Bhutan Tour Program: 5 nights /6 days
- Day 1: 09 November, Saturday, Arrival Paro | Thimphu 65km (1hour drive)
- Day 2: 10th November, Sunday, Thimphu to Phobjikha /Gangtey 129km, (4 hours’ drive with stop)
- Day 3: 11th November, Monday, Phobjikha /Gangtey (Black neck crane festival) to Punakha,78.6 km (2 hours and 30 mins drive)
- Day 4: 12th November, Tuesday, Punakha to Paro 128 km (3 hours,30 mins drive)
- Day 5: 13th November, Wednesday, Paro (Sightseeing)
- Day 6: 14th November, Thursday, Drop to airport
DAY 1, 09 NOV: Arrival Paro | Sightseeing | Thimphu (1 hour approximately)
Departure at Paro airport in Druk air, the National airlines of Bhutan, after you arrive at Paro Airport, our representatives would be there to welcome and escort you thereafter till the end of your tour in Bhutan. Paro is the only entry point for visitors flying into Bhutan on the national carrier, Druk Air, and the seconf airline in the country is Bhutan Airlines which is a private airline.
Drive to Thimphu, which is about one hour drive, on the way stop at Tacho Lhakhang the iron bridge monastery, visit Tacho Lhakhang (iron bridge monastery), Tacho Lhakhang Bridge is made of wood and Iron, this is the first iron bridge to have ever been built in Bhutan. Tacho Lhakhang Bridge greets its guests with a fantastic view of the surroundings.
Check in the hotel and rest.
Visit Memorial Chorten.
The Memorial Stupa, Thimphu, also known as the Thimphu Chorten, built in 1974 to honor the third Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, where a lot of elderly and young people circumambulate the chorten in order to get merits and wash away their sins.
After lunch,
Visit the glorious Thimphu Dzong, perched on the left bank of Wangchu River surrounded by terraced rice field at the backdrop and nine-hole golf course on the right wing. This majestic structure houses the office of the king of Bhutan and summer residence of the central monastic body. Insides you will be permitted to visit the main Buddha shrine with impressive architectural decor. Spend circa 10 minutes exploring the ancient murals of thousand Buddha and sixteen major disciples of Lord Buddha. Then stroll in the spacious court- yard of the fort photographing impressive architecture and interacting with young Buddhist monks.
Lunch in the authentic Bhutanese restaurant, in Folk heritage.
Visit the Takin Zoo, where our national animal of Bhutan and other animals are kept, take a short drive excursion to the prominent BBS tower at Sangaygang to enjoy the beautiful view of Thimphu city.
Visit the local vegetable market, where villagers get local organic produce from all parts of Bhutan to sell.
Overnight at hotel Namgay heritage in Thimphu.
DAY 2, 10th Nov: Thimphu | Phobjikha (4 hours approximately)
After breakfast in the hotel, check out from the hotel, you will visit a small cottage paper factory on the opposite of Thimphu town. This small factory is famed for its handmade paper and associated products. At the factory you will observe the making of paper from locally available Daphne shrub. Essentially, more than 80% of its making involves manual processes. The finished products are supplied to both local and international vendors.
In the vicinity of factory, visit a showroom, which displays quite a good variety of paper products. The products are best to gift as souvenir to friends and family by virtue of its authenticity and local originality.
Then you will be driven to the landmark Kuenselphodrang, where 169 feet statue of lord Buddha stands tall overlooking Thimphu valley. Truly, the Buddha is the tallest of its kind in the world, crafted from pure bronze metal. Stroll around the spacious foreground of Buddha venue taking pictures and soaking up scenic views of Thimphu valley. Afterwards, take a short hike to Kuenselphodrang Park and engage in hanging of prayer flags on a prominent spot.
Drive to Phobjikha,
Phobjikha/Gangtey, the valley famed for its breathtaking scenes of wide-open landscapes with well-preserved ancientness of Medieval Bhutan. Unlike other destinations in the country, Phobjikha has received special attention to refrain from introducing modern developmental activities because the entire valley is a winter roosting place of endangered migratory bird, the black neck cranes. These rare species fly all the way from Tibetan plateau at post harvest season to spend their entire winter months in this beautiful valley. They are well taken care by the government of Bhutan and at the onset of spring season; they fly back to Tibet to spend the rest of warmer season.
However, enjoy your daylong drive excursion through east west highway snaking through thick and mixed forest of sub-alpine zone of inner Himalaya. From Thimphu the road will gradually ascend over the hills of Yusipang and Hongtsho until you arrive the breathtaking mountain pass of Dochula measuring 3,150-meter.
Dochula is a fun weekend escape place for the locals and must visit destination for foreigners. The pass is festooned by impressive 108 chortens, small stupas. Add on the overpowering, distant Himalayan Mountain vistas will offer irresistible photography opportunity. Stroll around 20 minutes at Dochula.
Leaving Dochula, your drive will start descending through winding roads, scenic valleys and thick jungle of lamperi, menchuna, Thinleygang, until you arrive the warmer valley of Lobesa.
Lunch in a local restaurant, in Wangdue, you will continue with road trip to Phobjikha. Crossing Wangdue, you will enter the bumpy widening road of Eastern Bhutan sure to disappoint your journey. Along the way you will settle well with appetizing sceneries of rural settings and natural beauty. After two hours, you will enter the heavenly enclave of Phobjikha valley. After settling in the farmhouse or hotel, stroll across the valley soaking up stunning evening sceneries.
