Crossing Bhutan from West to East

Flight from Delhi to Paro (2,300 m).
Arrival in Paro, one of the main cities of Bhutan. First visits according to the available time.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle
Meals: free lunch (according to flight schedule) – dinner at hotel or local restaurant
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in Paro

Road to Satsam Chorten, 10 km from Paro, from where we leave for a hike to Taktsang temples, the ”Tiger Den”, set of cliff-top buildings that dominate the valley from a height of more than 800 meters. It is an important place of pilgrimage. According to the legend, Padmasambhava came here on the back of a tigress and meditated there.
On the way back to Paro, visit the Kyichu Lhakhang, dating from the 7th century, one of the 108 temples built in the Himalayan range by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle
Number of hours walking: 2 to 3 hours (ascent to Taktsang)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in Paro

Before leaving Paro, we visit Drukgyel Dzong, a ruined monastery-fortress where Bhutanese soldiers once fought the Tibetan invaders. We see the sacred and snowy dome of Chomolhari (7314 m), the ”mountain of gold weaving looms directly on the dzong”.
Road (55 km) to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, a growing and growing city, located at the bottom of a valley at an altitude of 2,500 meters, dominated by the mass of Tashicho dzong (fortress of the glorious religion) and headquarters kings of Bhutan. It is the centre of government, but also of Bhutanese Buddhism, and the National Assembly, built-in 1641 by the political and religious authorities of Bhutan, which was rebuilt in 1961 in the Bhutanese way. All men must give their official scarf, called kabney, before they can claim to integrate the precepts of dzong. The scarf is white for ordinary citizens and red, blue or orange for members of the government. Also visit Memorial Chorten, built-in memory of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (55 kms, 2 hours approx)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in the heart of the city from Thimphu to Ped Ling Hotel (or equivalent)

We go by road to a point of view from where we have an overview of Thimphu and its surroundings. Visit Zulikha of a nunnery.
Back to Thimphu, visit a craft school and a painting school, where young monks learn the art of painting Buddhist thangka as well as a traditional paper factory.
A few afternoon visits to Thimphu, including the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, in an ancient dzong, and the Textile Museum, then we discover the National Library, which houses invaluable Buddhist manuscripts, as well as the hospital of traditional medicine, where for centuries acupuncture and remedies based on medicinal herbs have been practiced, until today. Discover also the craftsmanship of silver, textiles and others, and visit Changangkha Lhakhang, the temple built in the 15th century.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in the heart of the city of Thimphu at the Ped Ling Hotel (or equivalent)

Road (70 km) to Punakha, former winter capital. We cross the Dochu La (3,050 m), marked by many prayer flags, from where we have, if the weather permits, a spectacular view of the Eastern Himalayas, with no less than six peaks culminating at more than 7,000 meters, including Masagang (7,200 meters) and Gangkar Punsum (7,541 meters).
Short hike to Chhimi Lhakhang Shrine on the way, then dive up to 1,300 meters above sea level in semi-tropical vegetation. Visit the Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 at the confluence of two rivers, which today has lost its official role as the government’s winter capital, but keeps its rank of seat of the Bhutanese clergy during the winter months.
Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (80 kms, approx. 3 hours)
Number of hours: 1 to 2 hours
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in Punakha

End of the visits in the region of Punakha and Wangdiphodrang, then continuation to the East (70 km) to reach the valley of Gangtey (3 000 m). Visit the village and the monastery, which has the particularity of being the only monastery of Nyingmapa obedience (Red Hats) from all over the country. Short hike to villages in this beautiful valley located at nearly 3000 meters above sea level. We are in the field of yak and sheep breeders.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (70 kms, 2 to 3 hours)
Number of hours of walking: 1 to 2 hours
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in Gangtey

A little more time in the morning to discover the valley of Gangtey, then we leave to the East. We cross the Black Mountains at Pele La (3,300 m) after crossing a forest dominated by rhododendrons and magnolias. On the other side of the pass, we reach the Trongsa Valley (2,200 m), in central Bhutan, after a beautiful gorges pass. The Dzong of Trongsa is the most impressive of all Bhutan.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (78 kms, 2 to 3 hours)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: night in a local inn in Trongsa

On day 9, we travel further east. We cross the Yuto La (3,400 m), which gives us access to the valleys of Bumthang (2,700 m). The rhododendrons are still there, but there is also a dense coniferous forest in the descent to the Chume Valley, one of the four in Bumthang. Visit temples, monasteries and dzong of Bumthang.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (68 kms, 2 to 3 hours)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: Night at the hotel or in a local inn

Full day visit to the valleys of Bumthang, central Bhutan, home to a high density of monasteries and other religious buildings. It is a more densely populated area than most of Bhutan, with many villages and cultivated fields.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle
Number of hours: approximately 2 hours
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: night in a local inn in Jakar

Road (198 km) to Mongar (1 800 m). We leave the Bumthang valleys and cross the Thumsing La (3900 m), the highest road pass on our way through Bhutan. Then we dive again into a subtropical climate zone, with a mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Visit the Mongar dzong.

Transfer / Transportation: private vehicle (198 kms, 5 to 6 hours)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: a night at the hotel in Mongar

In the morning, drive (91 km) further east, to reach Tashigang (2,100 m). We cross the Kori La (2,450 m) and go through the villages of Yadi and Dramisté. We descend a little more at altitude.
We make visits to villages and weaving centers in the Rangjung area, with some hiking.
Tashigang District is the most populous of all Bhutan. Visit of Tashigang Dzong.

Transfer / Transport: private vehicle (91 kms, 3 hours approx)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: night at the hotel in Tashigang or in the house in Rangjung

End of visits to Tashigang. It is towards the South that we drive then today (180 kms), first step in our exit from Bhutan to Assam. Road to Samdrup Jongkhar, still in Bhutan, but close to the border with India, through a thick jungle. Visit on the way of a weaving center in Khaling.

Transfer / Transportation: private vehicle (180 kms, around 5 hours)
Meals: breakfast at the hotel – lunch in a local restaurant – dinner in a local restaurant or at the hotel
Accommodation: overnight at the hotel in Samdrup Jongkhar

Exit formalities from Bhutan, then drive to the city of Guwahati, capital of Assam, formerly known as
Pragjyotishpura (eastern city of light), on the southern shore of the Brahmaputra.A few visits to Guwahati if the weather allows, including the temple of Kamakshya built on a hill, which is a home of Tantric Hinduism. Goats are regularly offered as a sacrifice.

Flight to Delhi in the afternoon, then connecting flight in the evening or night to return to Europe.

POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS:
– Extension of 7 days starting from Day 13 in hikes to the regions of Merak and Sakteng – contact us
– Extension to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh from Guwahati on day 14: contact us.

—– END OF THE PROGRAM —–

For unpredictable reasons at this stage of climatic hazards, of shape or form of participants or others (road conditions, traffic, force majeure …), your guide may have to adapt the program, if necessary, for the smooth running of your trip. He remains the sole judge and guarantor of your safety. Walking times are given as an indication and may vary from one participant to another.