Day
01 :
|
Fly from Kathmandu to
Paro. You arrive Paro by
Druk Air flight which
will offer you great
views of Mt. Everest,
Kanchenjunga, Chomolhari,
Tsrim gang and Jichu
Drake. The moment you
step out of the plane
you will see the
difference. Bhutan
welcomes you with cool,
clean fresh air. Peace
and quietness is just
another bonus. Our
representatives will
escort you to resort. If
time prevails visit the
National museum &
Rinpung Dzong. You stay
overnight in Paro. |
Day
02 :
|
Paro valley sightseeing.
This day is planned for
sightseeing in Paro. You
visit the old fort ruins
of the Drukgyal Dzong,
which offers a very
scenic drive of a
typical Bhutanese
landscape. The dzong was
destroyed by accidental
fire and left in ruins
as an evocative reminder
of the great victories
it was built to
commemorate. On a clear
day the Mt.
Jhomolhari(7314metres,
24000 feet), the sacred
summit, reaches skyward
beyond the Dzong.
Afterwards visit the Ta
Dzong (built in1656 and
renovated in 1968), an
ancient watchtower,
which now houses the
National Museum. This
unusual round building
is believed to be in the
shape of a conch shell.
The centerpiece of this
Museum is a complex
four-sided carving
depicting the history of
Buddhism and its
propagation. One side is
Sakyamuni and the great
teacher Atisha,
representing the Sakya
School. On the next lies
Geylup, a disciple of
Dalai Lama. Another is
Nyingma lineage, the
head is Guru Padmasanva,
and the final is Drukpa
Kagyu with the figure of
Vajra Dhara. Below the
museum is the Paro
Rimpung Dzong (literally
meaning "Heap of
Jewels"), built in 1646
by Shabdrung Ngawang
Namgyal, the centre of
civil and religious
authority in this
valley. Here you can see
finest example of
Bhutanese architecture
enroute you visit the
near by Kichu Lhakhang
built in 659 A.D by the
Tibetan king Srongsen
Gampo. This Monastery is
one of the 108
monasteries built across
the Himalayan region by
the Tibetan King to
subdue the Demons that
lay across the Himalayan
region. The rest of the
monasteries lie in other
neighboring countries.
Along with these you are
quite attracted by the
Paro's market and farm
houses. |
Day
03 :
|
Excursion to Taktsang
Monastery. You go for
hike to Taktsang
monastery. Horses can be
arranged with an extra
US$ 5 The hike which is
all the way uphill takes
about 2/3 hours through
villages and pine
forests. The monastery
which clings to a huge
granite cliff 800 meters
from the Paro valley was
devastated by fire in
1998 but the Royal
Government has taken
immediate steps to
restore the monastery to
its original structure.
It is believed that the
great saint
Padmasambhava came in
the 7th century on a
flying tigress and
meditated in a cave for
3 months. The demons
were subdued who were
trying to stop the
spread of Buddhism and
converted the Paro
valley into Buddhism.
During the end of the 17
century a monastery was
built on the spot where
the saint meditated and
it is a pilgrimage site
for every Bhutanese to
visit once in their life
time. Stroll back to
Resort. |
Day
04 :
|
Drive from Paro to Shana
(2,820 m). Your trek
begins this day. Your
trek to Shana starts at
Drukgyal Dzong following
the Paro river and you
pass cultivated fields
and tiny web picturesque
villages. The forests
are alive with numerous
birds and brightly
coloured butterflies.
You stay overnight at
camp Shana. |
Day
05 :
|
Trek from Shana to Soi
Thangthanka (3610 m )
which takes seven and
half hours. The trail
follows the river
through a heavily
forested area with a few
isolated farmhouses. It
narrows and closes in
and the trail winds up
and down along the
drainage. You pass a
junction en route, where
another path leads north
over the Tremo La to
Tibet. Camp is in a
meadow with a stone
shelter. |
Day
06 :
|
Trek from Soi
Thangthanka to
Jangothang (4,115 m) and
it takes about five and
half hours. In the
morning after passing a
small army post, the
trail slowly leaves the
forest line and
gradually climbs into a
beautiful valley,
passing Tegethang, a
winter home of yak
herdsmen. Lunch will be
served in one of these
huts. Lots of yaks will
be seen today before you
arrive at the Jhomolhari
base camp (4,115 m).
High mountains overlook
the camp and visible
nearby are the ruins of
an old fortress used to
guard Bhutan against
Tibetan invasions. |
Day
07 :
|
Rest day at Jangothang.
This is a rest day. It
grants you a chance to
walk up to the
Jhomolhari glacier or to
the Tsho Phu lakes on
the opposite direction.
You stay overnight in
camp. |
Day
08 :
|
Trek from Jangothang to
Lingshi (4100 meters)
and it takes about six
and half hours. The
trail follows the stream
for half an hour and
crosses the bridge to
the right side. Climb up
the ridge and enjoy
stunning views of
Chomolhari, Jichu Drake
and Tshrim Khang
mountains. Then you walk
through the wide open
valley sometimes coming
across herds of blue
sheep. The climb up to
the Nyele la pass 4700
meters is not too
difficult and the view
is breathtaking. After
the pass it's a gradual
descend and through the
valley with beautiful
views on all side.
Nearing the camp you
will see the Lingshi
Dzong perched on top of
a hill with commanding
view of the valley. |
Day
09 :
|
Rest day at Lingshi. |
Day 10 :
|
Trek from Lingshi to
Shodu (3750m.) and it
takes almost seven and
half hours.
Today is the most
difficult day so you
start early. You begin
walk opposite the dzong
gradually through the
valley until the stiff
climb to Yale la pass at
4950 meters the highest
point of the trip. The
panoramic view of
Mt.Chomolhari, Jichu
Drake and Tshrim Gang is
breathtaking. After the
pass it's a long descent
to the camp at 3750
meters. |
Day
11 :
|
Trek from Shodu to
Barshong which takes
five and half hours. The
path follows the Thimchu
river descending through
rhododendron, Juniper
and pine forests. The
view of the cliff facing
rocks and water falls
are stunning. The trail
gradually ascends after
3/4 hours to the ruins
of Barshong Dzong
reaching the camp at
3500 meters. |
Day
12 :
|
Trek from Barshong to
Thimphu and trek
concludes here. The path
descends for a while
joining the Thimchu
river and gradually
ascending and descending
through thick bamboo and
pine forests. From
Dolemkencho the trail
descends all the way to
Dodina where the our
coach will be waiting
for your return |
Day 13 :
|
Thimphu Sightseeing. You
visit the Memorial
chorten built in the
memory of the late King
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck,
15 century Changangkha
monastery and drive
further down with good
views of the Thimphu
valley. Next you visit
the National Library
where ancient
manuscripts are
preserved and visit the
Painting School where
traditional art is still
preserved. Here artists
are taught to paint
Thankas sacred Buddhist
scroll). You then go to
visit the Traditional
Medicine Institute where
the ancient healing arts
are still practiced and
Tashichhodzong, the main
secretariat building. It
is from here that the
King and other prominent
civil servants run the
country. The Head Abbot
and the central monastic
body also reside here
during the summer. Along
with these you go to
Handicrafts Emporium
where one can buy
Bhutanese textiles and
other Arts & Crafts
stores. Here you can buy
stunning Kiras that can
be used as bed covers or
wall hangings, jewelry
and much more. |
Day
14 :
|
Thimphu, day of leisure.
In evening you drive to
Paro for overnight stay. |
Day 15 :
|
Early morning drive to
Paro Airport for
departure. |