Thimphu - Sightseeing‍

Day: Local sightseeing in and around Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Thimphu like Paro is blessed with many sacred sites by the visiting scholar sages from Tibet, and their legacies are still the landmarks, which are very much part of the living culture. However, Thimphu provides lots of opportunities for the visitors to walk around and visit the places. The town is the largest in Bhutan with a largest population

All the government offices including throne room of His Majesty are in Thimphu

Overnight: Thumpu

Thimphu – Punakha - Local Sightseeing

Day: Drive to Punakha for : After breakfast, drive to Punakha, which is only 2-1/4 hours.

En route, stop at Dochhu-La mountain pass, which is at the elevation of 3100m.

Afternoon: Visit Punakha Dzong, which sits at the confluence of two rivers. The Dzong is the winter home to our state clergies

Overnight: Panakha

Punakha – Gangteng

Day: Drive to Gangteng. After breakfast, drive to Wangdue Phodrang and visit the Dzong, which is perched high on a spur at the confluence of two rivers. It’s built on a strategic site that commands over the east, west, and south routes. The road beyond Wangdue will take you to the beautiful glacial valley of Phobjikha. It’s also a chosen winter home of black necked cranes, which starts migrating from the Tibetan plateau from late October

Overnight: Ganteng

‍

Gangtey – Bumthang & Trongsa Dzong

Day: After breakfast, drive 6-1/2 km back to main road and bound for central Bhutan via Pele-La Mountain pass, which is at the elevation of 3350m. This road pass divides the frontiers between east and the west. Crossing the bridge that spans the Nyica Chhu and after several other villages, we reached Trongsa. Trongsa Dzong comes into view intermittently before it zooms right before your nose from the view point overlooking the entire mountain valley

Overnight: Bumthang

Bumthang - 1st Day of the Festival

Bumthang is blessed with several other important monasteries in the area including nearby Jakar Dzong, Jampa Lhakhang, and Kurjey Lhakhang. The Jakar town is a sleepy outpost with a few shops but meets the basic requirements for the visitors like telecommunications, internet, and lots of tourist hotels. Four valleys come together under one administration to qualify Bumthang. The seed of Buddhism was first sown in Chhoekhor valley when Padmasambhava came to save the life of Bumthang King. The legends, myths, and facts revolve in the confines of four valleys of Bumthang. Bumthang is therefore considered as the heartland of Buddhism. Bumthang is best known for its specialities like honey, menthol cheese, Yathra (woven out of wool), many locally-produced liquor brands, and agro-based products

Bumthang - 2nd Day of the Festival  - Black Hat Dance (Shana) and of the Gings (emanations of Guru Rimpochhe)

(Day 9 as well)

Dance of Singje Yab Yum (Lord of death and his consort): The Lord of Death and his consort perform this dance to protect the four realms over which he has power. Dance of Nyulema and Peling Ging Sum (Three kinds of Ging): The Nyulema is an evil spirit represented by a boy in a skeleton mask. The Durdag or the Lords of the Cremation Ground (represented with dancers wearing white skeletal masks) bring forward a box, which represents evil spirits. Dance of the Jachung Bochung (Two mythical birds): Dancers wearing masks representing the auspicious birds perform the dance. The play of the Clown, Gapo Pawo Solgyo, who acts like a Pawo.

Bumthang - 3rd Day of the Festival - Dance of the four stags (Shacham)

The King of the Wind was causing much unhappiness and suffering in the world. Guru Rimpochhe subdued him, and as a sign of victory, he rode on the stag, which is the king’s mount. Dance of Ging Tsoling. The dance is said to bring blessings to those who witness it by removing obstacles to the spread of Buddha’s teachings

‍

Bumthang - 4th Day of the Festival - Black Hat Dance (Shana) and of the Gings (emanations of Guru Rimpochhe)

‍

‍

Bumthang – Punakha

Day: Drive back to Punakha for next 6 hours from Bumthang via Trongsa.

There are many interesting sights along the way and you can make frequent stops to stretch your legs and explore

Punakha –  Paro via Thimphu - Chime Lhakhang

Day: After breakfast, drive to the road point and walk for next 30 minutes through terrace fields surrounding the village to visit Chhimi Lhakhang, which is atop the hillock on the far end of the stretch

This temple is dedicated to the Tibetan Yogi, Kuenga Legpa, popularly known as ‘The Divine Madman’ to his western followers. Devotees from all walks of life come to receive blessings from his wooden phallus effigy and the iron bow and arrows. The temple is particularly popular among the childless couples for his fertility blessings. See farmers working in their fields. The flat stretch of land spreads as far as your eyes can follow adds up to the beauty of this beautiful Temple

Afternoon: Drive to Thimphu for next 68 km. En route, visit the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang

Paro - Chele-La mountain pass and Trek

Day: After breakfast, drive to Chele-La mountain pass at 3900m, the highest road pass in the country, and hike up along the meadow to Kung Karpo-La pass at 4100m. On a clear day, one will enjoy breathtaking views of the snowbound mountains while walking above the tree line along the ridge that divides Paro and Ha valley.

The short steep descent from the top will take you to Kyila Goemba, which tugged up in the hanging cliff. The temple itself is surrounded by numerous meditation huts and many hidden caves lie inside the rocky cliffs. Here, the nuns live a life of seclusion with daily prayers and spiritual practice.

The Goemba is surrounded by a lush green forest mostly of tall firs. Sparkling mountain streams wind down the slopes, which are covered with a variety of wildflowers and plants. Kyila goemba is spiritually significant as a sacred meditation site.

Paro: Hike to Tigress Shrine & Museum

Morning: After early breakfast, head northward to Ramthangkha where the roads and hikes to the famous Tiger’s Lair, which hangs from the cliff precariously some 900 m from the valley floor.

Afternoon: After lunch, drive back to National Museum, which is a round off building used in the former times as a watchtower to guard off the Paro Dzong below. With times, the feel into disuse, and later in 1969 renovated to house the nation museum. The museum has a large collections ranging from ancient armor to textiles, thangkha paintings, stamps, coins, and natural history

Departure

Drive to the airport to catch your departure flight home