Day 1: Arrive Paro Airport where our representative will receive you and transfer to hotel. If time permits visit the local market at Paro. Overnight Paro.

Day 2: Paro sightseeing. Paro is a picturesque valley with quaint clusters of hamlets amid terraced paddy fields. Morning visit to the Ta dzong or National Museum. Rated among the best natural history museums in Asia, the Ta dzong offers a unique and varied collection ranging from ancient armor to textiles and Thankha paintings. Next drive up-valley to the Drukgyal Dzong or the Fort of Drukpa victory. The dzong, although gutted by fire and in ruins now, still attracts visitors. It was used to repel Tibetan invasions throughout the course of early Bhutanese history. Looming above the smoldered ruins is the snowcapped peak of the Chomolhari. Hike uphill for about two to three hours for a close up of the Taktsang or Tiger’s next. This is the famed site where Guru Padmasambhava alighted upon the back of a tigress. Overnight Paro.

Day 3: Paro / Thimphu. This capital city lays 54 kms. Or about two hours drive away from Paro. Drive through the idyllic countryside, through villages and paddy fields, cross-rivers and natural forests.

Visit the Tashichhodzong, the seat of the central government where both the temporal and spiritual heads of the country preside. The dzong was rebuilt in the 1960s on the ruins of an earlier structure. Visit the Memorial Chorten, built in the memory of the Late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. Stroll through town. One may be able to catch a game of archery in progress at the Changlimithang stadium below the town. Overnight Thimphu.

Day 4: Thimphu - Phobjikha. Drive from Thimphu, climbing steadily up to the Dochula pass at 10,500 ft. Enjoy a panoramic view of the mountain ranges to the north. Descend down through temperate forests bloom with rhododendrons and magnolias to the semi tropical zone or oranges, bamboos and cactuses. Have a glimpse of the Chime Lhakhang, perched atop a mount. Lam Drukpa Kuenley built the divine mad man this temple. Couples unable to have siblings, usually come here to pray. Further down stream is the Wangduephodrang dzong 1638, strategically built on a promontory overlooking the junction of the Sunkosh and Tangmachu rivers. After picnic lunch drive for about three hours for one of the most beautiful open valley in Bhutan. Gangtey is the winter haven to the rare Black Necked Crane, migrating down from the Tibetan Plateau. On a hillock overlooking small villages is the Gangtey Monastery. This is the only Nyingmapa temple in the country. Overnight at the Lodge.


Day 5: Gangtey to Jakar via Trongsa. This entails a five-hour drive. Drive upwards to the Pele La Pass, crossing over the Black Mountains that divide western and central Bhutan. Pass through rich rhododendron and magnolias and Yak settlements. Cross the Nikachu Bridge to enter the Trongsa regions in central Bhutan. A great white stupa - Chendebji Chorten built in the 18th century stands testimony to the subjugation of a demon by the Lama Shida. The approach to Trongsa can be quite frustrating. Here the hills rise steeply forming deep gorges. Trongsa can seem very near but the winding roads make reaching there quite time consuming. Commanding the Mangde Chu at an altitude of 2,200 mts., Trongsa Dzong is the most impressive dzong in Bhutan. Built in 1647 by the Shabdrung, the dzong is an architectural masterpiece. After lunch drive for two to three hours to Jakar, Bumthang. Overnight Bumthang.

Day 6: Bumthang: This is one of the most spectacular valleys in Bhutan and also the heartland of Buddhism. Here the great teachers meditated and left in their wake many sacred grounds. The Guru and his lineage of Tertons, treasure finders, have led to the sprouting of many temples in the valley. Visit the famous Kurjey, Jambay and Tamshing Lhakhang. Also the Jakar Dzong, seat of the district administration. Overnight Bumthang.



Day 7: Mongar: The journey continues eastwards, winding through more rugged terrain. The drive, with spectacular views, will take about six hours. Pass through Ura village in Bumthang before climbing sharply to the highest motor road pass in the Kingdom, the Thrumshingla Pass – 12,465 ft. Gradually drop down to Sengor. Watch cascading waterfalls along the way. The descent stops at 2,130 ft on a bridge over the Kurichu. Climb again through pine forest, maize fields and eastern hamlets to Mongar town. The Mongar dzong, albeit built not to long age, still maintains the architectural traditions of the old dzongs. Overnight at the lodge. Overnight Mongar.

Day 8: The road from Mongar to Trashigang, the eastern most region, begins through lush forests and ferns passing over the Kori La at 8,000 ft. After about an hour’s journey you reach the village of Ngatshang, the site of one of the fiefdoms before unification of the nation. Descending rapidly through cornfields and banana groves, you reach Yadi village. Follow the Gamri River until the bifurcation to Drametsi. Nun Choden Zangmo founded this temple, perched atop a steep hill, in the 16th century. This is the place from where the famous Drametsi Nga Chham, mask dance with drums, originated. About 30 kilometers onwards lays Trashigang, at 3,775 ft. Trashigang is the center of the biggest and most populated district in the nation. View the dzong, built strategically on a spur going out towards the Gamri Chu. Overnight Trashigang.

Day 9: Trashigang halt. Excursion to Gom Kora and Tashiyangtse and sightseeing around Trashigang. Overnight Trashigang.

Day 10 : Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar in the south. The six to seven hours drive to the small frontier town of Samdrup Jongkhar can be both adventurous and awesome. Along the way see Sherubste, the only college in the Country, the blind school and the Center in Khaling, and the Riserboo hospital. The road goes up and down making the drive unlike anything else one may have experienced.

Day 11: Leave Bhutan for Guwahati, India for flight onwards (Exit).