FESTIVAL
Discover a primal springtime festival and journey overland from central to west 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.
An active adventure exploring the spiritual heart of Bhutan with the ancient Ura festival
THIS SPRINGTIME JOURNEY at the peak of Bhutan’s colorful rhododendron season brings us to a religious mask dance festival with hidden symbols and meanings that sustain the spiritual lives of the central Bhutanese people, who are the keepers of its ancient traditions and ceremonies.
Pair this trip with our Nepal extension featuring UNESCO Heritage Durbar Square, historic Pashupatinath, awe-inspiring Boudhanath stupa, ancient Patan, and a tranquil river lodge overlooking the Trisuli, with an excursion to Chitwan National Park.
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
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
THE JOURNEY BEGINS with a hike to famous clifftop Tiger’s Nest monastery and a short but spectacular cross-country flight into Bhutan’s spiritual and geographical heart, where we attend the ancient springtime festival and explore the region’s hidden valleys and hamlets by foot and car. The return trip overland to western Bhutan takes us through Trongsa, spiritual home of Bhutanese kings; Gangtey, a hidden high valley that sits midway between central and west Bhutan; Punakha, the ancient Bhutanese capital at the confluence of two culturally significant rivers, and, finally, Thimphu, Bhutan's bustling modern capital. Along the way, we stop at each valley’s historically notable temples and Buddhist monastery fortresses known as Dzongs. Through our curated blend of active hiking, cultural experiences, and historical context, we seek to provide a deep, insightful understanding of the kingdom before returning to the western (air) port city of Paro for your return flight home.
VIEW DAY BY DAY
APRIL 27: KATHMANDU/BANGKOK TO PARO FLIGHT
Your morning flight Drukair KB 401 from Kathmandu departs at 9:00 am and arrives in Paro at 10:20 am. In Kathmandu, the renowned Kathmandu Guest House is your retreat.
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Your early flight from Bangkok, Drukair KB 153, departs at 07:30 a.m. and lands in Paro at 10:40 a.m. We recommend The Novotel Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Hotel if you have a short overnight connection.
Your journey begins when we pick you up at the airport on arrival from Bangkok and take you on an easy outing around Paro Valley—after a stop for refreshments and bracing cups of Bhutan’s homegrown coffee or tea.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Olathang Cottages or comparable
APRIL 28: TIGER’S NEST MONASTERY
This morning, we step back in time at the eighth century, clifftop Tiger’s Nest monastery and other monuments along the valley floor. A visit to the traditional weekend farmers market, where we see people from all walks of life buying weekly provisions, gives us an idea of the local tastes and culinary preferences.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Olathang Cottages or comparable
APRIL 29: DOMESTIC FLIGHT TO CENTRAL BHUTAN
Drukair KB012 departs at 11:10 from Paro and lands in Bumthang at 11:45 am.
The short 35-minute domestic flight with views of the greater Himalayan range drops us into the heart of the kingdom. After checking in at our family-run lodge, the Mountain Resort, we head out on a tour of the beautifully-restored historic Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum across the street.
After lunch, take a drive up the hill, past the dramatic dzong perched like a white crane on a hill, to one of Bhutan's premier institutions for conservation and the environment, including the kingdom's climate change mitigation efforts the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER), housed in a former summer palace. The institute focuses on fostering better stewardship of Bhutan’s natural heritage—including land, water, air, and the species inhabiting them—through rigorous, science-based research and the dissemination of cutting-edge scientific findings to field practitioners, environmental leaders, and policymakers.
Schedule permitting, meet a locally celebrated forester and conservationist who led Bhutan’s highly successful National Tiger Conservation Programme for many years and thus earned the moniker “Tiger Sangay”.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Mountain Resort or comparable
APRIL 30: THE URA FESTIVAL MASK DANCES
Today, we take an hour's drive in the morning to attend the popular religious celebration in Ura valley, a place that features prominently in the critically acclaimed feature film, The Monk and the Gun, Bhutan's official 2023 Academy Awards nominee.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Mountain Resort or comparable
MAY 1: "PILGRIM'S WALK"
This morning we take a walking tour of the key temples and monastery along the valley floor, along the traditional "pilgrim's circuit," exploring the religious art and architecture of buildings dating from the 7th to the 17th centuries.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Mountain Resort or comparable
MAY 02: TRANS BHUTAN TRAIL/TANG VALLEY
This morning after breakfast we hike along a stretch of the Trans Bhutan Trail, which takes us from the Jakar to the Tang valley where we enjoy a delicious lunch in an old atmospheric home that's been refurbished as a museum.
