Bhutan Cultural Tour 4 days Itinerary

With the national airline of Bhutan, Druk Air, you fly to the only airport of Bhutan in Paro. Druk Air is one of the smallest national airlines in the world. Along the way you can enjoy the view of white snow-capped mountain peaks in Nepal and Bhutan, an unforgettable start to your introduction to Bhutan.

Paro Sightseeing: 

Your guides from Himalayan Rock will welcome you at Paro Airport (with Tashi Khadar) and guide you during the short drive to your hotel. After the welcome tea we drive to T a Dzong (which was built in 1656 and was restored in 1968), an "antique watchtower", where the National Museum is now also located. The central part of this museum is a complex that describes the history of Buddhism. There are also ancient religious objects and thangkas to admire.

Paro Rimpung Dzong ("Heap of Jewels"), was built in 1646 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the center of civil and religious authority in this valley. Here you can see the most beautiful examples of Bhutanese architecture. The main Tse Chu from Bhutan also takes place here every year. The rollout of a huge thangka is the highlight of the festival. Admiring glances from the audience fall to the thangka.

We also visit Kichu Lhakhang, built in 659 AD by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. This monastery is one of the 108 monasteries built in the Himalayan region by the Tibetan king to expel demons from the region. The remaining 107 monasteries are located in the neighboring countries of Bhutan and are built in geometric form with Lhasa as the center.

In the evening we drive to the ruins of Drukgyal Dzong, built in 1647 by the great Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, founder of medieval Bhutan. The monastery was destroyed by fire in the mid-20th century. We look at the remains and on a clear day enjoy an unforgettable view of Mt. Jhomolhari (7.314 m).

Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Paro.

• Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Thimpu
• Altitude: 2320m

After an early breakfast we make an excursion to Taktsang Monastry .This is a special day, with an excursion to the extremely spectacularly situated Taktsang (Tigers nest) monastery !!! After a short drive we take a walk to Satsam Chorten, from here we walk for another hour until we arrive at the viewpoint of the beautiful monastery. The path first climbs through a beautiful forest full of pine trees, often covered with beard mosses and sometimes covered with exuberantly waving prayer flags. We take a short break at Taktsang Jakhang (cafeteria) and after that it's only a short distance until we see the world famous Taktsang monastery, apparently within reach. The original Lhakhang was built around the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated. This incredible monastery sticks to the edge of a perpendicular rock that dives 900m into the depth to the bottom of the valley below. The legend says that Guru Rinpoche, who brought Buddhism to Bhutan, flew here on the back of a tiger, Dorji Drolo, who was said to be his favorite companion. Guru Rinpoche chased away the demons fighting Buddhism.

After lunch we drive to Thimphu where we visit the National Memorial Chorten (1974) built in honor of the deceased king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, "The Father of Modern Bhutan". The chorten is built in typical Tibetan style. There are numerous religious paintings and statues that show both the peaceful and the revengeful side of Buddhist gods. This chorten is also the religious center for the people who live in Thimphu.

After this we will visit Dupthop Lhakhang, one of the few remaining nunneries in Bhutan. Visit Changkha Monastery (This monastery was built in the 15th century by lama Phajo Drugom Zhipo) where the newborn children from the Thimphu valley are brought to receive the blessing of high llamas.

To conclude, we will visit the Mini Zoo where we can see Takin, the national animal of Bhutan. This animal is only found in the Himalayan region. The head looks like that of a goat and the body looks like that of a cow or yak. Before sunset we drive to the Sangay gang viewpoint (2685 meters) from where we have a magnificent view over the entire Thimphu valley. The hill is covered with hundreds of colorful prayer flags on top.

Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.

• Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Paro
• Altitude: 2280m

Today we will visit the National library, where you will find many ancient Buddhist manuscripts, as well as the national Painting school where traditional art is honored by the way in which thangkas (holy Buddhist religious "roles") are We visit different classrooms, where different students follow comprehensive courses that start with drawing and are continued with painting and sculpture. We also visit the Traditional Medicine Institute where medicines are prepared according to age-old recipes. In the Handicraft Emporium you can purchase different types of Bhutanese art.

The government of Bhutan resides in Tashi Cho Dzong. It is an impressive white monastery castle. The annual Tse Chu festival takes place here in Thimpu.

In the course of the evening we drive back to Paro where we have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Paro
• Altitude: 2280m

After breakfast early in the morning you will fly to your next destination from Paro Airport. In clear weather you can once again enjoy spectacular views of the Himalayas.

You can travel further by car to Bhadrapur (Nepal), Gangtok (Sikkim) or Siliguri (India). In this case our Bhutanese staff will take you to Phutsoling on the border with India.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Place: Paro