Bhutan Trekking Tour -11 days

Upon arrival to Paro and you will be received by your guide and drive to hotel. You will spend the afternoon exploring the beautiful Paro Dzong as well as the Druk Choeding temple. Afterwards, you can spend some time walking the streets of the quaint town of Paro.

In the early morning, you will begin by making the pleasant 2 or 3 hour hike to the famous Taktsang or Tiger's Nest Monastery. Along the way, you will get excellent views of one of the most iconic monastery's in the Himalaya. Afterwards, you will wander around the ruins of the ancient Drukgyel Dzong, which was built in 1649. On the way back to Paro, you will then visit Kyichu Lhakang, one of Bhutan's oldest and most beautiful Buddhist temples.

Today you will begin the Druk Path Trek. You will start in Paro above the National Museum and trek a total of 10 kilometers over 4 (or so) hours. You will camp near the 15th century Jili Dzong at an altitude of 3350 meters.

From Jili Dzong, the second day of the trek will take you a further 10 kilometers to the yak pasture of Jangchu Lakha, elevation 3760 meters. After leaving Jili Dzong, you will cross through some rhododendrons and then climb up to a viewpoint overlooking the Paro valley. In clear weather, there is a view of the snow-covered Himalaya in the distance. The trek today will take 4 to 5 hours.

The third day of the Druk Path Trek will take you to the small, but beautiful lake of Jimilang Tsho, elevation 3885 meters. This section of the trek will have you traversing through meadows and rhododendrons and offer you another view of Mt. Jomolhari, if the weather is clear. You will camp at the far end of the lake.

Todays trek will lead you from Jimilang Lake up to a high pass at nearly 4050 meters overlooking another small lake called Janye Tsho. You will then set up camp near the lake of Simkotra. Total trekking time will be 4 to 5 hours.

The last day of the Druk Path Trek will lead you to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. You will reach the highest point of the entire trek today when you cross the Labana La Pass, elevation 4235 meters. You will then begin descending while passing by views of the Himalaya (in clear weather). In the later afternoon, you will arrive to your hotel in Thimphu tired, but extreemly proud of your accomplishment of completing the Druk Path Trek!

You will spend this day exploring Thimphu. Despite being a world capital, you can easily walk from one end of town to the other in less than half an hour! This pleasant town has several key sites to explore. The first place you will go to is located far above the town of Thimphu. The huge statue of Buddha Sakyamuni sits on a mountainside overlooking Thimphu. Next, you will explore Trashi Choe Dzong (fortress), which lies along the banks of the Wang Chhu River. You will also go to the National Memorial Chorten (stupa), which was built to honor the 3rd king of Bhutan in 1974. Each day, local Bhutanese come here to pray, meditate and spin Buddhist prayer wheels.

This day, you will drive east to Punakha. Along the way, you will cross over the 3140 meter pass of Do Chu La. If the weather is clear, you will be rewarded with a stunning panoramic view of the snow-covered Himalayas. In 2005, 108 chortens (stupas) were built to commemorate Bhutanese soldiers who perished. From the Dochu La, you will descend to the relatively low elevation region of Punakha. You will visit the 15th century Chimi Lhakang as well as Punakha Dzong. The dzong in Punakha is regarded as the most beautiful in Bhutan.

Your last full day in Bhutan will lead you back to Thimphu. You will arrive back to the capital with plenty of time to stroll the streets and pick up any last minute souvenirs you might want.

In the morning, you will return to Paro to catch your flight to next destination.