9N/10D with Bumthang

Day 1: Arrive Phuntsoling

Arrive at Bagdogra Airport, Siliguri or NJP Railway Station. Our driver will receive you and the tour starts with a drive to Phuntsoling, the small little town at India – Bhutan Border on the Bhutan side. Our guide will meet you at the border and have a small welcome ceremony at the hotel. Check-in to a hotel and relax. Evening is free for taking a stroll in Phuntsoling (Bhutan) or Jaigoan (India), the border towns.

Day 2: Phuntsoling – Thimphu

After having breakfast, checkout from the hotel. Our host will help you in completing the immigration formalities. After getting the initial vibes of being in another country, we will drive to Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Thimphu is located at 145 km from Phuntsoling, and the distance can be covered in 4-5 hours. On the way, we will visit Gedu Town and Wangkha Waterfall. In the evening, spend some time at leisure at Thimphu. Check-in to a hotel and relax. If you are interested in nightlife of Thimphu, you can experience it today.

Thimphu is the most modern city in Bhutan with an abundance of restaurants, internet cafes, nightclubs and shopping centres. However, it still retains its’ cultural identity and values amidst the signs of modernisation. The culture of Bhutan is fully reflected in Thimphu in respect of religion, customs, national dress code, the monastic practices of the monasteries, music, dance, literature and the media.

Day 3: Thimphu sightseeing

Today, we will visit the town of Thimphu. We will start the group tour today by visiting Buddha Point (also called Buddha Dordenma) which is located atop a hill in Kuenselphodrang Nature Park and overlooks the Southern entrance to Thimphu Valley. The statue fulfils an ancient prophecy dating back to the 8th Century A.D that was discovered by Terton Pema Lingpa and is said to emanate an aura of peace and happiness to the entire world.

Later we will go to National memorial Chorten which was built in 1974 to honor the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. A chorten is a hemispherical shaped memorial stupa. Known as teh most visible religious landmark in Bhutan, it is used as a place of meditation.

Later, we will also visit Takin Reserve. Takin is the national animal of Bhutan. Hear the mythical story behind the creation of this animal from your guide while visiting. We will also go for a short but picturesque Wangdi Tse Hike (offbeat hike) to enjoy the panoramic view of entire Thimphu Valley.

Evening will be at leisure to stroll remaining town of Thimphu.

Day 4: Thimphu – Dochula Pass – Punakha

Today, we will checkout of hotel. Later, we will drive to Dochula Pass. Dochula pass is located on the way to Punakha from Thimphu. The pass is a popular location among tourists as it offers a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of the Himalayan mountain range. The view is especially scenic on clear, winter days with snowcapped mountains forming a majestic backdrop to the tranquility of the 108 chortens gracing the mountain pass.

we will drive to Punakha, and will visit Chimi Lhakhang. Chimi Lhakang is known to the English speaking world as The Fertility Temple, is a Buddhist monastery, in the Punakha District of Bhutan, idyllically placed on a rotund hill. The temple was built over half a millennium ago by Ngawang Choegyel, the 14th Drukpa hierarch. The stupa, meditation hall, was constructed by the “Divine Madman,” the eccentric Yogi and saint Drukpa Kunley, who blessed the entire grounds. The monastery is renowned throughout Bhutan as a fertility inducing magnet, pledging that all who wish to conceive will find guidance at the temple. Thousands pilgrimage to The Fertility Temple in the hopes of having a child, as well as receiving a wang, blessing, from the saint with the ‘magic thunderbolt of wisdom.

We will also visit Punakha Dzong, the most beautiful and most important Dzong of Bhutan. This is the most beautiful dzong in the country, especially in spring when the lilac-coloured jacaranda trees bring a lush sensuality to the dzong’s characteristically towering whitewashed walls. This dzong was the second to be built in Bhutan and it served as the capital and seat of government until the mid-1950s. All of Bhutan’s kings have been crowned here.

In the evening, we will check-in to hotel and relax.

Day 5: Punakha – Bumthang via Trongsa

About 8 hours of drive from Punakha is Bumthang, the central district of Trongsa and the ancestral home of Bhutan’s royal family and from where the first two kings ruled the kingdom. On the way to Bumthang, you will also visit Trongsa Dzong in the valley centre.

Its labyrinth of temples, corridors, offices and living quarters for the monks add up to a masterpiece
in Bhutanese architecture preserved through professional restoration in 2004. Trongsa, literally “New Town” in the Dzongkha language, is where the current monarchy had its origin in Bhutan. Each King in the line of succession has held the post of Trongsa Penlop or Governor before donning the Raven Crown. The foundations of Trongsa Dzong were laid in the 16th century by. Its foundation was laid by Pema Lingpa and flourished during the 17th century under Shabdrung Ngwang Namgyal. The impressive fortress is a massive structure, its wall looming high above the winding Mangde Chu Valley,commanding the east-west road Chendebji Chorten 2 kilometres beyond Chendebji village is Chendebji Chorten, at a lovel0y spot by a river confluence. The large white chorten is patterned after Swayambhunath in Kathmandu and was built in the 19th century by Lama Shida, to cover the remains of an evil spirit that were killed.

