Bhutan Program - 04 nights / 05 days

Arriving at the Paro International Airport, our representative will receive you and escort you to Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. The drive takes you through the winding road with lots of beautiful hamlets. Upon reaching, check in the hotel.

In the evening visit TashichoDzong

Tashichhodzong: Located on the northern edge of the city of Thimphu, on the western bank of the Wang chuTashichhoDzong is Bhutan's most stately and arguably the most impressive building. It has traditionally been the seat of the Drukdesi or ‘Dharma Raja’, the head of Bhutan's civil government, an office which has been combined with the kingship since the creation of the monarchy in 1907, and summer capital of the country. It houses the throne room of His Majesty the King of Bhutan and is the summer residence of the venerated monastic community. The current dzong is the impressive result of a redesign of the original medieval structure sanctioned by the Third King, His Majesty King JigmeDorjiWangchuk, when he moved the capital to Thimphu from Punakha.

The Fortress of the glorious religion houses the throne room of His Majesty the King, the main secretariat building and the central monk body. Its courtyard is open to visitors during the ThimphuTshechu and when the monk moves to its winter residence in Punakha.

Overnight at Hotel – L D

Tango and Cheri hike.

About an hour's drive north of Thimphu lie Tango and Cheri Monasteries, two of the premier Buddhist academic institutions in Bhutan. The hike to one or both of these beautiful monasteries begins from where the road ends. The trails to Tango & Cheri monasteries take about 1½ hour uphill walk through the forest.

Tango Lhakhang Lama GyalwaLhanampa founded this monastic school in the 12th century and the present building was built in the 15th century by the 'divine madman', Lama DrukpaKuenley. Tango is the residence of an important Trulku (reincarnate lama) who is recognized as the seventh reincarnation of the highly respected fourth Desi, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye, whose previous incarnation passed away in 1830.

Cheri Lhakhang The trail starts by crossing a traditional wooden bridge that spans the Wang Chhu. ZhabdrungNgawangNamgyal built this monastery in 1620. A silver chorten inside the monastery holds the ashes of the Zhabdrung's father.

Later evening stroll around the town and visit Thimphu weekend market which is by far the largest domestic market for the farmers of Bhutan. Farmers from all over the country bring their farm products to the market. It has also turned out to be one of the most favored spots for tourists and a recreational place for people from all walks of life. Different varieties of fruits and vegetables grown in the farms around the country and some imported from India are displayed.

Overnight at Hotel- B / L / D

Today we will visit following places in Thimphu and later drive back to Paro

The Folk Heritage Museum is set inside a 19th century three-storied traditional building and was established in 2001. The museum houses different tools, materials, objects, equipments and artifacts from rural Bhutanese households and gives a good insight of the traditional Bhutanse lifestyle.

To showcase the authenticity of the country, the museum preserves a rural setting with paddy, wheat and millet fields, a traditional water-mill with mill stones more than 150 years old, traditional style kitchen gardens with vegetables that were grown over the past 100 years and the famous traditional hot stone bath. Native trees and plants that had domestic uses in Bhutanese rural household are being grown here in an effort to keep indigenous knowledge about the use of natural resources alive.

The Memorial Chorten, also known as the Thimphu Chorten is a large Tibetan-style Buddhist Monastery with golden spires and bells. It is a popular landmark and one of the most visible religious structures in Thimphu.

It was built in 1974 to honor the memory of the third king, JigmeDorjiWangchuck. The chorten is richly carved and contains statues and a shrine dedicated to the king. The king’s photo in a ceremonial dress adorns a hall in the ground floor. The king when alive wanted to build ‘a chorten to represent the mind of the Buddha’.

The National Library of Bhutan is a four-storied eight-cornered traditional building, which looks like the central tower temple of a Bhutanese Dzong. It was initially housed and established in 1967 within the central tower of TashichhoDzong. Later, due to its growing collection, it was moved to its current location and inaugurated in 1984. The building that initially had a small collection of precious texts now holds an archive responsible for collecting and preserving important past, present and future documents on Bhutan for future generations. The library also has a representative collection of English and western language books mainly related to the Himalayas, Bhutan and Buddhism.

