SIGNATURE JOURNEY
Celebrate the annual return of Bhutan’s endangered Black-necked Cranes
The activities on this trip are rated as moderate and suits a wide range of interests and physical fitness levels. The hikes on this trip can range from moderate to challenging, depending on your abilities. Trip members should be in good health and comfortable standing or walking for extended periods of time and confident navigating mixed and steep terrain that may include rocky trails, slippery conditions and, or, steps and stairs. Daily activities include city walking tours, hiking to and entering monasteries, temples and fortresses, driving over winding mountain roads and easy to moderate hiking with some strenuous options where possible. The general elevations in the valleys will mostly range from 6,800 ft to 9,000 ft, with drives that will take us over higher passes before descending to the average elevations mentioned above. The final hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery is 10,000 ft.
Accommodations
The high-end accommodations on this journey feature traditional Bhutanese style with modern elements. The lodges are handpicked for regional character, comfort, and hospitality, including our beautiful family lodge in the central highlands of Bhutan, the Mountain Resort (see more on the Mountain Resort below). In peak season, depending on availability, we may use lodges comparable to the ones we have listed or advertised.
Expedition Staff
Every expedition is curated by expert native-born guides and trip leaders who also facilitate meetings and learning experiences with other locally knowledgeable people along the way. Our experienced team shares valuable insights and local expertise to ensure a culturally rich adventure of discovery through the Himalayan landscape and traditions of Bhutan.
The activities on this trip are rated as moderate and suits a wide range of interests and physical fitness levels. The hikes on this trip can range from moderate to challenging, depending on your abilities. Trip members should be in good health and comfortable standing or walking for extended periods of time and confident navigating mixed and steep terrain that may include rocky trails, slippery conditions and, or, steps and stairs. Daily activities include city walking tours, hiking to and entering monasteries, temples and fortresses, driving over winding mountain roads and easy to moderate hiking with some strenuous options where possible. The general elevations in the valleys will mostly range from 6,800 ft to 9,000 ft, with drives that will take us over higher passes before descending to the average elevations mentioned above. The final hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery is 10,000 ft.
Accommodations
The high-end accommodations on this journey feature traditional Bhutanese style with modern elements. The lodges are handpicked for regional character, comfort, and hospitality, including our beautiful family lodge in the central highlands of Bhutan, the Mountain Resort (see more on the Mountain Resort below). In peak season, depending on availability, we may use lodges comparable to the ones we have listed or advertised.
Expedition Staff
Every expedition is curated by expert native-born guides and trip leaders who also facilitate meetings and learning experiences with other locally knowledgeable people along the way. Our experienced team shares valuable insights and local expertise to ensure a culturally rich adventure of discovery through the Himalayan landscape and traditions of Bhutan.
The activities on this trip are rated as moderate and suits a wide range of interests and physical fitness levels. The hikes on this trip can range from moderate to challenging, depending on your abilities. Trip members should be in good health and comfortable standing or walking for extended periods of time and confident navigating mixed and steep terrain that may include rocky trails, slippery conditions and, or, steps and stairs. Daily activities include city walking tours, hiking to and entering monasteries, temples and fortresses, driving over winding mountain roads and easy to moderate hiking with some strenuous options where possible. The general elevations in the valleys will mostly range from 6,800 ft to 9,000 ft, with drives that will take us over higher passes before descending to the average elevations mentioned above. The final hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery is 10,000 ft.
Accommodations
The high-end accommodations on this journey feature traditional Bhutanese style with modern elements. The lodges are handpicked for regional character, comfort, and hospitality, including our beautiful family lodge in the central highlands of Bhutan, the Mountain Resort (see more on the Mountain Resort below). In peak season, depending on availability, we may use lodges comparable to the ones we have listed or advertised.
Expedition Staff
Every expedition is curated by expert native-born guides and trip leaders who also facilitate meetings and learning experiences with other locally knowledgeable people along the way. Our experienced team shares valuable insights and local expertise to ensure a culturally rich adventure of discovery through the Himalayan landscape and traditions of Bhutan.
