Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon

Through its splendid monasteries and dzong, spectacular landscape of fertile valleys, lush forests and snow-capped peaks, delightful people, fascinating culture and the unique Thimphu Tshechu festival, we share in the carefully preserved timeless traditions and heritage of this delightful Kingdom on the ‘roof of the world’.  The tour ends returning to Kathmandu to explore some of the important sites it has to offer. 

Day 1: Saturday, 22nd September

London / Kathmandu

Depart London Heathrow on a Jet Airways overnight flight to Delhi and onward to Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Day 2: Sunday, 23rd September

Kathmandu

On arrival, transfer to the charming Summit Hotel, a comfortable hotel with beautiful gardens and an outdoor swimming pool overlooking the Himalayan mountain range, and where one night is spent.  Rest of the afternoon at leisure.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Monday, 24th September

Kathmandu / Paro / Thimphu

Morning transfer to Kathmandu airport for a Druk Air flight to Paro, Bhutan. 

Transfer to lunch at a local restaurant.  Drive to Thimphu and check into the Druk Hotel (or similar), located in the heart of the city centre, surrounded by rolling hills it is one of Thimphu’s oldest hotels, and where three nights are spent.    Rest of the afternoon at leisure.  Evening walking tour of Thimphu.  Return to the hotel for dinner.

Day 4: Tuesday, 25th September

Thimphu

Our visit coincides with one of the largest and most renowned of Bhutan’s great festivals - the Thimphu Tshechu Festival – and we spend this morning at the festival.  The Thimphu Tshechu festival honours Guru Padmasambhava, a great Indian saint who contributed enormously to the diffusion of Tantric Buddhism in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan around 800 AD.  The festival is not a pageant or entertainment, but a serious religious ceremony that is performed to seek protection and happiness, although it is accompanied by colourful masked dances with spectacular costumes made of bright silk and rich brocade, ornate hats or masks which represent animals, skulls or fearsome deities.  The dances are performed by laymen as well as by Monks and each one has its own religious significance and interpretation.  People from all walks of life come to see the festival in their best outfits to receive the blessing obtained by attending.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  This afternoon will be spent exploring the sights of Thimphu.  Begin at the Tibetan-style National Memorial Chorten which houses religious paintings and tantric statues before continuing to Tashichho Dzong, a Buddhist monastery and fortress, which has been the seat of Bhutan’s government since 1952 and presently houses the throne room and offices of the king, the secretariat and ministries of home affairs and finance.  Visit Changangkha Monastery, an old fortress-like temple and monastic school perched on the ridge above Thimphu, southeast of Motithang.  It was established in the 12th century on a site by Lama Phajo Drukgom Shigpo, who came from Tibet and is the oldest temple in Thimphu.  Finally visit the Handicraft Emporium in the centre of town as well as the Zilukkha Nunnery before returning to the hotel.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5: Wednesday, 26th September

Thimphu

This morning begin with some more sightseeing including the Traditional Medicine Museum, the National Library, which was founded in 1967 to preserve many of the ancient Dzongkha and Tibetan texts, the Silversmith, and the Textile Museum which shows the living national art of weaving including weaving techniques, styles of local dress and textiles made by women and men. 

Lunch at a local restaurant.  The afternoon is spent at the festival.   Dinner at the hotel.

Day 6: Thursday, 27th September

Thimphu / Gangtey

The morning will be spent at the festival.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Transfer to Gangtey over the Dochula Pass which is around 3,150 metres above sea level and is mostly covered with white clouds, however on a clear day you can see spectacular views of the mighty Himalaya mountain range.  Check into the simple but comfortable Dewachen Lodge where two nights are spent.  Dewachen, which means ‘Place of Happiness’, is built in the style of a Bhutanese home using traditional materials and textiles, and all rooms have views over the valley.  Dinner at the hotel.    

Day 7: Friday, 28th September

Gangtey

Drive into the Phobjika Valley, considered one of the most beautiful places in Bhutan, which has been designated a conservation area.  The glacial valley, lying on the edge of the Black Mountain National Park, is one of the most important wildlife preserves in Bhutan.  We hope to see the black neck cranes which have a special place in Bhutanese folklore and roost here in the winter.  In addition, barking deer, wild boar, leopards, Himalayan black bears and red foxes can be seen here.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Visit the Gangteng Goempa – one of the oldest Nyingma monasteries in Bhutan – which stands in the centre of the valley, rising dramatically from a small ridge.  Return to the hotel.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 8: Saturday, 29th September

Gangtey / Punakha

This morning transfer to Punakha stopping en route to visit Chemilhakhang, a Buddhist monastery which was built in 1499 as a legacy to the popular Buddhist saint, Lama Drukpa Kinley (1455-1529), who extensively travelled in Bhutan, was fond of women and wine, and adopted blasphemous and unorthodox ways of teaching Buddhism.  Continue to Wangdi Dzong which was founded by the Zhabdrung in 1638 and the site was of which was selected for its commanding view of the valleys below.   Continue to Punakha, set in a fertile valley, which was once the capital and seat of government in Bhutan. 