The Folk Heritage Museum is set inside a 19th century three-storied traditional building and was established in 2001. The museum houses different tools, materials, objects, equipments and artifacts from rural Bhutanese households and gives a good insight of the traditional Bhutanse lifestyle.

To showcase the authenticity of the country, the museum preserves a rural setting with paddy, wheat and millet fields, a traditional water-mill with mill stones more than 150 years old, traditional style kitchen gardens with vegetables that were grown over the past 100 years and the famous traditional hot stone bath. Native trees and plants that had domestic uses in Bhutanese rural household are being grown here in an effort to keep indigenous knowledge about the use of natural resources alive.

National Institute of Traditional Medicine: Established in 1988, the National Institute of Traditional Medicine strives to merge the allopathic and traditional systems of healing. A large laboratory and a production facility inside the institute monitors and ensures the quality of the components like the plants, minerals, precious metals etc. A day-care facility and clinic opened in the institute is available for public use. The institution also produces Bhutanese medicines and they have a plot inside their premise where they grow different herbs and plants. The institution premise has a small museum, a gift shop (where the famous herbal tea -Tsheringma- is produced) and also a training school for traditional medicine practitioners. After the closing of the institute, visitors can walk along the compound to view it from the outside.

Paro Dzong, also known as RingpungDzong means ‘Fortess on a heap of jewels’. This impressive dzong is the finest example of Bhutanese architecture and is one of the most popular and well known dzongs in Bhutan. It is the administrative seat of the district of Paro. The dzong was built in the 16th century on the foundation of a monastery built by Guru Rinpoche. In the past, this dzong was used on numerous occasions to defend the Paro Valley from invasions by Tibet.

Unlike most of the other dzongs in Bhutan that suffered severe damage, the Paro Dzong survived the massive earthquake of 1897. However, it was almost burnt to the ground by a fire in 1907. All-important relics were lost to the fire and nothing could be salvaged except for the Thongdrol, a 20x20 meter-wide Thangka. The Thangka is displayed annually during a ceremony called ParoTshechu. The Dzong was however rebuilt the following year.

Overnight at Hotel :- B /L/ D

Visit DrukgyelDzong and hike to Taktsang Monastery

The DrukgyelDzong, an administrative centre till 1951 when a fire caused by a butter lamp engulfed the Dzong and completely destroyed it. All that remains of the Dzong now are tokens of a haunted house, still robust walls and charred remains of gigantic wooden posts and beams.

The DrukgyelDzong was originally built as one of the four principal Dra Dzongs (defense fortress). It was built in 1649 to commemorate the victory of the Bhutanese over the allied Tibet-Mongol forces. Drukgyel means ‘the fortress of victory’. The Dzong sits on a trail that leads to the Paro Valley from Tibet. It was once a major trade route between Bhutan and the Tibetan town of Phari.

As a defense fortress, DrukgyelDzong is said to have housed the finest armory in the country, which was located in a room overlooking the southern valley. While most were burnt in the fire some that were saved from the fire are now kept in RinpungDzong.

Perched on the side of a vertical cliff at 3000 m altitude north of Paro, the beautiful Taktsang Monastery also known the ‘Tiger’s Nest’ is the most famous and an unofficial symbol of Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche (Guru Padmasambhava) flew to this location from Khenpajong, Tibet on the back of a tigress and subdued a demon. He then meditated in a cave here for three months and emerged in eight incarnated forms (manifestations) and blessed the place. Guru Padmasambhava is known for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan. Today, Paro Taktsang is the best known of the thirteen caves in which Guru Padmasambhava meditated.

Taktsang Monastery is a pilgrimage site for both tourists and locals. The journey up to the monastery is filled with spiritual bliss. Keeping this spiritual side aside, the journey up to Taktsang Monastery is also a hiker’s delight. An hour hike up to a small wooden teahouse called Cafeteria provides close view of the monastery. A further and a rather challenging hike lead you to the glorious Taktsang Monastery.

Overnight at Hotel - B / L / D

Transfer to airport for your onward flight