Festival
Paro Tshechu Festival Tour
Eight days built around Paro's spring festival, ending with the dawn unveiling of the great thongdrel on the last morning.
Price on request
Cultural
Western Bhutan with Haa in 8 Days
Five western valleys, two high passes and a day in quiet Haa, at a pace that leaves room to walk as well as drive.
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Grade
- Easy
- Best months
- March to May and September to November
- Price
- Price on request
Overview
Eight days cover everything the west of Bhutan has to show and still leave the afternoons loose. The extra day over the seven-day tour goes to Haa, a small valley across Bhutan's highest road pass that most itineraries leave out.
That day also does you a favour. Crossing Chele La at almost 4,000 m and coming back down to sleep is the best preparation there is for the walk to the Tiger's Nest the next morning.
Spring and autumn are the seasons for this trip. Chele La is at its best when the rhododendrons are out in April and May, or under the clear skies of October and November.
Highlights
- Chele La at 3,988 m, and the drive down into the Haa valley
- The White and Black Temples of Haa
- Phobjikha, the wide valley where black-necked cranes spend the winter
- Punakha Dzong and the walk to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
- The Tiger's Nest, on the last full day
Route
- Thimphu
- Punakha
- Phobjikha
- Paro
Day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Paro, drive to Thimphu
Your guide is waiting outside customs. The capital is an hour away by a road that keeps to the river the whole distance.
Nothing strenuous today. A walk round the Memorial Chorten with the evening crowd and a look at the town from the Buddha Dordenma are enough while you get used to being at 2,300 m.
- Drive
- 54 km, about 1 hour
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- L, D
Day 2 Thimphu
The morning goes to things being made: thangka painting and woodcarving at the crafts school, weaving at the Textile Museum, and whatever is on the looms and stalls of the craft bazaar. Changangkha Lhakhang, on a ridge above the town, has been here since the twelfth century.
Later you can watch archers at the Changlimithang ground if a match is on, and visit Tashichho Dzong when it opens to the public at the end of the working day.
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 3 Thimphu to Punakha
The road climbs for three quarters of an hour to Dochu La, 3,100 m, where a cluster of 108 chortens stands on a knoll facing the Himalaya. Then comes a long, winding descent into the warmth of the Punakha valley.
Stretch your legs on the path to Chimi Lhakhang before lunch. Punakha Dzong fills the afternoon, and is at its best as the low sun comes across the river.
- Drive
- 76 km, 2 to 3 hours
- Night in
- Punakha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 4 Punakha to Phobjikha
A morning walk first: over the Mo Chhu and up through rice fields to the chorten of Khamsum Yulley Namgyal, about an hour each way.
The road east passes below Wangdue Phodrang Dzong and climbs through oak forest until a side road drops into Phobjikha, a broad bowl of marsh and pasture at 3,000 m. You visit Gangtey Goenpa on its ridge and walk the nature trail down to the valley floor.
- Drive
- 75 km, about 2 hours
- Night in
- Phobjikha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 5 Phobjikha to Paro
In the crane months, from November to March, you go out to the edge of the marsh at first light. At other times the morning is for a last walk in the valley.
The drive back to Paro is the longest of the trip and takes most of the day, with lunch on the way and a stop at Dochu La.
- Drive
- 185 km, about 5 hours
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 6 Over Chele La to Haa
The road to Haa leaves Paro through blue pine and climbs for an hour and a half to Chele La, 3,988 m, where the ridge is covered in prayer flags and, on a clear day, Jomolhari stands to the north. There is time for a walk along the ridge.
Haa lies below on the far side. You visit Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo, the White and Black Temples, have lunch in the valley, and drive back over the pass in the afternoon.
- Drive
- About 60 km each way, 2 hours
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 7 The Tiger's Nest
After yesterday's pass the climb to Taktsang will feel easier than it otherwise would. The trail zigzags up through pines to a teahouse, continues to a viewpoint level with the monastery, then drops down steps past a waterfall before the last climb to the gate. Four to five hours in all.
Kyichu Lhakhang is a peaceful place to end the walking part of the trip.
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 8 Depart from Paro
Transfer to the airport for your flight.
- Meals
- B
What is included
Included
- The Sustainable Development Fee, US$100 a night for each adult at the current rate
- Visa fee of US$40 and the visa application made for you
- 7 nights in hotels, in a twin or double room
- All meals from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 8
- A licensed English-speaking Bhutanese guide throughout
- A private vehicle and driver, including airport transfers
Not included
- Flights to and from Paro
- Travel insurance
- Entry fees at monuments and museums
- Drinks, laundry, tips and personal spending
Practical details
- Accommodation
Hotels in Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjikha and Paro. The lodges in Phobjikha are simpler than those in the towns, and nights there are cold.
- Meals
Breakfast and dinner at your hotel and lunch at a local restaurant on the way. Tell us about any dietary need when you book; vegetarian food is easy everywhere.
- Transport
A private vehicle with a driver for the whole trip. The road is paved and winding, so drives are slower than their distance suggests.
- Guide
One licensed guide stays with you from arrival to departure. A guide is required by the authorities inside dzongs and monuments.
- Visa and permits
We apply for your visa once the trip is confirmed; it is normally issued within five working days. You need a passport valid for at least six months. See our pages on the [visa](/bhutan-travel-guide/visa/) and the [Sustainable Development Fee](/bhutan-travel-guide/sustainable-development-fee/).
Questions about this trip
Do I need a visa for Bhutan?
Yes, unless you are an Indian national, in which case you need an entry permit instead. The visa costs US$40, is applied for online, and is normally decided within five working days.
When you book with us we make the application for you. You send a scan of your passport, which must be valid for at least six months, and a recent passport photo. See Bhutan visa and entry permits.
What is the Sustainable Development Fee?
A fee every visitor pays to the government of Bhutan for each night in the country. It is US$100 a night for adults and US$50 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 pay nothing. Indian nationals pay Nu. 1,200 a night.
It is paid with your visa application. When you travel with us we collect it with the tour payment and pass it on. See the Sustainable Development Fee.
When is the best time to visit Bhutan?
March to May and September to November have the mildest weather and the clearest skies, and the largest festivals fall in those months. They are also the busiest.
Winter is cold but dry and sunny, with the black-necked cranes in Phobjikha and the Punakha festivals. Summer is the monsoon: green, quiet and often cloudy. See the best time to visit Bhutan.
How hard is the walk to the Tiger’s Nest?
It is a steady uphill walk on a wide path, not a climb, and most people in ordinary health manage it. Allow four to five hours there and back. The monastery is at about 3,120 m, so you will feel the altitude; go slowly and drink plenty of water.
That is why our itineraries keep it for the end, after several days in the country. A teahouse halfway makes a good turning point for anyone who would rather not go on. See hiking to the Tiger's Nest.
Places on this trip
More tours
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Thimphu Tshechu Festival Tour
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Price on request
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Black-Necked Crane Festival Tour
A week timed for 11 November, when Phobjikha welcomes its cranes back from Tibet with a festival in the courtyard of Gangtey Goenpa.
Price on request
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