. The women of Nyimshong have a penchant for singing and dancing and often put on cultural shows for visitors.

Distance 11-12km
Hiking Time 4-5 hours
Campsite Altitude 1,300m/4,265ft

You begin by descending towards the Mangdi River. You are likely to see Herons, River-lapwings and even Golden Langurs in this region. A steep hour-long climb will bring you to the road from where your driver will be waiting. From there we drive to Phobjikha valley via Trongsa. Lunch will be served at Trongsa town.

Hiking Distance 5-6km
Hiking Time 4-5 hours

After lunch at Trongsa, drive to Phobjikha valley. Phobjikha is a vast U-shaped glacial valley at an elevation of about 3,000 meters and it is a winter home for endangered Black Necked Crane from November and migrates back to Tibetan plateau by the beginning of March.

On arrival in Phobjikha, you will visit the famous landmark in this valley, Gangtey Monastery popularly know as Gangtey Gonpa (gonpa literally means “high remote place” and is usually a place of religious significance) founded in 1613. The name Gangtey is derived from the fact that the Goenpa is built on a peak (Tey) of a hillock (Gang). The present abbot of this monastery is the ninth Gangtey Trulku His Holiness Kunzang Rigzin Pema Namgyal. The monastery also has a monastic college where hundreds of monks study Buddhist philosophy for 9 years.

In the evening before dinner, you might want to take a therapeutic and revitalizing hot stone bath for an additional fee of about $15 per person.

Distance to Phobjikha Valley 160km
Driving Time 5 hours
Phobjikha Altitude 3,000m/9,842ft

After breakfast, begin Gangtey Nature Trail Hike. The trail is about 5km long and takes approximately 2.5 hours including ample time to take photographs and observe pristine natural surroundings. The nature trail begins from Gangtey Monastery and leads through wonderful meadows, forests, beautiful traditional village houses, farmlands, crystalline streams. This short nature trail gives you a great feeling of the valley and understanding of the community living there.

Distance to Punakha 85km
Driving Time 2.5-hours
Punakha Altitude 1,200m/3,937ft

Arriving Punakha, visit Chimi Lhakhang Temple located about a 30-minute walk from the nearest road through the beautiful terraced rice fields and farmhouses. Chimi Lhakhang was built in 1499 by Lama Ngawang Chogyal on a site blessed by his older brother, Lama Drukpa Kuenley who was known as ‘Divine Madman’ for his obscene behavior and unorthodox ways of propagating Buddhism. He would often express his desire for sex and use phallus as a medium to subdue malevolent spirits. Today, one of the relics of Chimi Lhakhang is a phallus. The blessing of the phallus is considered sacred particularly to women who are unable to conceive a child as it brings fertility to women, giving them the ability to bear offspring. Because of this belief, people like to call Chimi Lhakhang as “Temple of Fertility”. Married couples who are unable to conceive a child often come to this temple seeking blessings from the Divine Madman. As much as it sounds ‘too good to be true’, there are many stories of happy couples who are blessed with a child after visiting the temple.

After breakfast, you will visit the historic Punakha Dzong and transfer to the capital city Thimphu.

The historic Punakha Dzong locally known as “Palace of Great Bliss” was built in 1637 to guard the region against Tibetan forces. This beautiful and most impressive Dzong in Bhutan is a fine example of traditional Bhutanese architecture, painting and craftsmanship. The Dzong served as the administrative centre and the seat of the Government of Bhutan until 1955. It now serves as the office of the District Administrator (Dzongdag) and the winter residence of the Chief Abbot of Bhutan, Je Khenpo.

Transfer to Thimphu via Dochula Pass.
Distance to Thimphu 74km
Driving Time 2.5-hours
Thimphu Altitude 2,334m/7,657ft

En route to Thimphu, stop at Dochula, a sacred mountain pass at an altitude of 3,150 meters above sea level from where you can see, on a clear day, some of the highest peaks of Bhutan. Before the construction of these beautiful 108 Druk Wangyal Chortens (stupas) in 2004, this mountain pass remained only as a sacred place blessed by a famous Buddhist saint, Lam Drukpa Kuenley in late 15th century. Lunch will be served at Dochula Cafe.

On arrival in Thimphu, visit the magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck. 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.

Leisure time in Thimphu town.

Today after early breakfast, drive to Paro and hike to the famed Taktsang Monastery. In the evening visit a farmhouse for home-cooked local cuisine.

Distance to Paro 55km
Driving Time 1.5-hours
Paro Altitude 2,195m/7,200ft

On arrival in Paro, hike to the famous Paro Taktsang located on the face of a sheer 800-meter rock cliff in Paro. It normally takes about 2 hours to reach the monastery from the road head. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Bhutan. Taktsang which literally translates to ‘Tiger’s Nest’, is regarded as one of the most important monasteries in Bhutan. Its history 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 mid-eighth century AD.

The trail takes you through the ancient path shaded by pine trees. After an hour of steep uphill hiking, you will reach a nice cafeteria from where you can see a spectacular view of Taktsang monastery perched on the face of a steep rock cliff. It takes a further 1 hour to reach the monastery.

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 for an additional fee of about US$15 per person. Specially selected stones believed to contain minerals are heated in a wood-fired fireplace and dropped into a chamber of wooden tub releasing minerals. If desired, you can lighten up with a warm cup of locally brewed liquor known as “Ara”. Delicious dinner of authentic home-cooked local cuisine will be served.

After breakfast, transfer to Paro International Airport for your onward journey. Your guide will assist you to complete all exit formalities before you check-in.