8D Himalayan Splendor

Seat-in-coach tour(HS8): Daily departure from Paro with English speaking guide

Private tour (HS8): Daily departure from Paro with a guide in the language of your choice (surcharges may apply)
 

PARO – THIMPHU (-/L/D)

DAY 1 The flight to Paro is one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights. One can see the Mt. Everest, Mt. Kanchanjunga, Mt. Makalu and other peaks in Bhutan such as Mt. Chomolhari, Mt. Jichu Drakay, and Mt. Tsherimgang. The green wall of hills known as the doors, or gateways into Bhutan from the plains climbs continually higher as down the forested mountainsides, and to the north, the great snowcapped peaks of the inner Himalayas rise up to the sky.  You will be received by the representative of Diethelm Travel Bhutan. Welcome drinks will be served. 

Visit the Ta Dzong rated as one of the finest natural Museum in South Asia, and is filled with antique thanka paintings, textiles, weapons and Armour. Drive to see the Rinpung Dzong, built in 1645 to defend the valley against Tibetan invaders. The Dzong is now use as an administration center and school for monks.

Drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Check into hotel. Walk around the National Memorial Chorten built in 1974 in honor of the late King.  Drive to see the Takin Zoo, which houses the national animal the Takin that is only found in Bhutan.  

Tour TashichhoDzong, its history is very old, dating back to the 13th century, which houses His Majesty’s Throne Room and home to the Monk Body.  Drive to BBS tower to get a view of the Thimphu valley by sunset/evening.
 

THIMPHU SIGHTSEEING  - WANGDUE (B/L/D)

DAY 2 Visit the National Library, a treasure trove of priceless Buddhist manuscripts. Visit Changangkha temple, which is the temple of Chenrizig or Compassionate Buddha. See the Traditional Incense and Paper Factory. See the Traditional Painting School of Arts & Crafts where children are taught centuries old craft, and the National Folk Heritage Museum to get an insight into the typical Bhutanese way of life. Visit the Bhutan Post to see the different Stamps of the country.  

Drive to Punakha (70Km) via the Dochula pass (3140 m). An hour’s drive from Thimphu will take you to this pass (3140 m) where one can have a superb view of the Eastern Himalayas on a clear day. There is a powerful binocular telescope in the cafeteria. From west to east these are the different peaks with their elevation: 

Drive onto Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan and presently the winter residence of the central monk body. Visit the Punakha Dzong, located on the island of the Pho – Chu (male) river and the Mochu (female) river. Visit the Dho Jha Gha Lam Temple.
 

WANGDUE – TRONGSA – BUMTHANG  (B/L/D) 

DAY 3 Today drive to Trongsa via Pele la pass at an altitude of 3,150 metres, a wonderful opportunity for photographs. Commanding the Mangde Chu at an altitude of 2,200 metres Trongsa Dzong is the most impressive dzong in Bhutan.  Built in 1644 by the Shabdrung, the dzong is an architectural masterpiece.                                                                                        

Drive to Bumthang, this is one of the most spectacular valleys in Bhutan and also the heartland of Buddhism. Here the great teachers meditated and left in their wake many sacred grounds. The Guru and his lineage of Tertons, treasure finders, have led to the sprouting of many temples in the valley. Visit Yatha Weaving Center a cooperative of the National Women Association of Bhutan where the women of the region sell their textiles and Yatha specialty. Check into Hotel.                        
 

BUMTHANG SIGHTSEEING    (B/L/D)

DAY 4 Today, it’s a pilgrimage tour for you; your first stop is the Jambay Lhakhang, built in the 7th century by the King Songtsen Goempo of Tibet. In his effort to propagate Buddhism he had a plan to build a total of 108 temples in Tibet and neighboring kingdoms. 

Chakhar Lhakhang: Besides the main road, a short distance beyond Jambay Temple, is Chakhar (Iron Castle) Lhakhang. Although it is easy to mistake it for a house and drive right by, this is an interesting temple and is worth a short visit.

