9 Days Bhutan In Depth — West to Central Bhutan

Paro · Thimphu · Punakha · Trongsa · Bumthang · Gangtey · Paro

1. Day1

   Arrive at Paro — Drive to Thimphu

   Overnight Thimphu hotel

   A scenic arrival at Paro, where you are met at the airport, then a drive of about an hour to the capital, Thimphu, following a beautiful river valley — with a photo stop at Chuzom, where the three shrines of the confluence stand in the Nepali, Tibetan and Bhutanese styles. In Thimphu visit the Memorial Chorten, built in 1974 for the third King and still a living centre of daily worship, and the Great Buddha Dordenma, a 51-metre statue filled with over 100,000 smaller Buddhas, on its hilltop above the valley. Later, walk through the Thimphu Craft Bazaar.

2. Day2

   Thimphu — Punakha

   Overnight Punakha hotel

   Travel eastward toward Punakha, the old winter capital — about 65 km, three hours — over the Dochula Pass, where on a clear day there are panoramic views of the Himalayas. The road drops into the warm, cultivated Punakha valley. Visit the Punakha Dzong at the meeting of the male and female rivers, then walk through the rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the divine mad monk, with the option of the long Punakha Suspension Bridge.

3. Day3

   Punakha — Trongsa

   Overnight Trongsa hotel

   An early start for Trongsa, a scenic drive of five to six hours through central Bhutan, climbing through forests and villages and crossing the Pelela Pass, marked by prayer flags. Stop at Chendebji Chorten, patterned on the Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu, built to cover the remains of an evil spirit subdued on the spot. As the valley opens, the Trongsa Dzong appears on its ridge above the Mangde Chhu — the largest fortress in Bhutan, and the seat of the Trongsa Penlop, the title a crown prince holds before becoming king. Explore the dzong, then walk the small market street in the evening.

4. Day4

   Trongsa — Bumthang

   Overnight Bumthang hotel

   After a leisurely breakfast, drive the 68 km to Bumthang across the Pelela Pass at 3,300 m, where the mountain forest gives way to high-altitude dwarf bamboo. On arrival visit Kurjey Lhakhang, whose oldest temple holds a body print of the Guru on a rock, with the second and third temples built by the first King and the present Queen Mother; Jambay Lhakhang, the 7th-century temple of King Songtsen Gampo, one of the oldest in Bhutan; and Tamshing Lhakhang, founded by Pema Lingpa, with some of the oldest murals in the country.

5. Day5

   Bumthang Sightseeing

   Overnight Bumthang hotel

   After breakfast, drive about two hours to the Tang valley to visit the Ogyen Choling Museum, a historic manor and private museum that offers a rare look at aristocratic and rural Bhutanese life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After lunch, drive back to Jakar, stopping at Mebar Tsho, the Burning Lake — the deep, rocky gorge where the treasure revealer Pema Lingpa is said to have recovered sacred relics from the water.

6. Day6

   Bumthang — Gangtey

   Overnight Gangtey hotel

   Leave the Bumthang valleys early for the long journey to Gangtey, about 190 km and eight hours, climbing back over the Pelela Pass at 3,353 m, where prayer flags stream across the wind and on clear days distant Himalayan peaks rise above the horizon. After the pass, the landscape opens and the vast, flat expanse of the Phobjikha valley unfolds. On arrival, the Gangtey Nature Hike — about 1.5 hours downhill through pine forest, bamboo groves and open meadows.

7. Day7

   Gangtey — Paro

   Overnight Paro hotel

   After breakfast, the drive to Paro, about 180 km and eight hours, winding through mountain roads, forests, villages and roadside lhakhangs hung with prayer flags, with short breaks along the way. By afternoon you arrive in Paro, where the valley opens into green fields and river views. Visit the National Museum in the Ta Dzong watchtower above the valley, then the Rinpung Dzong, the fortress on the heap of jewels, built in the 17th century.

8. Day8

   Paro — Full Day Sightseeing

   Overnight Paro hotel

   After breakfast, the excursion to Taktshang, the Tiger’s Nest, a five-hour return hike to the monastery perched on a cliff 900 m above the valley floor — where Guru Rinpoche is said to have arrived on the back of a tigress and meditated. On the way, visit the 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the 108 temples built across the Himalayas by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, whose building marks the introduction of Buddhism to Bhutan. Explore the friendly town of Paro in the evening.

9. Day9

   Departure from Paro

   After a leisurely breakfast, check out and transfer to Paro International Airport for your flight onward. Tashi Delek!