Cultural & Festive Bhutan Tour
Take a cultural journey through Bhutan and enjoy the many festivals in Bhutan. Visit Rinpung Dzong fortress or go sightseeing in Thimphu. This Bhutan tour is a great way to experience the cultural and festives of Bhutan.
Bhutan Land Tour Itinerary
11 nights / 12 Days
Day 1 Bangkok to Paro (Druk Air KB 121 – 0550 hrs -0920 hrs)
Meeting assistance by our representatives. Transfer to hotel in Bhutan.
After lunch visit the National Museum, once the watchtower for the Rinpung Dzong, located high on a promontory overlooking the Paro Valley. This first outing in this Bhutan tour is meant to familiarize you with the cultural and natural history of this amazing kingdom in the clouds, and a visit to the National Museum is the very best way to quickly learn the culture since it houses everything that is Bhutanese, in a very different museum style that will delight you. First constructed in 1645, the Rinpung Watchtower was converted to the National Museum in 1968.
Visit the Rinpung Dzong (fortress) situated just below the National Museum Watch Tower to see Paro Festival performed outside the Dzong complex.
The Tsechu is an annual festival held in honour of Padmasambhava – “ One who was born from a lotus flower,” popularly known under the name of “ Guru Rimpoche,” the Precious Teacher. This Indian saint contributed enormously to the diffusion of Tantric Buddhism in the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan etc. around 800 AD. He is the founder of Nyingmapa, the “old school” of Lamaism, which still has numerous followers. The biography of Guru Rimpoche is highlighted by 12 episodes on the model of the Buddha Shakyamuni’s life. “The Tsechu” which has become the name of a popular festival commemorates each episode around the year on the 10th day of the month. The dates and the duration of the Bhutan festival vary from one district to another but they always take place on or around the 10th day of the month according to the Bhutanese calendar.
During Tsechus, the dances are performed by monks as well as by laymen. The Tsechu is a religious Bhutan festival and attending it, it is believed one gains merits. It is also a yearly social gathering where the people come together to rejoice dressed in all their finery.
Following are some of the mask dances performed during this Bhutan festival.
Dance of the Lord of Death and his Consort (Shinje Yab Yum)
Dance of the Black Hats with Drums (Shanag Nga Cham)
Dance of the Three kinds of Ging with Sticks (Gynging)
Dance of the Lord of Cremation Ground (Durdag)
Dance of the Three kinds of Ging with Drums (Driging)
Dance of the Three kinds of Ging with Drums (Ngaging)
Dance of the Stag and the Hounds (Shawa Shachi)
Evening, visit Paro Archery ground to see a traditional Bhutanese Archery Match or Practice. Overnight: Hotel
Day 2 Paro Festival / Thimphu
Morning: see the second day of Paro Festival till noon.
After lunch, drive for about an hour to Thimphu, the capital town, with about 100,000 population. On arrival in Thimphu, check into hotel and in the afternoon visit the Textile Museum, the School for Traditional Arts and Crafts in Bhutan.
In the evening, visit the newly renovated Memorial Chorten built for the third king and visit the National Takin Reserve where a herd of Bhutan’s national animals reside. Legend has it that the takin is a cross between a goat and a buffalo, but biologists agree that its nearest relative is the arctic musk ox. This bizarre beast looks as if it was assembled from parts of several animals and vaguely resembles an American bison tinged in golden fur. Male Takins have been known to hide by laying spread-eagle on the ground!
Overnight: Hotel
Day 3 Thimphu Sightseeing
After breakfast drive 30 minutes to Dodena to visit Cheri Monastery. The Cheri Monastery was built in 1620 A.D. by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in memory of his father Tenpi Nyma. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel meditated in Cheri Gompa for three years to gain spiritual powers required for his subsequent political unification of Bhutan. The first Central Monastic Body (Dratsang) was established in Cheri monastery. At present the monastery is one of the main retreat centers and a popular pilgrimage site in Bhutan.
