Classic Bhutan
Paro, Thimphu and Punakha in six days, with Dochula and the Tiger's Nest.
- Duration
- 6 days
- From
- $1,300
- Booking
- On request
The standard western circuit, and the shortest trip that reaches Punakha. Crossing Dochula at 3,100 metres drops you into the warm Punakha valley at 1,240, a valley of rice and bougainvillea, where the old winter capital's dzong stands at the meeting of two rivers. You walk out to Chimi Lhakhang through the fields, and finish with Taktsang above Paro.
Where it goes
13 stops on the map. Pick a day to zoom to it; the rest of the route stays drawn. A stop the operator gave no location is not plotted — the Day by day tab is the full route.
- Day 1
Arrive in Paro, drive to Thimphu
Your guide meets you as you clear the terminal at Paro and the drive east begins along the Pa Chhu and then the Wang Chhu. You stop at Tamchog Lhakhang, the private temple of the iron-chain bridge builder Thangtong Gyalpo, reached across a footbridge hung with chains, before continuing to Thimphu for the night.
Tamchog Lhakhang- Overnight in Thimphu · 1 night · 3-star hotel in Thimphu
Private car · 1h 30m - Day 2
A day in Thimphu
A full day in the capital. The 51.5-metre Buddha Dordenma looks down over the valley from Kuenselphodrang; the National Memorial Chorten, built for the third king, is circled all day by Thimphu residents counting their rounds. You meet the takin — Bhutan's odd, national animal — at the Motithang preserve, and end at Tashichho Dzong, which houses both the throne room and the central monk body.
Buddha Dordenma
National Memorial Chorten
Motithang Takin Preserve
Tashichho Dzong- Overnight in Thimphu · 1 night · 3-star hotel in Thimphu
Private car · 3h - Day 3
Across Dochula to Punakha
The road climbs to Dochula, where 108 chortens stand for the soldiers of the 2003 campaign and the eastern Himalaya fills the skyline in winter. Down in the warm Punakha valley you walk out through rice terraces to Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple of the Divine Madman, and end at Punakha Dzong at the confluence of the Pho and Mo Chhu.
Dochula Pass
Chimi Lhakhang
Punakha Dzong- Overnight in Punakha · 1 night · 3-star hotel in Punakha
Private car · 4h 30m - Day 4
Punakha walks, then west to Paro
A morning's walk up to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten and the hilltop nunnery at Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup, then back over Dochula to Paro for the last two nights.
- Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten Hike
Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery- Overnight in Paro · 2 nights · 3-star hotel in Paro
- Day 5
Taktsang, and the temples of the Paro valley
The walk up to Taktsang — the Tiger's Nest — climbs through blue pine to a monastery welded to a cliff 900 metres above the valley floor, and takes most of the morning up and back. Afterwards, Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in the country, and Rinpung Dzong on its spur above the river.
- Day 6
Depart from Paro
A last breakfast, then the short transfer to the airport for your flight out.
- Transfer to Paro airport
Included
- Bhutan Sustainable Development Fee for every night of the trip
- USD 40 visa application fee
- Licensed English-speaking Bhutanese guide throughout
- Accommodation in 3-star certified hotels, twin sharing
- Private vehicle with driver for all transfers and sightseeing
- Meals as listed: 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
- Entry fees for the monuments and museums named in the itinerary
- Sustainable Development Fee
- Bhutan visa
- Licensed English-speaking guide
- 3-star certified hotels, twin sharing
- Private vehicle and driver
- 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
Not included
- International flights to and from Paro
- Single-room supplement (USD 210)
- Travel and medical insurance
- Personal expenses: drinks, laundry, telephone calls and tips
- Anything not named in the itinerary
- International flights to Paro
- Travel and medical insurance
What the parts cost
- Bhutan visain the price~$40
One-off application fee, included in the tour price.
Per person
- $1,3002–14 · double
- $1,5101–14 · single
Group size 1–14
Cancellation
Shambala Travels has not published cancellation terms here. Ask for them in writing before you pay a deposit.
This trip runs on request: Shambala Travels sets the dates with you rather than publishing a departure list.
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From $1,300