Visit Jambay Lhakhang: This monastery was built in the 7th century of Tibetan King Songtsen Gembo, believed to be the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion. It is one of the 108 monasteries built by him to subdue evil spirits in the Himalayan region. 

Drive up the valley to Kurjey Lhakhang. Kurjey means, “Body imprint”. The temple to the right is the oldest and was built by Minjur Tempa in 1652. It was built around the cave in which Guru Rimpoche meditated and left his body imprint.  A few minutes walk from Kurjey cross over to the other side of the river over a small suspension bridge and visit Tamshing Lhakhang. This temple is also known as Tamshing Lhendrup Chholing (Temple of the Good Message). Visit to Jakar Dzong, “ castle of the white bird”. According to legend, when the lamas assembled in about 1549 to select a site for a monastery, a big white bird rose suddenly in the air and settled on a spur of a hill. This was interpreted as an important omen, and the hill was chosen as the site for a monastery and for Jakar Dzong. The fortress is now used as an administrative center of the valley and summer residence of Trongsa monks.  Take a walk around the beautiful landscape of the Bumthang valley.
 

BUMTHANG –GANGTAY -  WANGDUE   (B/L/D)

DAY 5 After an early breakfast, drive to Gangtey Gompa with picnic lunch. Visit Gangtey Gompa, which now houses one of the only Nyingmapa monastery in Bhutan. The valley is also the winter home to the rare black-necked cranes (Grus Nicorocolis), which migrate, from remote parts of Tibet, China and Siberia to winter in this valley. Drive to Wangdue for overnight stay. 
 

WANGDUE   - PARO (B/L/D)

DAY 6 Morning: Morning: Walk to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten (50 Mins) – temple built by the Queen Of Bhutan for peace and stability in this ever-changing world. 

Drive back to Paro driving through the idyllic countryside, dotted with villages and paddy fields, crossing rivers and natural forests to Paro. In the evening, visit a farmhouse and try our traditional drinks and snacks.         
 

PARO DAY EXCURSION   (B/L/D)

DAY 7 Morning hike up to the Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s nest). The climb up to the viewpoint will take approx. 3hours. Enjoy the stunning view of the monastery, where Guru Padmasambhava flew on the back of a tiger and landed there in the 8th century, and meditated for three months. The monastery was later built in this holy place in 1684. After tea in the café, walk back to the road point and drive to hotel for lunch. Drive to Drukgyal Dzong (fortress) now in ruins, which were built in 1646by Shabdrung to commemorate his victory over the Tibetan invaders, led by Mongolian Warlord, Gushri Khan. Historically and strategically this dzong withstood all its glory and had captured western eyes in 1914 in National Geographic magazine.

In the afternoon, visit Kyichu temple one of the 108 temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. The story goes that a giant demoness lay across the whole area of Tibet and the Himalayas and was preventing the spread of Buddhism. To overcome her, King Songtsen Gampo decided to build 108 temples, which would be placed on all the points of her body. Of these 108 temples, 12 were built in accordance with precise plans. Thus, it happened that in about the year AD 638 the temple of Jokhang in Lhasa was built over the very heart of the demoness. Visit the Dungte Lhakhang.
 

PARO – DEPARTURE (B/-/-) 

DAY 8 In the morning, your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight onwards.  
 

Our package tour prices are inclusive of transfers and tours by air conditioned car/ van/ coach with English-speaking guide on seat-in-coach departures (for private tours other language guides are available on request), entrance fees, meals as specified in the program (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner), accommodation in twin shared rooms at indicated hotels, service charges and BST (Bhutan Sales Tax), airfare Bangkok - Paro - Bangkok incl. airport tax in Bhutan.

Not included are visa fee (USD 20.00 payable upon arrival), international airport departure tax in Bangkok, other meals than mentioned in the program, surcharges during festival seasons, optional tours, and expenditures of a personal nature.

*Note: Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on road conditions and availability of rooms. 

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