This morning your host will meet you at your hotel and you settle into your comfortable car and drive about 3 hours to the Haa Valley. On the way we will visit Kila Goempa nunnery which is located on the cliffs below Chele pass at about 3,500m. There are around seven small temples and several retreat huts built into a dizzying sheer Cliffside, where between 30 to 70 nuns live in self-imposed isolation. They rarely get visitors, as the hike up from the main road takes almost an hour each way, through forest and steep slopes. There is also another trail descending from Chelela pass at 3810m down the slopes to Kila that takes between 1-2hrs.

Once back in the car we drive the last bit of the way to Haa, which has an idyllic rural setting with semi-nomadic farming communities. In winter, most yak herders are in the valley with their families, so it is a good time to pay a visit. Tonight and tomorrow night you stay in a farmhouse which is more than 200 years old and is built in the traditional Bhutanese style typically seen all over Bhutan.

In Haa we stay in Ugyen’s farmhouse, our guests have been helping to support Ugyen’s family for a number of years by staying here and love this authentic community-based experience. It is a large home displaying some fine features of days gone by, yet fitted with some welcome amenities to make the stay more comfortable for western guests. You have a short walk, crossing a bubbling stream and past an ancient Buddhist Chorten (stupa) before being shown down a stone-lined path to be greeted by the whole family. Spend the afternoon with your host Ugyen and his family, learning about real life in rural Bhutan and then the chance to enjoy a delightful soak in an herbal hot-stone bath. Known to be therapeutic, this helps ailments related to joints and muscle aches, besides simply soothing your mind and body…and it goes just perfectly with some of the locally brewed alcohol (ara). Enjoy a traditional dinner and plenty of stories with the family!

Note: There are no good restaurants on the way so you can choose to have brunch before you go and an early dinner, or take a packed lunch to eat on the way. Please let us know in advance which option you prefer and we will arrange it for you.

Accommodation: Ugyen’s Farmhouse
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Traditional farmhouse © Michele Bjornson

Wake up in the peaceful atmosphere, enjoy a fantastic breakfast experience and enjoy being part of the family where you can help with the daily chores such as make offerings in the family alter in the mornings, milk the cows, make butter and cheese the Bhutanese way, learn how to make the famed Suja (buttered tea) with traditional Haa valley culinary.

By mid morning we leave this rural village and head for the capital Thimphu, it is a stunning drive and we should reach Thimphu for a late lunch. While the capital is cosmopolitan compared to the Haa valley it is still a small town.

On arrival in Thimphu your host will help you check in to your accommodation so you can rest up a bit before taking a stroll around town to get a feel for the unique place you find yourselves in. You can visit the National Memorial Chorten and the stunning Tashichho Dzong (fortress), the government of Bhutan’s central administration quarters and also the office of His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister.You will have dinner at Thimphu’s most popular fusion restaurant called Chha Bistro (you won’t suffer forgettable hotel buffets on this adventure!) to wrap up your first day in style. Our good friend and owner of the restaurant is a very friendly person and will definitely add a personal touch to your meal.

** We can help you live like a Bhutanese while in Bhutan. If you like you can try wearing the traditional attire and we’re sure you’ll love the traditional Bhutanese textiles! We can take you to some of the best weavers to showcase their craft and for you to hire (or buy) your own Bhutanese ‘Gho’ or ‘Kira’ (men’s and women’s attire).

Accommodation: Bhutan Suites/ Hotel Pedling/ Peaceful Resort
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning depending on your energy levels, you can take a stroll down to the Takin Preserve Centre, helping to protect the national animal of Bhutan. Unique to Bhutan and a small pocket of Himalayan India, this strange animal looks somewhere in between a cow and a goat yet scientists have been unable to find any genetic links to any other animal.

Later in the morning you visit the National Folk Heritage Museum and enjoy a nice lunch here served in a traditional setting as if you are in a traditional Bhutanese home. After lunch you can choose a between visiting the Zorig Chusum school of 13 traditional arts/crafts where you will see students honing their crafts and can have an interactive lesson of the 13 different traditional artforms. The Ayala Gallery to see local artists of Bhutan at work. The gallery is an initiative of a group of freelance artists who voluntarily teaches art to young aspiring artists.

Tonight, enjoy another great dinner at one of Thimphu’s best restaurants.

