Paro to Phuentsholing Tour

According to our trip itinerary, you will fly Kathmandu to Paro, it takes about 1 hour 15 munities. But you can get in Bhutan from your home town or any appropriate location. While your flight get nears Bhutan, you will enjoy amazing views of the Himalayas including the sacred Jumolhari Mountain and Jichu Drake peas. At the Paro international airport, the representative of Nepal Mother House will be greeted you and drive to the hotel. As this is your first day trip in Bhutan, you will visit Rinpung Dzong Monastery; the monastery reflects its history, belief and faith since establish date 1646 to now. This is very important monastery as district Monastic Body of Paro and government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. Next, you will visit one of the oldest Monasteries “Kichu Lhakhang”, which was built in 659 AD by Tibetan King Songtsen Gyampo. Then you will visit the national museum, once it was a fortified lookout tower but has now been changed into the National Museum. In the museum you will observe a wide collection of ancient paintings, armors, philatelic displays and a “field of Buddhas”, which helps one visualize while meditating. You will stay overnight in Paro.

This is your second day trip, after breakfast, you will hike 4 to 5 hours to the Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery (3,180m), located on the side of Paro Valley hangings on a cliff and stands above a beautiful forest of blue pine and rhododendrons. Guru Padmasambhava, popularly known as Guru Rinpoche (spiritual master), who mediated three years, three months, three days and three hours and got enlighten. He transfers as tiger, then it literally known as Tiger’s Nest Monastery. The Monastery was blessed and sanctified as one of Bhutan’s most sacred religious sites. You will have lunch in the restaurant, located about halfway up the mountain. After explored the Tiger Nest monastery, you will hike down to the Paro valley basin. Then you will drive about 55 km to the capital city Thimphu, and stay overnight at hotel.

This is full day sightseeing in Thimpu. At the begging day tour you will visit Memorial Chorten, which is built in 1974 as memory of Bhutan’s third King “His Late Majesty, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk (1952-1972)”, who is regarded as Father of modern Bhutan. Then visit to nunnery temple, mini zoo to see National animal Takin. We visit other several landmarks of Thimphu including the National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Bhutanese traditional painting school, folk heritage museum, the majestic Tashichho Dzong and the traditional paper factory of Bhutan. Some landmarks are closed in the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). Therefore, if you are in Thimphu during the weekends, we explore the Weekend Market instead. Stay overnight in Thimphu.

The day trip of today is start from capital city Thimphu after having breakfast. It is scenic drive to Punakha, we stop for tea at Dochu La Pass (3,100 meters), where the spectacular mountains view can see on a clear day. From here, we drive downhill through rhododendron, fir and hemlock beautiful forests. Now the road goes through the rice fields along rivers river banks and finally reaches confluence of the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu, where is it Punakha. After refreshment and having lunch, we visit Punakha Dzong Monastery; it was built in 1637-1638, often referred to as the 'Palace of Happiness' and is the second oldest and second largest Dzong in Bhutan. Punakha Dzong is the second oldest and the second largest Dzong in Bhutan. Stay overnight at hotel in Punakha.

The day begins explore round the beautiful Wangduephodrang town. You will find very fine art in slate and stone carvings in this village. The village is untouched by modernization. After explore this village, we drive to Gangtey (3,000m); through dense oak, pine and rhododendron forests, often you have a picturesque snow-capped mountains view and scene of village. The beautiful Phobjikha valley view can see from here, Phobjikha is in the Black Mountain National Park at Wangduephodrang districts with elevation of 2900 meters. This is winter habitat of the black necked cranes, which are migrating from Tibetan plateaus to avoid extremely cold winter. These elegant birds can be seen from the end of October to March around the monastery. Then, we explore Gangteng Monastery before driving back to Punakha for an overnight stay.

Today, we drive about 7 to 8 hours to Phuentsholing, a border town in southern Bhutan. This is head quarter of Chukha District and commercial city of Bhutan. Phuentsholing is the point of entry for travelers who like to travel in Bhutan from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kolkata and Siliguri of India. It takes between 3 - 6 hours by drive from these places to Bhutan. The lunch serves en route in a local restaurant. You will visit Zangdopelri Monastery located at center of town, the statue of Guru Rinpoche and others Buddhist ditties are remarkable. Stay overnight at hotel in Phuentsholing.

Today we organize farewell program to you, accordingly to Bhutan’s hospitality. After early breakfast, we will drive out of Phuentsholing for our next journey. We can either return to Paro Airport (175km about 6 hours drive for our next journey or continue our tour to Sikkim and Darjeeling. Generally, the national aircraft company Druk Air departs in the early morning to avoid unfavorable weather conditions. Therefore, you need to departure early in the morning, after having breakfast.