Paro Tshechu Festival Tour: 8 Days in Bhutan

Land at Paro International Airport. The flight is one of the most scenic in the world, banking between green hills into the Paro valley. Your guide meets you and you stop for a welcome tea at the Paro Neyphug Heritage Cafe.

Check in to your hotel and have lunch. In the afternoon, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, said to date from the 7th century. Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight in Paro.

Flight note: Drukair and Bhutan Airlines operate flight to Paro from Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Guwahati, Bangkok, Singapore and Kathmandu. If you fly in from Kathmandu, we can arrange your Kathmandu to Paro ticket, your hotel and a short tour in Kathmandu as well.

After breakfast, spend the morning at the Paro Tshechu. The masked cham dances fill the courtyard, each one a blessing for those who watch. Next, tour Rinpung Dzong (Paro Dzong), the fortress that hosts the festival, and the National Museum of Bhutan housed in the round Ta Dzong above it. Lunch is at Leksho Restaurant or similar. In the afternoon, browse Paro’s traditional town and the Kaja Throm farmers market for textiles and handicrafts. Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight in Paro.

After breakfast, drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan and its only city. First, head up to Buddha Point to see Buddha Dordenma, a 51 m gilded statue that watches over the Thimphu valley. Then visit the National Memorial Chorten, built in memory of the Third King and always busy with pilgrims spinning prayer wheels. Lunch is at the Babesa Village Restaurant or similar. In the afternoon, visit the School of 13 Traditional Arts and Crafts of Bhutan (Zorig Chusum), where students learn painting, carving and weaving. Explore the Thimphu Kaja Throm market, then check in and have dinner.

After breakfast, pause at the Lungtenphu viewpoint for a last look over Thimphu, then climb to Dochula Pass at 3,100 m for tea or coffee among its 108 chortens, with the eastern Himalayas on the skyline on a clear day.
Descend into the warm Punakha valley to Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple of the Divine Madman, reached by an easy walk through rice fields. Have a farmhouse lunch in Chimi Lhakhang village. Dress in Bhutanese national costume for photos by the dzong, then tour Punakha Dzong, the second largest dzong in Bhutan and the former capital’s grand fortress, set where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet. Check in and have dinner.

After breakfast, drive to the Phobjikha Valley, also called Gangtey, in central Bhutan. Stop at the Khelakha waterfall and again at Nobding for tea and coffee. Visit Gangtey Monastery, the largest Nyingma monastery in Bhutan, perched above the valley.

Have lunch at the Dechenling farmhouse near the monastery. In the afternoon, walk the Gangtey Nature Trail, an easy and beautiful loop through the glacial valley that is the winter home of the rare black-necked cranes. Check in and have dinner.

This is the longest driving day, so start after breakfast. Drive from Phobjikha back toward Paro, with lunch at the Menchuna Restaurant in Punakha.

Stop once more at Dochula Pass (3,100 m) for the view. In Thimphu, visit the Takin Reserve to see the takin, Bhutan’s unusual national animal. Reach Paro in the evening, check in and have dinner. Overnight in Paro.

After breakfast, set off for the full-day hike to Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest. The trail climbs steadily through blue-pine forest to the cliffside monastery at 3,120 m, with the famous first view of the white temple clinging to the rock.

Lunch is at the Taktsang cafeteria on the way. The hike is moderate and most reasonably fit travellers manage it with breaks. After you return, we recommend a traditional Bhutanese hot stone bath in Paro to relax tired legs (extra charge). Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight in Paro.

After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, there may be a little space for last-minute shopping or a final look over the Paro valley before your guide drives you to Paro International Airport and sees you off for your onward flight from the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
We can extend your stay with extra nights in Paro or Thimphu, carry on into the central valleys of Trongsa and Bumthang, extending your Bhutan Tour.