The activities on this trip are rated as moderate and suits a wide range of interests and physical fitness levels. The hikes on this trip can range from moderate to challenging, depending on your abilities. Trip members should be in good health and comfortable standing or walking for extended periods of time and confident navigating mixed and steep terrain that may include rocky trails, slippery conditions and, or, steps and stairs. Daily activities include city walking tours, hiking to and entering monasteries, temples and fortresses, driving over winding mountain roads and easy to moderate hiking with some strenuous options where possible. The general elevations in the valleys will mostly range from 6,800 ft to 9,000 ft, with drives that will take us over higher passes before descending to the average elevations mentioned above. The final hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery is 10,000 ft.
Accommodations
The high-end accommodations on this journey feature traditional Bhutanese style with modern elements. The lodges are handpicked for regional character, comfort, and hospitality, including our beautiful family lodge in the central highlands of Bhutan, the Mountain Resort (see more on the Mountain Resort below). In peak season, depending on availability, we may use lodges comparable to the ones we have listed or advertised.
Expedition Staff
Every expedition is curated by expert native-born guides and trip leaders who also facilitate meetings and learning experiences with other locally knowledgeable people along the way. Our experienced team shares valuable insights and local expertise to ensure a culturally rich adventure of discovery through the Himalayan landscape and traditions of Bhutan.
See Bhutan's rare and elegant Black-necked Cranes and learn about the ancient yet fragile ties that exist between the people of Phobjikha valley, the endangered cranes and the natural world. On this journey named for a documentary film that first brought wider attention to Bhutan's Black-necked Cranes, we also consider the mythic stories of Vajrayana Buddhism whose influences shape life and culture in the Himalayas to this day.
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On the Wings of Prayer: The annual return of Bhutan's rare Black-necked Cranes
HEALTH & SAFETY
HEALTH & SAFETY
We are following strict national and international safety guidelines and protocols (Royal Government of Bhutan, WHO, and CDC (US) recommendations) to keep you, our staff, and the Bhutanese people safe. This includes new measures for maintaining personal health and hygiene, social distancing best practices, face covering requirements, cleaning, handwashing and more.
UPDATED BOOKING & CANCELLATION POLICY
UPDATED BOOKING & CANCELLATION POLICY
With global travel resuming, we have changed our booking and cancellation policies back to normal. Normal cancellation policies are now in effect and final trip payment is due (4 months/120 days before trip start date, whichever is earlier). Trip cancellation policies are outlined in our trip confirmation emails and available by request.
ITINERARY
This journey during the end-of-fall migration of Bhutan’s rare and endangered Black-necked Cranes begins in Paro Valley, where we pick you up on arrival. Next, we attend a spectacular, still undiscovered Buddhist festival celebrating one of the mightiest heroes of ancient Himalayan myth, the kind bards sing about. We explore central Bhutan' serene hiking trails and discover a chain of peaceful valleys before turning west. In the Gangtey-Phobjikha valley, luck favoring, we witness the annual return of Bhutan's beautiful Black-necked Cranes from the Tibetan high plateau. We visit a beautiful 14th century monastery and explore a looping nature trail observing the graceful cranes roosting or gliding on thermal currents. Our journey offers opportunities to discover the rich Himalayan Buddhist cosmology, learn about the cranes and their connection to the ancient folklore of the region, and take in the breathtaking Bhutanese landscape as precious as the glimpses of peace and harmony in our troubled times, as rare as the Black-necked Cranes!
VIEW DAY BY DAY
DAY 1: BANGKOK/BHUTAN, PARO/THIMPHU
Admire the massive peaks of the Eastern Himalaya as we fly into Paro. Wander the colorful streets of Paro, and visit nearby temples set amid bucolic rice fields.