Overnight at Gangtey tent resort in Phobjikha.
DAY 3 ,11th Nov: Phobjikha (FESTIVAL) -Punakha (2-and-a-half-hour drive)
After breakfast, visit the Phobjikha festival.
Phobjikha valley has lots to offer. The Annual Black-necked Crane Festival is a one-day event celebrated at Gangtey Gonpa, Gangteng-Phobji valley in Wangdurphodrang District in Central Bhutan each year on 11th November. Gangteng-Phobji valley is the largest winter habitat of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan, with approximately 300 individuals each year. The Black-necked Crane Festival is organized by the Gangteng-Phobji Environment Management Committee (GPEMC) composed of several local stakeholders.
During the winter months, the Black-necked Cranes become part of the local people’s daily lives. The festival is an occasion for the locals to rejoice and celebrate the arrival of Black-necked Cranes, revered as the heavenly birds. The festival is organized to generate awareness, provide economic incentives for local communities and form an avenue for the locals to renew their commitment to conserve the cranes. It also offers communities an opportunity to showcase their cultural heritage and skills. The festival generally includes cultural programs such as folk songs, environment related songs and mask dances performed by the local people, school children and monks. The highlight of the festival is usually the locally choreographed crane dance performed by school children. The festival was initiated by Royal Society for Protection of Nature, a national NGO, as a part of Integrated Conservation and Development Program (ICDP). The first festival was held in November 1998 in the middle of the valley near the old school. RSPN received the guidance of International Crane Foundation, USA in the initial years.
After lunch, drive to Punakha. Visit Punakha Dzong:
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dewa Chhenbi Phodrang (meaning "the palace of great happiness or bliss") built in 1637-1638 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and the former capital of Bhutan. Located between the two rivers, Po Chhu (Male River) and Mo Chhu (Female River) is the one of the most beautiful Dzongs of Bhutan.
Chimi Lhakhang, also known as Chime Lhakhang or Monastery or temple, is a Buddhist monastery in Punakha District, Bhutan.Located near Lobesa, it stands on a round hillock and was built in 1499 by the 14th Drukpa hierarch, Ngawang Choegyel, after the site was blessed by the "Divine Madman" the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley (1455–1529) who built a chorten on the site.
DAY 4, 12th Nov: Punakha to Paro (4 hours’ drive withy stop)
After breakfast,visit the suspension bridge which is the longest bridge in Bhutan measuring 180meters long.
Drive to Paro,
Lunch on the way. Drive towards Paro. On arrival check in the hotel and rest,
Visit the Rinpung Dzong, referred to as Paro Dzong is a large dzong Buddhist monastery and fortress - of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school in Paro District, Bhutan. It houses the district Monastic Body as well as government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
The Paro Tshechu (festival) which happens in the second lunar Buddhist month is the largest festival and most visited festival for tourist.
Visit the Ta Dzong (Paro Museum)
The Museum is perched above Paro Dzong is its ta dzong (watchtower), built in 1649 to protect the undefended dzong and renovated in 1968 to house the National Museum. The unusual round building is said to be in the shape of a conch shell, with 2.5m-thick walls. The ta dzong suffered damage in the 2011 earthquake but reopened in 2019 as the nation's premier museum.
In the evening, visit the Drukgyel Dzong, this fortress was built in 1647 to commemorate victory over an invasion from Tibet.
DAY 5 ,13th Nov: (Taktsang Monastery) Tiger nest Hike, 5 hours hike.
Early morning after breakfast drive north of Paro. You can get a walking stick or a horse on paying some amount to take you up, if you like to avail the service
Taktsang Palphug Monastery more famous as Paro Taktsang is a Buddhist temple complex which clings to a cliff, 3120 meters above the sea level on the side of the upper Paro valley, Bhutan. A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave, where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century. Guru Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan and is the tutelary deity of the country. Today, Paro Taktsang is the best known of the thirteen Taktsang or "tiger lair" caves in which he meditated.
When you hike down from Taktsang, stop in between for lunch in Cafeteria, where you can rest and have your lunch and carry on downhill to the base.
Visit Kichu Lhakhang (Temple):
The Jowo Temple of Kyichu is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, originally built in the 7th century by the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo. It is considered to be one of the 108 border taming temples he built.
Evening you can visit the farm house in the village for a traditional hot stone bath, which is relaxing and is of great medicinal values, dinner in farmhouse.
The hot stone bath is optional and has to be paid to the farm house directly which about 15$ per person.
Day 6 :14th November, Drop to airport
After breakfast, Drop to Airport for departure.
The above rate is as below:
| Flight no. | Date | Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| KB401 | 09NOV | Bangkok -Paro | 0910 | 1030 |
| KB152 | 14NOV | Paro-Bangkok | 0710 | 0801 |
KTM PBH KTM
USD 456.10
Airfare Kathmandu -Paro -Kathmandu:
Economy fare per person: USD 456.10
1290 USD, per day, per person inclusive of SDF (Sustainable development fee), visa fee,3-star hotels (sharing basis) breakfast, lunch and dinner, all beverages except alcoholic beverage, car H1 bus, with licensed tour guide, entrance fees to Dzong, Lhakhangs, musuems etc.