Trip Overview
Embark on the Bhutan Heritage Explorer Tour, a six-day cultural journey through Bhutan’s ancient heritage sites and vibrant cultural hubs. This tour offers a deep dive into Bhutan’s secluded Buddhist gompas, majestic dzongs (fortresses), grand castles, and serene lakhangs (temples). Traverse forested hills, picturesque villages, and lush paddy fields, and experience Bhutan’s rich wildlife and unique local culture.
Your adventure begins with a breathtaking flight over the towering Himalayas to Paro International Airport, Bhutan’s sole international gateway. After landing in this valley-surrounded airport, you will kick off your Bhutan Heritage Explorer Tour.
Enjoy a scenic drive through Bhutanese countryside to Thimphu, the nation’s capital. Here, explore the striking National Memorial Chorten, erected in honor of the third king of Bhutan. Ascend to the Buddha Dordenma statue, a colossal gilded image of Sakyamuni Buddha that houses 125,000 miniature Buddha statues inside its 169-foot-tall frame, offering panoramic views of the city.
Discover Bhutan’s unique arts and crafts at the Royal Textile Academy, Folk Heritage Museum, and Painting School. A visit to the local market and Motithang Takin Preserve completes your exploration of Thimphu.
Next, travel to Punakha, Bhutan’s ancient capital, situated at the confluence of the Po Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers. Visit the Punakha Dzong, an architectural marvel and one of Bhutan’s most beautiful dzongs, showcasing traditional craftsmanship and grandeur.
Journey to Phobjika, a glacial valley nestled beneath the Black Mountain, known for its endangered Black-necked Cranes. Enjoy a nature hike through the valley’s scenic landscapes, including alpine meadows and traditional villages, and visit the Gangtey Gompa monastery perched on a ridge.
Return to Paro for further exploration of Bhutan’s significant landmarks. In Paro, visit the Rinpung Dzong, a historic fortification that protected the city from Tibetan invaders in the 17th century. Explore the National Museum nearby, featuring Buddhist paintings, murals, and historical armaments. Conclude your tour with a hike to the iconic Taktsang Monastery, also known as the Tiger’s Nest, perched dramatically on a cliffside.
The Bhutan Heritage Explorer Tour is available year-round, though spring and autumn offer the most favorable weather. The tour involves easy walking, making it suitable for travelers of all ages and fitness levels. The hikes to Taktsang Monastery and Gangtey Nature Trail can be adapted based on individual fitness levels.
Join the Bhutan Heritage Explorer Tour for a remarkable experience of Bhutan’s captivating cities – Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjika, and Paro – and immerse yourself in the unique culture of this hidden Himalayan kingdom.
Book your Bhutan tour with Save Mountain Treks and journey through sacred monasteries, serene valleys, and timeless Himalayan culture.
Welcome to the Asian nation, the Land of the Thunder Dragon! Upon arrival, you’ll be greeted by your native travel guide and driver at Paro International airport, then be escorted to Thimphu, the capital town to begin your fantastic journey.
You can first all visit the National Memorial Chorten (shrine), a monument dedicated to the past third king of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Quite a memorial stupa, it’s additionally one necessary spiritual center for Bhutanese daily worship. Afterward, drive to Buddha read Point Where a colossal bronze sculpture of Buddha Dordenma sits. The sculpture is placed on a lotus and below it’s a meditation hall housed with one hundred twenty-five tiny statues of Buddha. This Buddha dominates over the natural depression of Thimphu, and you’ll be able to hardly tell whether or not the read from Buddha Dordenma or the read of Buddha Dordenma is additionally spectacular. If you happened to go to Thimphu on weekends, don’t miss the Weekend Market in that their area unit organic farm merchandise and souvenirs available.