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Olathang Hotel or comparable
DAY 02: BUMTHANG, JAKAR/PILGRIM'S ROUTE
Take the dramatic mountain flight to central Bhutan. Settle into our cozy family resort, built in the traditional style of the Bhutanese mountain lodge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Mountain Resort or comparable
DAY 03: FESTIVAL DANCES
This morning after breakfast we dress up and head for the festival with dances celebrating the legendary exploits of a folk hero beloved across the Himalaya. We join local inhabitants of the surrounding valleys dressed in their festive best for this much-anticipated annual religious event.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Mountain Resort
DAY 04: EXPLORE TANG VALLEY
Spend the day on an excursion to bucolic Tang valley where we eat at a traditional farmhouse featuring ingredients grown on the farm. Cross a suspension bridge and enter a village where time seems to have stopped still before continuing on a hike to Tang Orgyencholing Palace with its surrounding homes and ancient palace complex, now a wonderful repository of Bhutanese history.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Mountain Resort or comparable
DAY 05: EXPLORE VALLEY HIKES
Today we offer some less-tarveled hiking options from moderate to challenging that will take us to scenic spots with exceptional views of the Jakar valley.
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations:Mountain Resort or comparable
DAY 06: DRIVE TO TRONGSA - GANGTEY
After descending from the high pass of Yotongla, we drive today along the national highway west toward the densely forested valleys of Trongsa and Wangdue valleys. We may have time for a stop at the beautiful Museum of Royal Antiquities, housed in a fascinating medieval watchtower. This evening we rest at our comfortable lodge in Gangtey (with a view of the valley) or, alternately, Trongsa (with a view of the longest fortress in Bhutan).
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations:Dewachen Lodge, Gangtey Ecolodge, RKPO Lodge, Yangkhil Resort or comparable
DAY 07: DRIVE TO PUNAKHA
Today we descend via the steeply forested valleys of the Black Mountains. If we’re lucky, we’ll spot families of Bhutan’s rare White Langur monkeys among the flame-trees, magnolia, birch, rhododendron and Asian Maple in this vegetation-rich zone. In the evening, check into the beautiful lodge overlooking Punakha’s massive dzong. Begin the day with a stop at the beautiful Museum of Royal Antiquities, housed in a fascinating medieval watchtower.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Zhingkham Resort or comparable
DAY 08: PUNAKHA HIKE & TOUR - TRANSFER TO THIMPHU
Explore the regal valley of Punakha, home to Bhutan’s Queen Mothers and some of Bhutan’s most exquisite temples. Visit monumental Punakha Dzong, receive a traditional Buddhist blessing and walk across the country’s longest suspension bridge.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations:The Ariya Resort or comparable
DAY 09: EXPLORE MUSEUMS & MONUMENTS OF BHUTAN’S BUSY CAPITAL
Take a step back in time with a visit to the spectacular national monument that houses the offices of the king and the government, the national stupa where devout residents do their daily Buddhist prayer rounds, learn about the traditional arts with a trip to the magnificent Royal Textile Academy.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Ariya Resort or comparable
DAY 10: THIMPHU’S GIANT BUDDHA; HIKE - TRANSFER TO PARO
Today we visit the largest bronze Buddha in the world, followed by a hike on a scenic forest trail with views of the capital. Following a delicious lunch of traditional delicacies, we transfer to Paro in time for an evening stroll or a round of traditional archery using bamboo bows and arrows. An early dinner and rest prepare us for our early morning hike.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Olathang Hotel or comparable
DAY 11: TIGER’S NEST HIKE FAREWELL DINNER
Cap your journey across Bhutan with an early hike to famous cliffside Taktshang, or the “Tiger’s Nest.” Return to the Paro’s colorful downtown for a delicious lunch at a local friend’s popular restaurant before some window-shopping and people-watching. Pick out last-minute gifts and souveneirs of your trip. This evening we have a special farewell feast at a surprise location featuring familiar and new Himalayan delicacies.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations:Olathang Hotel or comparable
DAY 12: BANGKOK, THAILAND | DEPARTURE
This morning/afternoon we bring you back to the airport in time for you to catch your flight to Bangkok or another gateway city, from where you can connect with your international flight home, or travel to other destinations.