Accommodation: Bhutan Suites/ Hotel Pedling/ Peaceful Resort
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we have an excursion to Tango and Cheri Monasteries, two of the most highly respected Buddhist academic monasteries in Bhutan. Drive along country lanes on the way to the trail and then hike uphill for just under one hour before reaching Tango Monastery, one of the most important institutes of Buddhist studies for the monks of Bhutan. Lama Gyalwa Lhanampa founded the monastic school at Tango Monastery in the 12th century and the present building was built in the 15th century by the ‘divine madman’, Lama Drukpa Kuenley. Tango is the residence of an important Tulku (reincarnate lama) who is recognized as the seventh reincarnation of the highly respected fourth Desi, Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye, whose previous incarnation passed away in 1830.
A picnic lunch will be served near the riverside before continue to Cheri Monastery, which is another good climb up from the road.

Accommodation: Bhutan Suites/ Hotel Pedling/ Peaceful Resort
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

View of Cheri Monastery on the hike up © Robin Boustead

This morning it will be fun to try the quirky experience of a visit to the Bhutan Post Office where you can actually make your own stamps with your photos on it and post them to your friends and family back home – or even to yourself so you have a fun souvenir waiting for you when you get home! So choose your pics over dinner the night before (or before you leave home!) and have them ready to create a unique memento, Bhutan style.

After tea you load up into your comfortable car, bid farewell to Thimphu and set off to explore rural Bhutan. Your destination for today is Punakha, with a total drive time of approximately 4 hours, with great stops along the way, the first being the Dochu La (pass). The pass offers spectacular views over the distant Himalayan ranges of northern Bhutan. Situated atop the pass at the backdrop of fluttering prayer flags are the Druk Wangyal Chortens – a collection of 108 stupas built in honour of His Majesty the fourth King of Bhutan.

From the pass you descend to the low-lying Lobesa valley and take a nice, short hike through a beautiful village surrounded by rice paddy fields to visit the famous Chhimi Lhakhang. At this temple you can learn about and pay your respects to one of Bhutan’s most charming and eccentric historic religious figures, nicknamed ‘The Divine Madman’. The temple is also called the fertility temple and your guide will explain the unusual story behind it.

Extra energy option 1 * If you have plenty of energy and would like an extra hike please let us know as you can also hike from Dochu La and climb through Rhododendron forests and alpine vegetation up to a peak where the Lungtsezekha temple stands at 3800m. From here, you can see the great Himalayan peaks of northern Bhutan as well as the valleys of southern Bhutan and you might come across some yaks as we often spot them around here.

Extra energy option 2 * In the afternoon you take a short drive to Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang Nunnery, perched on a ridge amid pine trees and overlooking valleys of Punakha and Wangduephodrang. Here you can meet the nuns, who love to practice their English with visitors and learn about the ways of the wider world.

Accommodation: Hotel Lobesa / Punatshangchhu cottage
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we visit the Punakha Dzong, situated at the confluence of two rivers and said to be the most beautiful fortress in Bhutan. This ancient fortress is the winter residence of the monastic order’s leadership and still serves as the administrative headquarters for the Punakha region. The fortress is a fine example of Bhutan’s rich art and architecture, and our guide who is an expert in iconography will explain all aspects of art, architecture, history and its significance.

We then head west, back to the beautiful city of Paro where we started our Bhutan journey. It’s a long drive (approx. 5 hours) through stunning countryside and we will have lunch on the way. You can choose to break up the trip and do some exploring along the way, or simply get to Paro and explore the beautiful and historic sites around this old city.

In the evening, explore Paro town on foot and see the various handicrafts and art centres before dinner and an early night to be rested and ready for tomorrow!

Accommodation: Metta Resort / Gangtey Palace
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Saved the best for the last! An excursion to the famous Taktshang monastery, built in 1692 by a prominent historical figure named Gyaltse Tenzin Rabgye whose reincarnation is now a young teenager and already a prominent figure in the clergy.The hike to Taktsang is a steep uphill walk and takes approximately 3 hours to reach. The trail is certainly quite a hard walk and you will no doubt be short of breath from the altitude, but it is also a stunning hike as you climb through beautiful pine forest and an occasional grove of fluttering prayer flags. You can stop to rest your legs and have some light refreshments at the Taktsang Jakhang (cafeteria) which is about half way up.

From here you do have views of the monastery, but after a rest you can take the rest of the walk (about another hour and a half uphill) to gain a truly incredible view of the Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of the sheer 800m cliff!As this is the last night in Bhutan, take your time to stroll around town and perhaps do any last minute shopping for gifts or mementos of our great time in Bhutan.

Accommodation: Metta Resort / Gangtey Palace
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and when it is time your guide will take you to the airport, help you with the formalities and fare you well before your flight to home.