Picnic lunch will be served near the river bank after you cross a traditional covered wooden bridge from where the hike to Cheri starts.
On the way back to Thimphu, visit the Dechen Phodrang Monastic School and the Zilukha Nunnery.
In the evening, visit the Trashichhodzong Courtyard. This massive building houses government ministries, the Throne Room and the residence of Chief Abbot.
Evening: Dinner hosted by Sonam and her family at their residence. This is a good opportunity for you to find out more about Bhutanese culture and tradition as part of your dinner conversation!
Overnight: Hotel
Day 4 Thimphu To Punakha / Wangdue
After breakfast drive to Punakha towards central Bhutan. En route stop at 10,500 ft. Dochula Pass for tea and biscuits and enjoy your first view of the eastern Himalayan mountains. Here you can spend some time photographing the Druk Wangyal Chortens to take home memories of this Bhutan tour. Built in 2004 to “celebrate the stability and progress that His Majesty has brought to the nation,” this hill of 108 religious buildings in the middle of the pass reflects Bhutan’s spiritual and artistic traditions.
As you descend from the pass, you will observe dramatic changes in vegetation. At the lower elevations in Punakha and Wangdue, cacti, banana plants, poinsettias, and other semi-tropical plants dominate the exotic landscape.
Lunch will be served in the picturesque valley of Lobesa before heading towards Punakha Valley to visit Punakha Dzong. Built in 1637 between the confluence of the Po Chu (Male River) and Mo Chu (Female River,) this fortress monastery is the winter residence of Bhutan’s spiritual leader, the Je Khenpo or Head Abbot, and the central Monk Body comprising of over 500 monks.
En route to Wangdue, in Lobesa Valley, you take a short hike to Chhi-Med (means no dogs) Lhakhang in the picturesque Lobesa valley, to visit the temple of one of Bhutan’s foremost saints, the Buddha Drukpa Kunley, affectionately known as the Divine Madman.
Overnight: Resort
Day 5 Wangdue - Trongsa
After breakfast, leave for the long drive (5-6 hrs) to Trongsa as the next part of the Bhutan tour. On this route, you will also make numerous stops to photograph yaks and their herders, alpine flowers, lovely picturesque villages, and other roadside and panoramic scenes.
The route crosses Pele La (3420m), which is marked by a chorten and an array of prayer flags. If the weather is clear you should see Mt. Jhomolhari (7177 m) and other peaks from the pass, which marks the boundary between western and central Bhutan as well as the western border of Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. Beyond Pele La is Longte Valley where people raise sheep and yaks. The houses here are clustered amid extensive fields of mustard, potatoes, barley, and wheat.
Continue to drive down through rhododendron trees and ferns to Chendebji village. This was a night halt for mule caravans traveling from Trongsa during the reign of the 2nd King of Bhutan. Just below Chendebji village is the Chendebji chorten, a large white structure beside a stream. This chorten is modeled after Swayambhunath in Kathmandu and was built in the 19th century. The last village before Trongsa is Tangsibji, which affords a full view of Trongsa Dzong and its distinctive red roof.
Just above Trongsa you will check into the new first-class Yangkhil Resort, where you will stand on your private balcony and enjoy the majestic view of Trongsa Dzong across the valley.
In the evening, you will visit the impressive Trongsa Dzong which represents Bhutan's link with its historical monarchy since it is the ancestral home of the first king of Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuk. This is also the investiture site for future kings ascending the Golden Throne of Bhutan. (The Crown Prince is now the governor of Trongsa will be crowned the Fifth King of Bhutan in 2008) You can photograph its remarkable succession of street-like corridors, wide stone stairs and beautiful stone courtyards. Trongsa Dzong represents the very best opportunity to capture the true essence of Bhutanese monastic and parliamentary architecture. Here, 25 lhakhangs (small temples, among which is the oldest lhakhang in Bhutan - Chorten Lhakhang, built by Yongzin Ngagi Wangchuk in 1543) house sacred images and religious relics. Intricate woodcarvings and beautiful frescos are emblazoned on the walls and pillars. With a little patience, monks will walk in and out of your frame as you photograph these remarkable and rare structures.