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Check into the comfortable Damchen Hotel, a small and charming hotel located on the banks of the river Punakha, where three nights are spent.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 9: Sunday, 30th September

Punakha

Walk to Khamsumyulley Chorten (about a one hour walk) which stands out on a beautiful ridge above the Punakha valley.  It was built by Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, and took nine years to build consulting holy scriptures rather than engineering manuals.  The four-storey temple is a fine example of Bhutanese architecture and artistic traditions.

Lunch at a local restaurant / picnic lunch.  Afternoon sightseeing in Punakha.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 10: Monday, 1st  October

Punakha / Thimphu / Paro

Drive to Paro visiting Richengang village en route, which is believed to be one of the oldest villages in Bhutan, where many of the inhabitants are stonemasons.  Continue with the long ascent back to the Dochula Pass and then descending through forests and orchards, passing medieval goembas, to Thimphu for lunch.

After lunch, hopefully there will be time to explore the shops and handicrafts centres before continuing west to Paro.  Check in to the Gangtey Palace Hotel where three nights are spent.   The hotel, once a traditional family home, overlooks the town of Paro, and offers beautifully appointed accommodation and excellent facilities including hot stone therapy and Indian head massage in exquisite surroundings.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 11: Tuesday, 2nd October

Paro

This morning begins with a visit to Paro Dzong’s neighbouring watchtower (Ta Dzong) which now houses the National Museum, the only museum in Bhutan which has a spectacular and varied collection giving a fascinating insight into the history and culture of the Kingdom.  Also visit Dungtse Monastery and Kichu Monastery, the latter being one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan, built by Thangtong Gyelpo who also built the first iron suspension bridge in the 14th century.

Lunch at a local restaurant.  Drive to the Chelela Pass (4,000m) and walk (90 mins) to the Keeli Nunnery, which was established as a meditation site in the 9th century and is reputedly the oldest nunnery in Bhutan.  Dinner at the hotel.

Day 12: Wednesday, 3rd October

Paro

Morning visit to the Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) monastery, which perches on the side of a cliff, 900-metres above the valley.  It was founded by Guru Rimpoche who, legend has it, flew on the back of a Tigress and meditated in the cave, where the monastery stands, for three months.  The monastery itself was built by Desi Tenzin Rabgye in 1646 and is a place of pilgrimage and a recognised holy place.  The hike takes about four to five hours with spectacular views en route and permission will be obtained to enter the monastery which is normally closed to visitors due to a fire in 1998. 

Lunch at Taktsang Cafeterai.  Return to the hotel and rest of the afternoon at leisure.  Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 13: Thursday, 4th October

Paro / Kathmandu & Patan

Transfer to Paro airport for a morning Druk Air flight to Kathmandu.

Early lunch at a local restaurant.  Afternoon city tour of Kathmandu including Durbar Square and Teleju Temple with its gilded roofs; the present temple was restored by King Mahendra Malla in 1562.  Also see the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar, the old Royal Palace, where the gate is guarded by a statue of Hanuman, the monkey-god, wrapped in a red cloak’, whose face is covered by a thick layer of sindur, a red dust mixed with mustard oil.  Stop at the House of the Living Goddess where the virgin goddess known as Kumari, a young girl from the Sakya community, lives and is worshipped, until she gets too old and is then replaced with a younger girl.  Continue to Swayambhunath, the ‘Monkey Temple’, the oldest shrine in the world established more than 2500 years ago, where the legendary Manjushri discovered the lotus growing in the ancient Kathmandu Valley Lake.  Situated on top of a high hill, Swayambhunath commands a superb view of the valley below.  The four sides of this ancient structure are painted with the compassionate eyes of Buddha. Between the eyes is a mystical third eye symbolizing true wisdom.  The nose, appearing as an incomplete question mark, is the Nepalese number of one, a symbol of unity.

Transfer to Patan, the city of arts and architecture founded in 250 A.D. and also known as Lalitpur.  It is renowned for its fine works in bronze, silver and copper.  Visit Durbar Square, the Royal Baths, Mahaboudha Temple, which features some of the finest terra cotta work in Kathmandu, Krishna Mandir Temple, which features beautiful and intricate carving work in stone, metal and wood, and Hiranya Verna Mahabihar (the Golden Temple).   The new Patan Museum faces onto Durbar Square and is housed in a beautifully restored and renovated former Malla residential palace. The collection spans much of Nepal’s cultural history, and consists primarily of metalwork sculptures of Hindu and Buddhist deities, typical of the Patan tradition of craftsmanship.  Return to the Summit Hotel.  Farewell dinner.

Day 14: Friday, 5th October

Kathmandu / Delhi / London

Transfer to the airport for a morning Jet Airways flight to Delhi and onward to London Heathrow arriving in the late afternoon. 

N.B Please note that this trip does involve a substantial amount of walking and a certain level of fitness is required.