Festival
Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu Tour
A winter journey to Punakha Dzong for the Drubchen, when local men in warriors' dress re-enact a seventeenth-century battle.
Price on request
Festival
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.
- Length
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Grade
- Easy
- Festival dates
- 11 November 2027
- Best months
- November
- Price
- Price on request
Overview
Each year around the start of November, black-necked cranes arrive in the Phobjikha valley after crossing the Himalaya from Tibet. On 11 November the valley holds a festival for them at Gangtey Goenpa, with crane dances by schoolchildren, folk songs and masked dances.
It is a small, local occasion, run by the valley for the valley. 640 cranes were counted here in the winter of 2024 to 2025.
This trip would start on 8 November 2027 and gives two nights in Phobjikha, so that you see the cranes at dusk and at dawn as well as the festival itself.
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar. Those given here are from the official tentative list for 2027, last read on 3 October 2026, and can still move by a day or two. We confirm them with you before you book flights.
Highlights
- The Black-Necked Crane Festival at Gangtey Goenpa
- Cranes flying in to roost at dusk and feeding at dawn
- The Gangtey nature trail through pine forest to the marsh
- Punakha Dzong and Dochu La in clear November weather
- The Tiger's Nest
Route
- Thimphu
- Punakha
- Phobjikha
- Paro
Day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Paro, drive to Thimphu
Monday 8 November on the planned dates. An hour's drive to Thimphu; the Memorial Chorten and the Buddha Dordenma in the afternoon.
- Drive
- 54 km, about 1 hour
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- L, D
Day 2 Thimphu to Punakha
The crafts school in the morning, then the drive over Dochu La and down to Punakha for the dzong and the walk to Chimi Lhakhang.
- Drive
- 76 km, 2 to 3 hours
- Night in
- Punakha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 3 Punakha to Phobjikha
After the morning walk to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten you drive up to Phobjikha. The afternoon is for the cranes: first through the telescopes at the information centre, then from the edge of the marsh as the light goes and the birds come in to roost.
- Drive
- 75 km, about 2 hours
- Night in
- Phobjikha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 4 The Crane Festival
You are out at dawn to see the cranes leave their roost, then go up to Gangtey Goenpa. The festival fills the monastery courtyard from mid-morning: children in crane costumes, masked dances, songs and speeches, and most of the valley looking on.
In the afternoon you walk the nature trail down from the monastery.
- Night in
- Phobjikha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 5 Phobjikha to Paro
The long drive back west, with lunch on the way and a second stop at Dochu La.
- Drive
- 185 km, about 5 hours
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 6 The Tiger's Nest
The walk to Taktsang, four to five hours in all. Kyichu Lhakhang and Rinpung Dzong in the afternoon.
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 7 Depart from Paro
Transfer to the airport.
- 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
- 6 nights in hotels, in a twin or double room
- All meals from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 7
- 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. Phobjikha is at 3,000 m and November nights are below freezing; lodges are simple and heated by stoves.
- 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. At a festival your guide explains each dance as it happens, which changes what you see.
- 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
What should I wear at a festival?
Long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, as for any visit to a dzong, and no hat once you are inside. Bhutanese people wear their best clothes to a tshechu, so it is a day to dress neatly.
Keep out of the dance ground itself, and ask before photographing anyone close up. On the morning a thongdrel is shown the start is before sunrise, so bring something warm.
How early should I book a festival tour?
As early as you can. Festival dates are published well over a year ahead, and flights and hotels for those days are the first to fill, above all in Paro for the Paro Tshechu.
The published dates are tentative, because they follow the lunar calendar. Check them with us before you book a flight.
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.
Places on this trip
More tours
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