Overnight and dinner at Resort.
Day 6 Trongsa To Bumthang
After breakfast leave Trongsa for Jakar in the central district of Bumthang, a 4-5 hour drive to the east. On the way, you will go over Yotongla Pass (3425m) and get your first glimpse of the Black Mountains. You can also make numerous stops to photograph yaks and their herders, alpine shrubs and plants, lovely picturesque villages, and other roadside and panoramic scenes. This drive between Trongsa and Bumthang is the most scenic and exciting leg of this Bhutan tour into the clouds, as you cross rivers and streams and pass a chorten with water-driven prayer wheels and colorful rock carvings.
An hour outside of Bumthang, just after crossing the Yotongla pass, you make your first sighting of the golden-roofed Jakar Dzong, known as the Castle of the White Bird, with the Chamkar river cascading in one continuous waterfall down through the valley beneath. You will want to use your long lens to capture this scene, and then use it again from Jakar looking back at the road you were just on, which is carved out of the solid stone mountain.
Bumthang has great religious significance with lots of important lhakangs (monasteries). The most important lhakang is Kurje, a 7th century monastery where Guru Padmasambhawa left an impression of his body in solid rock.
Spend the day in Jakar valley and take a walking tour of the following sacred temples:
Kurjey Lhakhang is named after the body print of Guru Rinpoche, which is preserved in a cave inside the oldest of the three buildings that make up the temple complex. The first temple is the oldest and was built in 1652 by Mingyur Tenpa, when he was Penlop of Trongsa. The second temple was built by Ugyen Wangchuk, the first king of Bhutan in 1900 when he was still Penlop of Trongsa. The third building in the complex is an elaborate three-storey lhakhang built by Ashi Kesang Wangchuk, in 1984 under the guidance of Diglo Khyentse Rimpoche.
Tamshing Goemba (also known as Tamsing lhendup Tsholing, literally ‘temple of the good message’) was established in 1501 by Pema Lingpa and is the most important Nyingmapa Goemba in the kingdom. Pema Lingpa built the structure himself, with the help of Khandroms (female celestial beings) who made many of his statues.
Also visit extensive palace of Wangdichholing which was built in 1857 on the site of the battle camp of the Penlop of Trongsa, Jigme Namgyal. It was the first palace that was not designed as a fortress. Wangdichholing was the early home of the third king, who moved the court to Punakha in 1952.
In the evening visit the Swiss Guest House for a Fondeau meal.
Overnight: Lodge
Day 7 Tang Valley
Drive further into the remote eastern side of Bhutan to the Tang valley. It’s a 20 miles distance, 13 miles of which is on an unpaved road. From the road head you hike one-hour hike over a suspension footbridge, through farm fields and cluster villages, up a “hill” to the mystical Ugyen Choling Palace where you will spend two nights in the owner’s guesthouse. En route stop at a roadside temple and a nunnery.
Ugyen Choling is a national treasure, albeit privately owned by the same family for hundreds of years (Robin wrote a story on Ugyen Choling for Tashi Delek Magazine--available on the web site under “Magazine Articles.”) Its remote location makes it one of the less frequently visited historical sites in Bhutan, hosting fewer than two hundred guests per year. One of the owners wrote a book on Bhutanese folk tales of the Yeti and her brother is the property’s caretaker. The best part of the Palace is the quaint museum housing permanent exhibits on three floors in the main building and the Utse, the central tower. Traditional living quarters are recreated to capture the realistic ambiance of the ancient lifestyles and conditions of the households. Everyday kitchen and weaving utensils, war weapons--including petrified yak dung to make gunpowder--tools and farming implements are the main part of the exhibits.
In the evening, villagers will come to the Palace for an evening of cultural entertainment. You’re invited to join in the singing and dancing.
