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
Festival
Thimphu Tshechu Festival Tour
The capital's great autumn festival at Tashichho Dzong, with the Tiger's Nest before it and the warm valley of Punakha after.
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Grade
- Easy
- Festival dates
- 10 to 12 October 2027
- Best months
- October
- Price
- Price on request
Overview
The Thimphu Tshechu is the largest gathering of the year in the capital. For three days the town empties into Tashichho Dzong, and a festival founded in 1670 goes on much as it always has. In 2027 it is expected from 10 to 12 October.
October is also the clearest month of the year, so this trip sets the festival among the best of the autumn: the Tiger's Nest under blue skies, the snow peaks from Dochu La, and rice ready for harvest in Punakha.
The trip would start on 8 October. It begins in Paro so that you walk to Taktsang before the festival rather than after it.
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
- Two days at the Thimphu Tshechu, at Tashichho Dzong
- The Dance of the Black Hats and the Dance of the Stags
- The Tiger's Nest in the clearest month of the year
- Dochu La, when the Himalaya is most often in view
- Punakha Dzong and its valley at harvest
Route
- Paro
- Thimphu
- Punakha
- Paro
Day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Paro
Friday 8 October on the planned dates. You stay in Paro tonight. In the afternoon, Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum.
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- L, D
Day 2 The Tiger's Nest
The walk to Taktsang, four to five hours in all, with the weather on your side. Kyichu Lhakhang on the way back.
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 3 To Thimphu for the first day of the festival
An hour's drive brings you to the capital in time for the opening dances. The ground fills early; by mid-morning every wall and step is taken. You stay as long as you like and see something of the town in the afternoon: the Memorial Chorten is at its busiest on festival days.
- Drive
- 54 km, about 1 hour
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 4 The Thimphu Tshechu
A whole day at the festival. Among the dances are those of the Black Hats, with their drums and wide spinning robes, and of the Four Stags. Families bring lunch and make a day of it, and visitors are made welcome among them.
Late in the day you can walk up to the Buddha Dordenma for the view over a town in holiday mood.
- Night in
- Thimphu
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 5 The last morning, then over Dochu La to Punakha
You return to the dzong for the closing dances, then leave after lunch for Punakha. October gives the best odds of the year for the view from Dochu La.
- Drive
- 76 km, 2 to 3 hours
- Night in
- Punakha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 6 Punakha
A day in the valley. In the morning, the walk through the rice fields to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten; in the afternoon, Punakha Dzong and the short path to Chimi Lhakhang.
- Night in
- Punakha
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 7 Punakha to Paro
Back over the pass, with a stop in Thimphu for the craft bazaar and anything the festival days left no time for.
- Drive
- 128 km, 3 to 3.5 hours
- Night in
- Paro
- Meals
- B, L, D
Day 8 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
- 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 Paro, Thimphu and Punakha. Thimphu fills for the festival; early booking gives a better choice.
- 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
You might also consider
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.
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.
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"].