Day 6: Bumthang

Bumthang Valley is known as the heartland of Buddhism in Bhutan. In 746 AD, it is said that Guru Rinpoche arrived here to exorcise a demon from the king and then converted the people to Buddhism, restoring peace to the region. Guru Rinpoche stayed in the valley to build more than 40 temples.

Today we will then visit the sacred monastery Kurjey Lhakhang, which houses a rock that shows Guru Rinpoche’s body imprint after he subdued the powerful Shelging Karpo demon.

According to legend, a giant demoness was preventing the spread of Buddhism by laying her body across Tibet and Bhutan. In 659 AD, King Sontsen Gambo built 108 temples in one day, pinning her to the earth.

Jambay Lhakhang is one of the two temples built in Bhutan that day, and every autumn it hosts a colorful festival to celebrate. Kenchosum Lhakhang Kenchosum Lhakhang is a rural looking temple which
has its roots in the 7th century. The current structure, however, dates back to the 15th century when Pema Lingpa, the Treasure Discoverer, restored it and revealed terma (sacred texts and artefacts) on the hillside behind the temple.The temple has three small Buddha statues representing the past, present and the future,are believed to have flown there, hence the name Kencho meaning divine and Sum meaning three. Legend has it that when the bell inside is rung, it can be heard as far away as Lhasa in Tibet.

Jakar Dzong was founded in 1549 by the great grandfather of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the father and unifier of medieval Bhutan. Known as the Castle of the White Bird, it was built on top of the hill because the lamas were directed there by a large white bird.

The Swiss Farm Owned by local Swiss Bhutanese Fritz Maurer is where a variety of Swiss cheese and Bhutan’s only native beer, Red Panda are produced.

Day 7: Bumthang – Gangtey

On our way to Gangtey, we will pass through Trongsa, the ancestral home of the Wangchuck monarchy. Meaning new town, the first temple was built here in 1543. Traditionally, each king of Bhutan has held the position of Trongsa Penlop (governor) before wearing the Raven Crown.

Up the mountain sits the Trongsa Museum Taa Dzong, a watchtower built in 1652 to ward off attacks of the town below. It now serves as home to the Royal Heritage Museum, highlighting the history of the area and the Wangchuck dynasty. Featuring Buddhist art, royal memorabilia, a 500-year-old jacket of Ngagi Wangchuck, and Padma Kathang’s personal copy of the handwritten biography of Guru Rinpoche. You can read more about the history and importance of the Taa Dzong in the book, Tower of
Trongsa by Christian Schicklgruber.

Day 8: Gangtey – Paro

Today we travel to Phobjikha (Gangtey) Valley. Known as the winter home of the black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis), you can see 600 of these elegant, shy birds that migrate here from Tibet between November and March. This bowl-shaped valley is also a wildlife preserve, so you might also see the other native animals to Bhutan, including muntjac, sambar, serow, or yak.

You will do the Gangtey natural trail Hike to Visit :
Gangtey Goemba is a 17th-century monastery that sits on a hill, overlooking the entire valley. An excellent example of Tibetan architecture, the prayer hall (tshokhang), features eight great pillars. In the 15th-century, the Buddhist saint Pema Lingpa foretold that a temple would be built there, so his teachings could be spread. In 1613, his grandson, and reincarnation of Pema Lingpa, fulfilled the prophecy by building a Nyingma temple at the location. Kuenzang Chholing, the long white building nearby, is where monks go to meditate for three years, three months, and three days.

Afternoon, we will drive towards Paro. Checkin to a hotel and relax.

Day 9: Trek to Taktsang Monastery / Tiger’s Nest Monastery

After early breakfast from the hotel, drive to north of Paro for most exciting point of the interest of Bhutan tour: Taktsang Lhakhang. This is Bhutan’s most iconic landmark and religious site and is the highlight of this group tour to Bhutan.

The name Taktsang translates to “The Tiger’s Nest”. This temple is one of the most holy sites in the kingdom and clings impossibly to a sheer cliff face 900 meters above the Paro Valley. It was first built in 1692 at a cave where Guru Rimpoche meditated in the 7th century A.D. Legend states that Guru Rimpoche flew to the site atop the back of a tigress and meditated in the cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours in order to subdue evil demons residing within it. The cave has been considered a sacred site ever since and many famous saints have travelled to meditate in it. You could do a meditation session in the inner temple for few hours as well.

Taktsang Lhakhang is located approximately 10 km north of Paro town at an altitude of 3.120 m. In order to arrive at the temple visitors must trek for around 2-3 hours through beautiful, shady pine forests. No trip to Bhutan would be complete without a visit to this remarkable heritage site.

Day 10: Paro – Bagdogra / NJP

Today, we start very early in the morning and travel all the way to Bagdogra airport. It will a long drive, so book your return flights / train after 4 pm.

This concludes the happiest group tour to the beautiful and the happiest country, Bhutan.