Overnight: Ugyen Choling Guest House
Day 8 Tang Valley
Today is a free day in the Bhutan tour to explore the village of Ugyen Choling and the surrounding countryside. Just take a guide to carry your gear and strike out from the guesthouse in any direction--all paths lead to photo ops. Beyond the village are farmhouses and fields for cultural exchanges, mountains, and meadows for landscape photography. You might want to leisurely stroll through the village and observe the daily life of the Bhutanese. In the afternoon, your guides and drivers will organize a game of archery, darts, or dago matchwith local players.
Overnight: Ugyen Choling Guest House
Day 9 Tang Valley - Wangdue
After an early breakfast, leave Tang Valley to retrace your route, returning to Trongsa. Even though you are on the same road, you will be surprised to find the return drive just as interesting because new and different scenes still unfold on every turn. You will get the feeling that you have not been there before because of the numerous changing scenes providing new photo ops at every turn.
En route take a 30-minute hike over a cable footbridge to Thangbi Lhakhang – a temple built by the first Shamar Rimpoche (a Tibetan re-incarnated High Priest) in the Thirteenth Century.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 10 Wangdue – Thimphu – Paro
Drive to Paro. En route stop in Thimphu for lunch and shopping.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 11 Paro
After breakfast, prepare to take a 4 hour round trip hike up a forested path to Taktsang Monastery, also known as Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan’s most famous and scenic icon. The climb is steep and takes about 4 hours round trip, but you will be aided by sure-footed ponies and guides to carry your photography gear and urge you on. An important place of pilgrimage and refuge for more than 1200 years, Taktsang Monastery clings to sheer cliffs two-thousand feet above Paro Valley, and from the most popular vantage points on a rocky ledges directly across from it, we will still need 200-300 mm lenses and a steady tripod to get tight photographs.
This sacred place got its name when Guru Rimpoche rode there on the back of a flying tiger and meditated in a cave behind the present-day monastery. Tiger’s Nest is the subject of cloud-shrouded posters that say, “Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon.” Lunch on the mountain at the “Cafeteria.” After lunch descend to the base of Taktsang where your transportation will take you back to your hotel for rest and refreshment. You can spend the remaining time of the Bhutan tour roaming the small town of Paro, with its main street lined with quaint shops, nearby river and dzong.
Evening, enjoy typical Bhutanese dinner and traditional hot stone bath at a farm house. Ladies may like to bring swim suit.
Overnight: Hotel
Day 12 Depart Paro for Bangkok and onward connection
Present schedule on Druk Air on KB 120 leaving Paro at 1010 hrs and arriving in Bangkok at 1540 hrs. (All air schedules are subject to change).
END OF BHUTAN TOUR / OUR SERVICES
* The above program is intended to give you a general idea of the trip and tour details. However, due to numerous factors, such as weather, tour conditions, physical ability of travelers etc., may dictate itinerary changes either before departure or while on tour in Bhutan. We reserve the right to alter the program and schedule in the interest of the trip participants safety, comfort and general well being.
Quotation Per Itinerary
11 Night / 12 Day Bhutan Tour
Per Person, Sharing - Minimum 2 Persons
1) Land Package cost per itinerary – 11 nights - $ TBA per person
2) Druk Air – Bangkok - Paro r/t (economy class) - $ TBA
Visa Fee & Tourism Development Fund Tax
3) Int’l airfare – LAX – Bangkok- LAX - $ TBA
Includes - Per Itinerary
- All Tours, transfers, tour guides, hotel accommodation (Single/twin room), all meals & entrance fees.
Excludes
- Stop over costs (if any) in Bangkok, personal expenses, tipping/gratuities and any items not specifically mentioned.
Visa
We require your passport information and payment to process the visa which will be stamped on your passport at check-in at the Druk Air Counter in Bangkok.Trip Protection Insurance
We highly recommend this valuable coverage.Rates
All rates are based on current tariffs and are subject to change. Airfare is subject to change unless ticketed. The Government of Bhutan has a set tariff.
Bhutan offers festival during the months of March, May, July and October.
Let us plan a tour to Bhutan to include a festival and travel according to your schedule.
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