Cultural
To Bumthang and Back in 10 Days
West to the centre by road through Trongsa, three nights among Bumthang's temples, and a flight back over the mountains to Paro.
Price on request
Festival
Jambay Lhakhang Drup Festival Tour
Ten days to Bumthang for the festival of fire at one of Bhutan's oldest temples, with cranes in Phobjikha on the way.
- Length
- 10 days / 9 nights
- Grade
- Easy
- Festival dates
- 14 to 17 November 2027
- Best months
- November
- Price
- Price on request
Overview
Jambay Lhakhang, in Bumthang, is by tradition one of 108 temples raised in a single day by a Tibetan king in the seventh century. Its festival, the Drup, is expected from 14 to 17 November 2027 and is known for the Mewang, a blessing by fire in which the crowd runs beneath a blazing arch.
It is a village festival on a human scale. You stand a few metres from the dancers, and at night the temple yard is lit by fire and little else.
The journey would start on 10 November and travels out by road. That timing brings you through Phobjikha just as the black-necked cranes have arrived for the winter. You return from Bumthang by air.
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 Jambay Lhakhang Drup and its fire blessing
- Black-necked cranes in Phobjikha, newly arrived from Tibet
- Trongsa Dzong and the road over Pele La
- Kurjey and Tamshing, the other great temples of Bumthang
- The Tiger's Nest in late autumn
Route
- Thimphu
- Punakha
- Phobjikha
- Bumthang
- Paro
Day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Paro, drive to Thimphu
Wednesday 10 November on the planned dates. An hour to Thimphu and a gentle afternoon: the Memorial Chorten and the Buddha Dordenma.
- Drive
- 54 km, about 1 hour
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- L, D
Day 2 Thimphu to Punakha
A morning in the capital for the crafts school and the Textile Museum, then over Dochu La. November skies are usually clear and the peaks stand out sharply. Punakha Dzong in the late afternoon.
- Drive
- 76 km, 2 to 3 hours
- Night in
- Punakha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 3 Punakha to Phobjikha
You reach Phobjikha by lunch and spend the afternoon with the cranes: from the information centre, where there are telescopes, and from the edge of the marsh as the birds fly in to roost at dusk. Gangtey Goenpa stands on the ridge above.
- Drive
- 75 km, about 2 hours
- Night in
- Phobjikha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 4 To Trongsa and Bumthang
Over Pele La and along the gorge to Trongsa, where you break the drive to walk through the dzong. Bumthang is reached by evening.
- Drive
- About 5 hours of driving
- Night in
- Bumthang
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 5 The festival opens
The first day of the Drup. Masked dances fill the afternoon in the yard of the old temple. After dark comes the Mewang: an arch of dry brush is set alight in a field, and people rush through beneath it for the blessing. You may watch or run, as you choose.
- Night in
- Bumthang
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 6 The festival, and the valley's temples
The morning's dances at Jambay Lhakhang, then a walk to Kurjey Lhakhang and across the river to Tamshing while the festival breaks for the middle of the day. You can return for the evening.
- Night in
- Bumthang
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 7 The Tang valley
A day away from the crowd: the gorge of Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake, and the manor house museum of Ogyen Choling at the head of the Tang valley.
- Drive
- 40 km each way, about 1.5 hours
- Night in
- Bumthang
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 8 Fly to Paro
The flight to Paro takes about 25 minutes. In the afternoon you visit Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum. If the weather keeps the aircraft on the ground we return by road over two days and rearrange the end of the trip.
- Drive
- About 25 minutes by air
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 9 The Tiger's Nest
The walk to Taktsang, four to five hours there and back, in cold clear air.
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 10 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
- 9 nights in hotels, in a twin or double room
- All meals from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 10
- 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, Bumthang and Paro. Bumthang's guesthouses are small and heated by wood stoves, and fill for the festival.
- 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.
Are domestic flights in Bhutan reliable?
Domestic flights link Paro with Bumthang, Yonphula and Gelephu. The flight from Bumthang to Paro takes about 25 minutes and saves a long day on the road.
They depend on the weather in the mountains, and the days on which they fly change with the season. If a flight is cancelled, the journey is made by road instead.
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.
Places on this trip
More tours
You might also consider
Cultural
Western Bhutan Unhurried, in 9 Days
Two nights each in Thimphu, Phobjikha, Punakha and Paro, so that every valley has a day with no packing in it.
Price on request
Cultural
Bumthang and the Haa Valley in 11 Days
By road to the temples of Bumthang and back, then over Chele La for a night in quiet Haa before the Tiger's Nest.
Price on request
Tell us how you like to travel
A few lines are enough: when, how long, and what draws you to Bhutan. We answer with a suggested route and what it would cost.
We reply ["within 24 hours"].