This morning you may begin the day by visiting the Royal Textile Academy of Bhutanese, that could be a sensible place to show textile weaving – Bhutan’s living national art. you’ll not solely feast on the attractive costumes, however conjointly find out about the sort of textiles, the types of native dress and also the techniques of weaving. Next, go to Folk Heritage depository, Associate in Nursing informative depository replicating a standard house of yesteryears. It provides you a glimpse into Bhutan’s rural modus vivendi of Bhutanese villages and rural households by organizing demonstrations of rural traditions, skills, habits and customs, instructional programs, analysis and documentation. Then attend visit Traditional Painting faculty, a college wherever students are tutored to create Bhutan’s thirteen ancient arts and crafts, like painting, carving, embroidery, statue-making so on. Last activity of nowadays is visiting the national animal – goat antelope in Motithang Takin Preserve, a singular trying animal with the top of sheep and body of cows.
Leaving Thimphu, drive through a forest of pine and hemlock, up to cross over the Dochu La Pass (Alt: 10142ft/ three,050 m). From the place, you’ll get pleasure from the wide views of the majestic range. Keep driving on the winding road to the fertile vale of Punakha (Alt: 4430ft/ one,350 meters).
After breakfast, you’ll attend visit Punakha Dzong, sitting in an exceedingly sultry, fertile and exquisite natural depression between Pho Chhu ( Male River) and Mo Chhu (female river). With white-brilliant walls, red roofs and therefore the close charming nature, Punakha Dzong is praised because of the most stunning one in Bhutan’s twenty-one Dzong. once the spring comes, the encircling lilac rosewood tree trees in blossom build Punakha Dzong additional beautiful.
Leaving Punakha, you’ll drive toward Phobjikha’s natural depression (80km/3hrs). En route, you’ll visit the glamorous Gangtey Goempa, Associate in Nursing seventeenth-century cloister of Nyingmapa faculty of Tibetan Buddhism settled on a wooded hill high the inexperienced expense of the whole Phobjikha natural depression. Its prayer hall is that the one in all the foremost grandiose in Bhutan country with eight nice pillars that square measure the most important of their kind either.
Upon arrival, at Phobjikha natural depression, enjoy some tea Associate in Nursingd snacks before venturing out on a glamorous Nature Hike which is 5km and takes three hours to complete. you’ll practice lush forest, stunning meadows and crystalline streams to encounter with some peaceful native villages and farms, that could be a nice chance to induce getting ready to our Mother Nature and perceive ancient livelihood of the folks living there. If your tour falls between Oct and Gregorian calendar month, you’ll be rewarded a rare likelihood to visualize the large black-necked cranes that migrate from Tibet to Bhutan once a year.
After breakfast, started to journey back to Paro (approximately five.5-hours). Upon reaching Paro, take some rest, then have to be compelled to visit its 2 landmark sites – Rinpung Dzong and Bhutan National depository.
Rinpung Dzong, conjointly called Paro Dzong, is supposed because of the finest example of Bhutanese dzong. Perching on the aspect of the Paro depression Wall, Rinpung Dzong was a vital bastion for the dominion of Bhutan nation against invasion from the north. At present, it homes the Monastic Body and government offices and is the spiritual, military, body, and social centers of their district.
Bhutan National Museum is housed in Rinpung Dzong’s tower, keeping the made culture and history of Bhutan nation. There area unit several spectacular collections displayed in its 5 galleries, together with ancient thangkas, pageant masks, spiritual statues, fascinating carvings, etc.
Start the day with a short drive to Paro’s higher depression. If the day is obvious, you’ll have AN lingering read of the “Goddess” – Mt.Chomolhari (23,640 feet).
Afterward, it’s a brief drive to Taktsang’s path ahead. Take a difficult 2~3 hours’ trek to Taktsang religious residence, the foremost celebrated religious residence in Bhutan, additionally referred to as “Tiger Nest religious residence, as a result of Guru Rinpoche reportedly flew to the positioning on the rear of a flying tiger late within the seventh century. Between blue pines and blue air, the religious residence perches miraculously on a drop-off nearly a pair of,700 feet higher than Paro’s depression floor. Break on the means for tea and snacks in a tiny tea house, and therefore the read of each Taktsang religious residence and Paro depression is impressive.
Your journey in Bhutan involves an Associate in the Nursing finish today! when breakfast, your guide can decide you up from the building to the aerodrome in time for the scheduled flight to your next destination. Before that, you’ll take a rest at the building or opt for a walk close.
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