7-Day Bhutan by Adventure

After arriving at the Paro International Airport, your guide will wait for you at the arrival terminal and welcome you in a traditional Bhutanese manner by offering a ‘khadar’ or greeting scarf. After that, you will be escorted to your hotel, allowed to freshen up, and then taken for a short sightseeing tour around Paro.

First, visit Dungtse Lhakhang, which may be the only ancient temple built in the shape of a chorten. Its chimi lhakhang is chained down since local belief holds that it will otherwise fly off to heaven. Then explore the Kyichu Temple, one of the 108 temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King, Songsten Gampo, to subdue the demoness residing in the Himalayas, who was believed to be preventing the spread of Buddhism. For the rest of the day, enjoy a free evening to leisurely explore the town of Paro.

Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Paro.

After breakfast, drive to Punakha Valley, which was once home to the country's old capital. On the way, see the 15th-century Tachogang Temple, also known as the ‘Temple of the Hill of Excellent Horse’. The temple was built with a traditional-style bridge with iron chains on the left bank of the river, a few kilometres before Chuzom at the confluence of the Paro and Thimphu Rivers.

Continue travelling through the spiralling mountain road through the Dochula Mountain Pass toward Punakha Valley. On a clear day, Dochula offers stunning views of the snowcapped Himalayan range. Then, visit Druk Wangyel Chorten, a new landmark for travellers as they cross the first mountain pass within the country. Stop at the village of Sopsokha and take a 20-minute walk across paddy fields to Chimi Lhakhang, a temple where childless couples have come from afar to receive its blessings.
Dinner and accommodation at a hotel in Punakha.

After an early breakfast, drive to the entrance of a hiking trail where your rafting crew will be waiting. The hike is approximately two hours through pine forest and farmlands along the bank of the Pho Chu River. Upon reaching Samdhingkha, experience the thrill of Class II and IV rapids on the Pho Chu River. When you've reached a beach-like stretch of sand, you will be served lunch on the sandy embankment. The post-lunch rafting session will continue until you reach the relatively calm section of the river below the Punakha Dzong. In the evening, enjoy a sumptuous dinner with a bonfire in the company of your guide and rafting crew and retire for the night in the outdoor camp by the riverside with nature.

Outdoor camping at Zamling Thang – Punakha.

The day in Punakha Valley begins with a drive through the town of Khuruthang and continues along the banks of the Mo Chu River, passing the Phuntsho Pelri Palace and several other winter homes of the Royal Family. At the upper end of the valley, hike across a footbridge through terraces of rice, chillies and cabbage.

Then take a 50-minute walk to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, a three-storey chorten that stands on a beautiful hillock called Ngezergang roughly six miles from Punakha. It presents incredibly complex images and symbols that belong to the Nyingmapa tradition.

Afterwards, drive to Thimphu, the only capital in the world with no traffic lights. Take in the city’s traditional Bhutanese architecture, which seamlessly blends into the idyllic countryside. Check into the hotel and then visit the Takin Preserve, home to Bhutan's national animal, the takin.
Then, drive to the BBS Tower for incredible aerial views of the Thimphu Valley and then continue to Kuensel Phodrang, which has the world's tallest Buddha statue. From the viewpoint, enjoy a beautiful view of the capital city of Thimphu. Continue to Memorial Chorten, one of the most visible religious structures in Thimphu. You'll have an opportunity to light butter lamps, which Buddhists believe dispel the darkness of ignorance and give rise to clarity and wisdom. The lighting of butter lamps is an offering of light to the deities and is one of the common means of increasing one’s merit.

Dinner and accommodation at a hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast in the morning, begin a local sightseeing tour with a visit to the Changangkha Temple. Built in the 15th century by Lama Phajo Drigom, this temple lies on a hilltop commanding the Thimpu Valley and contains ancient scriptures and thankas.

After lunch, pass through the idyllic countryside dotted with villages and paddy fields and cross over rivers and through forests on your way back to Paro. Stop by Semtokha Dzong, the oldest dzong built in Bhutan by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1629, during the drive.

First, visit Rinpung Dzong, which was built to defend the valley against Tibetan invaders. Now is a modern school for monks. Afterwards, visit the National Museum, which is rated as one of the finest natural history museums in South Asia. It has a collection of precious works of art and fantastic costumes, armour and other handcrafted, culturally significant objects. There is also a gallery dedicated to exquisite pieces of thangkas.
Next, visit Mani Dungkhor in Paro. It is believed that spinning a prayer wheel has the same benefits of chanting a prayer. In Paro, a 64-year-old man learned the craft from his uncle and has been making these wheels for 30 years for both religious bodies and individuals. At the end of the evening, enjoy a leisurely visit to the town of Paro.

Dinner and accommodation at a hotel in Paro.

After an early breakfast, take a short drive from Paro to the trailhead, where the hike begins at the famous Taktsang Monastery, one of the most recognised Buddhist monuments in the Himalayas. Also known as Tiger's Nest, it is dangerously perched on a cliffside 900 metres (2,600 feet) above the Paro Valley. The climb to the viewpoint will take approximately three hours. After reaching Taktsang, practice meditating for an hour. Meditation makes one’s body consciously soothed and relaxed whilst the mind is made calm. It is a technique that aims to develop mindfulness, concentration, tranquillity and insight. Lunch will be served during the return hike back to the road point.

The tour continues with a visit to Drukgyal Dzong. Now in ruins, it was once strategically built over the only passage into Paro Valley. It helped to prevent numerous invasions throughout the course of Bhutanese history, beginning in 1646. In fine weather, the towering peak of Mount Jumolhari can be seen, which marks the frontier with Tibet.

In the evening, visit a Bhutanese farmhouse. They are very decorative and built and painted in a classical three-storey style. The ground floor is used for cattle and the top floor is used for drying hay whilst the family lives on the middle floor. Return to your hotel and enjoy a farewell dinner accompanied by a Bhutanese cultural show.

Dinner and accommodation at a hotel in Paro.

After breakfast, your guide will escort you to the airport for your onward flight. Tashi delek!