If time permits, we stop in at a picturesque gorge in the Tang river called the "Flaming Lake," because of a popular local legend. This evening we sample local Red Panda Beer, Juniper Schanpps and Gouda and Emmenthaler cheeses made at the local Swiss Farm.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Mountain Resort or comparable
MAY 03: DRIVE TO GANGTEY VALLEY
Today we descend into the warm Trongsa valley before climbing back up through the rugged Black Mountain Range to the high alpine Gangtey valley.
Lunch is at a traditional restaurant set by a spectacular waterfall!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Dewachen Lodge, Gangtey Eco Lodge or comparable
MAY 04: DRIVE TO PUNAKHA AND TEMPLES TOUR
This morning we hike the flanks of beautiful Gangtey valley to the nature center and continue our drive along the east-west highway and arrive in the fertile Lobeysa valley in time for a delicious traditional red rice lunch. In the afternoon, we walk along rice terraces to the famous "Temple of the Divine Madman." This evening, enjoy cocktail hour at the Zhingkham Resort's terrace with spreading views of the river and valley and the beautiful lights of the Punakha Dzong.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Zhingkham Resort, Dhumra Farmstay or comparable
MAY 05: VISIT PUNAKHA DZONG/EXPLORE PUNAKHA
This morning, enter majestic Punakha Dzong across a traditional wooden bridge. Visit the magnificent Hall of 100 Pillars before continuing our drive to a lovely riverside picnic. In the afternoon, take a lovely hike through rice-fields to the Khamsum Yuelley Temple upriver of the Punakha Mochu valley. In the late afternoon, we walk across the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan, a fun and exhilarating experience!
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Zhingkham Resort, Dhumra Farmstay or comparable
MAY 06: EXPLORE THIMPHU
After breakfast, we drive the 2.5 hours to Thimphu, with a stop at the 10,000-foot Dochula pass. Take a short hike into the old-growth rhododendron forests above the pass to see any late season blooms, which can be spectacular. Lunch will be back at the cafe with a quick walk around the 108 white stupas. Continue to the Giant Buddha Dordenma, followed by an optional 1.5-2 hour hike through pine forests to the 14th century Changgangkha Monastery with an exquisite statue of the Buddha of Compassion. After checking in at the hotel, we have a free late afternoon or early evening to walk through the colorful city center or visit an interesting local market by the river, or a smiths' workshop for one-of-a-kind handmade jewellery and religious statuary.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Capital Hotel/Thimphu City Hotel or comparable
MAY 07: TAKIN ZOO/CITY MONUMENTS
This morning we visit the Takin zoo, where we come face to face with the curious-looking national animal of Bhutan, the Takin, as well as yaks. Later, we continue on a lovely forest trail to the Wangditse temple with spectacular views of the city and enjoy a scenic packed picnic lunch on the temple grounds. This evening, we enjoy a traditional farewell feast at the city's culinary hotspot, the Folk Heritage Restaurant.
Meet today with Country Director of the Bhutan Foundation, Norbu Dema (schedule dependent), to learn more about their climate change mitigation project Himalayan Environmental Rhythms Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES).
The HEROES project is aimed at helping understand citizens understand climate change in a manner they can relate to, so that appropriate mitigation of the causes of climate change (namely reduction of greenhouse gases) and adaptations to changes in climatic conditions can be devised accordingly. The Himalayan Environmental Rhythms Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES) project, implemented by the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute of Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER) in partnerships with schools and nature clubs across Bhutan, employs a combination of weather data collection (through a network of weather stations) and citizen science to help explain climate change. While the high-tech weather stations provide an uninterrupted flow of weather and climatic data (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) across Bhutan’s varied ecological and elevation gradient, the citizen science component of the project encourages hundreds of students to actively engage in observing their immediate effects to detect changes in how plants and wildlife respond to climate change.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Capital Hotel/Thimphu City Hotel or comparable
MAY 08: DEPARTURE/BANGKOK
We bring you to the airport after breakfast, in time for your return flight to Bangkok. Drukair KB 130 Departs at 16:20 in the afternoon and arrives 22:00 hours in Bangkok.
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch served inflight en route to Bangkok
Recommended transit hotel in Bangkok: The Novotel Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Hotel
Note: Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions will provide Nepal arrangements with our partners Everest Lodges if choosing travel via Kathmandu. Please inquire for details if interested. Guests are responsible for round-trip air arrangements to Kathmandu or Bangkok and the transit hotel (Novotel) in Bangkok. Bhutan Himalaya Expeditions takes care of the rest, including domestic flights and the round-trip from Katmandu-Bhutan-Bangkok or Bangkok-Bhutan-Bangkok (airfare is additional).