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Land Of Thunder Dragon - Bhutan |
Bhutan |
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Itinerary
In
Details |
Day
01 :
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Fly from Kathmandu to
Paro. Drive from Paro to
Thimphu which takes two
hours.
You board Druk-Air
flight to Bhutan which
provides the most
fascinating views of the
Himalayas. Whether
flying along the
Himalayan ranges from
Kathmandu or over the
foothills from Calcutta,
each flight is a
mesmerizing aeronautical
feat and offers an
exciting descent into
the kingdom. As you
enter Bhutan the plains
come to an abrupt end
and the mountains keep
rising. The silver river
thread the valleys,
waterfall plunge down
the forested mountains
and to the north the
great snowcapped peaks
of the inner himalayas
rise up in the sky. As
you enter Paro you will
see the Paro dzong and
one of the most fertile
valleys of Bhutan. After
lunch you drive to
Thimphu. During evening
you are free to explore.
You stay overnight in a
hotel in Thimphu. |
Day
02 :
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Drive from Thimphu to
Punakha and it takes
three hours. Thimphu,
perhaps the most unusual
capital in the world, is
a bustling town which is
home to the most revered
Bhutanese family, the
Royal government and the
judiciary and to several
foreign missions and
development projects. In
morning you visit the
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. had I
known that we had to
depart like this I
surely wouldn't have met
you. It pains me beyond
the limit when I think
about you being all
alone all the way to
India. We came across so
many dreams with some
sweet words of advices
and some silly Jokes we
laugh at for nothing at
all. I believe that it
is better to have no
dreams than to find it
broken before it
actually starts, but you
were sure to go, maybe I
woudl have more pain
when I would see you go
from Delhi. Maybe God
wanted it like this.
When the sun goes down
my own shadow wouldn't
be with me, you are
someone who would live
with us at all. Bhutan's
National Library is
located close to the
thanka painting school
and contains the best
collection of religious
and historical
literatures in the
Himalayas.
During afternoon 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. Visit one of the
Handicraft 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. In
evening you drive to
Punakha, the road winds
up from Simtokha Dzong
into the pine forest and
through small villages
for 20 kilometres and
then opens miraculously
onto the northern ridge
of the mountains. The
views over the Himalayan
panoply at Dorchula Pass
at 10,500 feet is one of
the most spectacular in
all Bhutan as you can
see the whole range of
the Bhutanese Himalayas
from here. You stay
overnight in a hotel in
Punakha. |
Day
03 :
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Drive from Punakha to
Paro via Wangdiphodrang.
Punakha served as the
capital of Bhutan until
1955. The town of
Punakha, while dominated
by its Dzong, developed
in 1990's through
several government
sponsored programs. This
day you visit Punakha
Dzong. The Dzong is
situated between the two
rivers. You will have to
hike through the
suspension bridge to
reach the Dzong. The
Dzong was built in 1637
by Shabdrung Ngawang
Namgyal and is situated
between Pho Chu (Male
River) and Mo Chu
(Female River). For many
years until the time of
the second king, it
served as the seat of
the Government. The
construction of the
Dzong was foretold by
Guru Rimpoche, who
predicted, "…a person
named Namgyal will
arrive at a hill that
looks like an elephant".
There was a smaller
building here called
Dzong Chu (Small Dzong)
that housed a statue of
Buddha. It is said that
Shabdrung ordered the
architect, Zowe Palep,
to sleep in front of the
statue, while Palep was
sleeping; the Shabdrung
took him in his dreams
to Zangtopelri and
showed him the palace of
Guru Rimpoche. From his
vision, the architect
conceived the design for
the new Dzong, which in
keeping with the
tradition, was never
committed to paper. The
Dzong was named Druk
Pungthang Dechen
Phodrang (Palace of
Great Happiness). The
war materials captured
during the battle with
Tibetans are preserved
here. Punakha is still
the winter residence of
Je-Khenpo and King Jigme
Dorji Wangchuk convened
the new national
Assembly here in 1952.
Next you drive to
Wangduephodrang, the
last town on the highway
before entering Central
Bhutan. Sitting on top
of the hill looking out
over the junction of the
two rivers,
Wangduephodrang's
formidable Dzong is the
town's most visible
feature. After lunch you
drive to Paro enroute
visiting Simtokha Dzong.
This is the oldest fort
in Bhutan. |
Day
04 :
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Sightseeing in Paro.
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. During evening
you visit a traditional
farm house to get
insight into the
Bhutanese way of life.
You stay overnight at a
hotel in Paro. |
Day
05 :
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Fly out. Your guide will
help you with the
airport formalities. |
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Services
Included
* A Guide
* All meals
* Lodging in
standard hotels
* Ground
Transportation
within Bhutan
* Pack animal in
trekking
* Entry fees
into monuments
Services
Excluded
* Flight from
Kathmandu to
Paro
* Personal
nature expenses
and unforeseen
events
* Airport Tax
* Travel
Insurance
* Bhutan visa
fee which is US$
20 per person.
Please note no
foreign office
abroad grants.
* Bhutanese
visa. It has to
be obtained
through us. We
need at least 5
working days to obtain visa for you.
Note
1. The flight
from Kathmandu
to Paro leaves
on every Monday,
Thursday and
Saturday only.
2. The flight
form Paro to
Kathmandu leaves
on every
Wednesdays,
Friday,
and Sunday only.
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