Private
Cultural Treasures 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.
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.
A Five-Day Journey through the Kingdom’s Heart for the World Monuments Fund
Discover Bhutan’s living heritage on this five-day journey through Paro, Bumthang, and Thimphu. From ancient temples and cliff-side monasteries to intimate conversations with Bhutan’s foremost cultural thinkers, each day reveals a new appreciation for the kingdom’s rich cultural tapestry.
Highlights include visits to Kyichu Lhakhang and Tamzhing Monastery, a potential private royal audience in Thimphu, and the iconic hike to Tiger’s Nest. Stays in elegant lodges and a monastery guesthouse blends comfort and immersion, ensuring a deeply personal encounter with the essence of Bhutan.
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
Fly to Paro, where we visit ancient Kyichu, among the oldest intact temples in the entire Himalaya. See the cultural treasures of the Ta Dzong, Bhutan's National Museum, followed by an intimate dinner with one or more of the kingdom’s leading cultural voices.
The next morning, a short flight east carries you into the spiritual heartland of Bumthang, where your visits to Tamshing Monastery and the Palace Museum reveal centuries of devotion and history. Later, we drive over the mountains into Trongsa and stay at the serene Samcholing Monastery.
From there, drive west on the national highway to Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, where modern life blends with the traditional. In the afternoon, prepare for the rare honor of a royal audience. Returning to Paro, climb the trail to Taktsang—Tiger’s Nest—Bhutan’s most iconic monastery, clinging to a sheer cliff above the valley. Your journey closes with a final farewell to the mountains as you depart Paro for Singapore, with special memories of Bhutan’s sacred landscapes, enduring traditions, and warm hospitality.
VIEW DAY BY DAY
JANUARY 24, 2026: ARRIVE PARO FROM DELHI
Touch down in the emerald Paro Valley at 3:20 PM on the short Drukair flight KB201 from Delhi (departing Delhi 12:30 PM), one of the world’s most breathtaking descents between Himalayan peaks. After a warm welcome, settle into your lodge—either the elegant COMO Uma Paro or the timeless Zhiwaling Heritage.
Begin your immersion with a visit to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan’s oldest and most sacred temples, its orange trees said to bear fruit year-round.
This evening, enjoy a private dinner conversation with leading Bhutanese historians or thought leaders—perhaps Dasho Benji Dorji, Dr. Karma Phuntsho, or Dr. Françoise Pommaret—whose insights bring Bhutan’s living traditions into sharp focus.
Meals included: Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Paro Uma by COMO or comparable
JANUARY 25, 2026: FLY PARO TO BUMTHANG; DRIVE TO SAMCHOLING
A morning flight carries you east to Bumthang (9:55–10:30 AM), Bhutan’s spiritual heartland, a valley rich with legends of saints and kings. From the air, the landscape unfolds in rolling pine forests and fortress-monasteries perched above rivers. On arrival, stretch your legs on an optional walk to Tamzhing Monastery, founded in 1501 by the great saint Pema Lingpa, whose murals and relics preserve centuries of spiritual devotion. We have the rare opportunity to receive a guided tour of Tamzhing with the reincarnated lama, Trulku Dordzin Ugyen Lhendup, a direct descendant of Terton Pema Lingpa or Aum Nagtsho Dorji, Director of the Department of Culture, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Royal Government. (To learn more about the Tamzhing Monastery, please download this cultural and historical background of the monastery.)
Continue on next to the Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum & Cultural Center, where we have a detailed tour guided by Mr. Kuenga Lhendup, Executive Director of the newly established museum.
Following a lunch featuring regional cuisine at the Mountain Resort, drive three hours south to Samcholing, where you spend a night as Khedrup Rinpoche's personal guest at the serene Sangchen Ogyen Tsuklag Monastery, an 8th century monastery dedicated to Monmo Tashi Kyidren, the only Bhutanese consort of Guru Rinpoche, the 2nd Buddha who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. Monmo Tashi Khyidren, a revered figure in Bhutanese history, is closely associated with many sacred sites, including the famous Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest), where she accompanied Guru Dorji Drolo. Legend tells that she transformed into the tigress that Guru Rinpoche rode to reach Tiger’s Nest. (To learn more about the monastery and Khedrup Foundation, please download this background about the monastery).
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Sangchen Ogyen Tsuklag Monastery
JANUARY 26, 2026: DRIVE SAMCHOLING TO THIMPHU
Start the morning with a tour of the Monastery and the surrounding school with a tour by Khedrup Rinpoche. Then, take a full journey westward, approximately six hours by road, as you traverse passes and valleys linking central Bhutan to the capital. The drive offers sweeping views of Himalayan ridges and terraced fields, with rest stops in roadside hamlets that reveal Bhutanese rural life. If time permits, we make a side stop to Phangyul village in Wangduephodrang to visit a pilot project for Deepsense Biotechnologies.
Arrive in Thimphu, Bhutan’s vibrant capital city, a blend of tradition and modernity. Check into your hotel—either Zhiwaling Ascent, designed with minimalist elegance, or the refined Pemako Thimphu, where Bhutanese artistry meets international comfort.
The highlight of the day is a possible audience with His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The zen-inspired Zhiwa Ling Ascent (in a secluded pine forest above the capital), or the modern resort-like Pemako in the city center
JANUARY 27, 2026: RETURN TO PARO; HIKE TO TIGER’S NEST
Option A: Benedicte can leave this day on a flight from Paro to Delhi at 9:40AM and arrive in Delhi at 11:30AM.
Option B: Benedicte can add an additional day to visit the iconic Tigers Nest.
A short one-hour drive returns you to Paro, where we hike to Bhutan’s most iconic site: Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest). Perched 900 meters above the valley floor, this sacred cliffside hermitage can take 4–6 hours round-trip. Along the trail, prayer flags ripple in the breeze, and the scent of pine mixes with the faint smoke of juniper incense.
At the monastery, visit the sacred caves where Guru Padmasambhava, who brought Buddhism to the Himalayas, is said to have meditated after arriving on the back of a flying tigress. The setting and story together embody Bhutan’s mystical spirit. If time permits, visit the Paro Ta Dzong Museum, housed in a 17th-century watchtower, where Bhutan’s cultural treasures and thangka paintings offer rich insights into the spiritual traditions, history and evolution of Bhutan into a nation-state.
Return to your lodge for rest and reflection, with the option of a final spa treatment or gentle archery practice in the late afternoon, before a farewell dinner at the Bukhari Restaurant.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Paro Uma by COMO or the award-winning Paro Zhiwa Ling Heritage
JANUARY 28, 2026: DEPART PARO FOR SINGAPORE (BENEDICTE) / PARO MEETINGS (ANDERS)
This morning, , Benedicte can transfer to Paro Airport for your Drukair flight to Singapore KB540, departing at 7:50 AM & arriving 3:55 PM. As the aircraft lifts above the valley, catch one last glimpse of chortens, dzongs, and snow-capped peaks—parting images of a kingdom where spirit and landscape are inseparable.
Anders will have meetings in Thimphu (1 hr drive) with DHI (Druk Holdings and Investments), Tashi Group of companies, and others relevant to Deepsense project. Anders can do some sightseeing and shopping if time permits.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations (Anders): The Paro Uma by COMO or the award-winning Paro Zhiwa Ling Heritage
JANUARY 29, 2026: PARO TO DELHI DEPARTURE
This morning, following breakfast, we bring Anders back to the airport for his departing flight to Delhi KB200, which leaves 9:40AM and lands 11:30AM in Delhi.