Moderate cultural tour with visit to sacred temples and day hikes

A comprehensive cultural tour of western Bhutan and a central Bhutan. This trip with day hikes and visit to some of sacred temples of the Buddhism gives one a feeling of being content and happy. This trip is most fascin ating since you can get to know the countries intact cultural and tradition along with the pristine environment.

THIMPHU : Today, we will start a day hike to visit, Tango Monastery, which is about one hour walk from the road head. We will drive up north of Thimphu along the Thimphu River. It will be a picnic lunch.

L ater after the hike, we will see some of the places of interest. Our first visit will be the impressive Memorial Chorten – build in memory by the Queen Mother for her l ate husband, the third King of Bhutan. Here, the faithful circumambul ate the shrine dedic ated to the l ate king. We visit Takin (a n ational animal), School of Arts and Crafts, Folk Heritage Museum, Textile Museum, N ational Library, handicrafts emporiums, weekend markets (if in weekend), temples and probably archery, the n ational sport. (Due to limited time, one must decide which places of interest to see with your guide).

Overnight in Thimphu

THIMPHU to TRONGSA: After breakfast you will drive to Trongsa, with a stop en route at Dochu La ( 3,100 meters), where on a clear day you can get spectacular views of the Himalayas. Continue past the fortress of Wangdiphodrang and begin following the Dang Chu River drainage up towards it's source. We climb steadily passing through semi-tropical veget ation -- banana plants and cactus to pine forests and then to an alpine environment home to rhododendrons and dwarf bamboo. You'll continue your drive to Trongsa, the ancestral home of the royal family. The route is along a spectacular winding road, crossing 3,300-meter-high Pele La, and at certain times of year it's possible to see yaks. You can browse through the Trongsa shops and town in the afternoon.

Overnight in Trongsa

TRONGSA – BUMTHANG: In the morning you'll visit Trongsa Dzong, the masterpiece of Bhutanese architecture, and you'll also see Ta Dzong, the w atchtower built to defend this dzong. After lunch, you'll proceed to Bumthang, the religious heartland of the n ation, with lush valleys and hilly forests. Along the way you will stop at a yethra (textile weaving) factory, where the yethras are designed with p atterns unique to Bumthang, and you can even w atch some of the weavers at their looms. The afternoon will be spent sightseeing in the area, including Jakar Dzong, the administr ative center of the valley; the Udee woodcarving factory in Jakar; Jambey Lhakhang, one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan, d ating from the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan; and Kurjey Lhakhang, one of the most sacred places, because Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint on the cave when he was medit ating. You can spend the evening strolling through Bumthang town.

BUMTHANG: Bumthang consists of four valleys--Chumey, Choekhar, Tang, and Ura--with altitudes varying from 2,600 to 4,000 meters. It is home to many prominent Buddhist temples and monasteries. Day excursion to Ura Valley. The road to Ura Valley is off the main road, and this enjoyable excursion will provide a nice view of the Jakar Dzong. You'll make a stop in Ura village for lunch and will have a chance to visit the main temple and explore the village. Ura Village has a medieval look to it because of the cobblestone streets, and the typical clothing of the women includes a sheepskin shawl. On the way back to town, you will be taken to Membar Tsho ( Burning Lake), where some of Guru Rinpoche's treasures were found in the 15th century by the famous treasure discover Pema Lingpa. It's a good place to medit ate. You will also have a chance to tour Tamshing Lhakhang, a treasure house of interesting religious Buddhist paintings, and you will make a stop at the Swiss cheese factory. In the evening you can visit local shops.

Overnight in Bumthang

BUMTHANG – PUNAKHA: We will drive back to Punakha the same route as we came in.

Overnight in Punakha

PUNAKHA - PARO: Before we proceed to Paro, we will visit Punakha dzong, the ancient capital of Bhutan, The massive dzong built at the confluence of the Po (male) and Mo (female) Rivers, was built in 1647 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and is the winter home of the central monk body. The monk body moves from Thimphu to Punakha during the winter months. We will drive back to Paro. If time permits, we will visit the impressive Ta Dzong - the ancient w atchtower above the Paro Dzong which now houses the N ational Museum. The museum houses some of the ancient Buddhist st atus besides housing finest thanka, scrolls. It also houses Bhutan animals, birds and other interesting Bhutan way of life.

In the evening walk to see some shops, if interested

Overnight in Paro

PARO: This morning we drive the winding road beside the Pa Chu (chu means river or w ater) to S atsam Chorten. From this point, we begin the challenging hike to Taktsang – “The Tiger's Nest.” A vantage point directly across a gorge from the temple can be reached in about 2 hours. This magical monastery clings to a vertical granite cliff 2, 000’ above the valley floor. Legend says th at Guru Padmasambhava flew to a cave on this cliff riding a tiger - hence the name - to medit ate. The tiger was actually his favorite consort, Yeshe Tsogyel, whom he transformed to a flying tiger for the purposes of this journey. They medit ated in the cave and when the Guru left he instructed th at the monastery be built. Nothing like a day hike to finish your wonderful stay in Bhutan.

This evening is at your leisure. If wanted to see anything more, your guide will take your around.

PARO – BANGKOK. Today we return to the airport for your departure from the Land of the Thunder Dragon to Bangkok

Central Thailand
· Bangkok
· Ayuthaya
· Kanchanaburi

Northern Thailand
· Chiang Mai
· Chiang Rai
· Mae Hong Son
· Lampang
· Lamphun
· Sukhothai
· Hilltribes People

East & West Coast
· Pattaya
· Rayong
· Hua Hin
· Koh Samed Island
· Koh Chang Island

Southern Thailand
· Phuket Island
· Samui Island
· Phi Phi Island
· Krabi
· Phang Nga
· Koh Tao
· Koh Phagnan
· Koh Lanta
· Khao Lak

North Easthern
· Khao Yai
· Khao Phra Viharn
· Ubon Ratchathani
· Nakhon Phanom