Breakfast is included throughout the trip plus eight lunches and eight dinners while in Bhutan.

During your adventure in Bhutan, prepare to savor a delightful array of flavors that blend Bhutanese and Western cuisines. While Bhutanese dishes are traditionally seasoned with chilies, often tempered for foreign palates, the local cuisine boasts rich and varied tastes. Enjoy a diverse selection of meat, vegetable, rice, and potato dishes, alongside iconic specialties like ema datshi—featuring chilies and cheese. If you desire a more authentic or spicier culinary experience, don’t hesitate to share your preferences with your trip leader, who will endeavor to tailor meals to your liking.

Breakfasts are an assortment of cereals, eggs, toast, fruit and often some Bhutanese dishes. Lunches are taken in a restaurant and dinners are either in the hotel or at a local restaurant.

Please allow approximately 2,500-3,350 ngultrums (US$30-US$40) per day for other main meals in Kathmandu.

Stop at the Tachogang Lhakhang Iron Chain Bridge spanning the Paro Chhu, attributed to the 14th-century master engineer and saint Thangtong Gyalpo. Its design recalls the era when hand-forged chains connected remote valleys.

Admire the bridge’s simple elegance, fluttering prayer flags, and the temple above dedicated to the “Temple of the Excellent Horse.” The crossing evokes Bhutan’s ingenuity in bridging rivers long before modern roads.

Explore Rinpung Dzong, a masterpiece of Bhutanese fortress architecture rising above terraced fields and the river’s cantilever bridge. Wide courtyards and painted galleries reveal the union of monastic and civic life.

Continue to the hilltop National Museum of Bhutan (Ta Dzong), a former watchtower housing thangkas, folk artifacts, and natural history exhibits. Together, they frame Paro’s heritage from medieval defense to cultural preservation; visits are typically arranged subject to flight times.

Step into Kyichu Lhakhang, a seventh-century sanctuary revered as one of the Himalaya’s earliest Buddhist temples. Spin the pilgrimage prayer wheels outside before entering candlelit chapels scented with juniper.

Hear the legend of Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo building 108 temples in a single day to subdue a giant demoness, with Kyichu pinning one limb. The site’s deep stillness and orange trees add to its timeless grace.

Hike through blue pine forest to Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest), Bhutan’s most iconic cliff-perched monastery soaring above the Paro Valley. Follow well-worn stone paths and steps to panoramic viewpoints where prayer flags snap in the breeze and the complex appears impossibly anchored to the rock.

On arrival, step quietly through incense-scented temples restored after the 1998 fire and learn legends of Guru Rinpoche. Photography is not permitted inside, preserving the site’s meditative hush and sense of devotion.

Explore Thimphu’s highlights, beginning at Buddha Point (Kuensel Phodrang) where a colossal gilded Buddha overlooks the valley. Continue to Simtokha Dzong (1629), Bhutan’s oldest fortress-monastery, noted for protective deities and fine murals.

Witness living traditions at a handmade paper studio producing Deh-sho paper and a weaving centre preserving intricate kira and gho patterns. When conditions allow, pause above the Motithang area to view Bhutan’s national animal at the takin preserve from a scenic vantage.

Pause at Dochu La (3,050m) where 108 Druk Wangyal chortens crown a ridgeline framed by fluttering prayer flags. On clear days, the eastern Himalaya forms a sweeping Himalayan panorama that invites photos and quiet reflection.

Learn how the memorial chortens express Bhutan’s spiritual identity and the country’s deep connection with the mountains. The pass bridges temperate forests and subtropical lowlands, revealing Bhutan’s remarkable ecological range in a single vista.

Visit Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, a commanding monastery-fortress set above the Punatsangchhu River. Walk its broad courtyards and admire the strategic siting that once controlled vital east–west routes across central Bhutan.

Inside, discover assembly halls and chapels that speak to Bhutan’s dual monastic and administrative heritage. The dzong’s recent restoration preserves traditional craftsmanship, from rammed earth walls to carved timber galleries, maintaining continuity with centuries of Buddhist statehood.

Walk the gentle trails of the Phobjikha—an open, U-shaped glacial basin of pastures and blue pine forests. Follow farm tracks and village paths as the valley widens to reveal traditional stone farmhouses and terraced fields.

Climb steadily to the hilltop Gangtey Monastery, seat of the Pema Lingpa lineage, and enjoy sweeping views across Phobjikha’s glacial bowl. The route offers an unhurried immersion in rural life, bird calls, and crisp alpine air.

Visit the 15th-century Khewang Lhakhang, a pastoral hillside temple known for statues of the past, present, and future Buddhas. Its quiet circumambulation path and hillside setting invite contemplation amid fields and forest.

Continue to the Black-Necked Crane Visitor Centre to learn about these revered winter visitors from the Tibetan Plateau. Exhibits and viewing scopes (seasonal) illuminate conservation efforts for this endangered species and the cultural lore that protects them.

Walk through rippling paddies to Chimi Lhakhang (Fertility Temple), built in honour of the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley—the Divine Madman. Pass traditional farmhouses adorned with phallic murals meant to ward off the evil eye.

Inside the small, time-worn shrine, learn how playful teachings and blessings for fertility became part of Bhutan’s living folklore. The village approach reveals everyday rhythms—drying chilies, stacked firewood, and fields edged with prayer flags.

Explore Punakha Dzong, Bhutan’s most photogenic fortress, anchored at the confluence of the Mo Chhu and Po Chhu. Cross the traditional bridge to vast courtyards, whitewashed walls, and elaborately carved galleries beneath a golden spire.

As the winter seat of Bhutan’s monastic order, the dzong holds important relics and stories of royal coronations. In spring, jacaranda blossoms tint the riverbanks violet, adding a painterly flourish to the scene.

Hike a hillside path through rice terraces and pine to the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten, a richly painted stupa dedicated to peace and protection of the realm. The route reveals farm life and river views below.

Climb to the top for sweeping valley vistas and frescoes of tantric deities rendered in brilliant pigments. This visit is typically included when time allows and weather conditions are favourable.

Visit Dzongdrakha Goemba, a serene cluster of cliffside chapels often called “Mini Taktsang”. A short footpath leads to quiet shrines where butter lamps flicker and murals narrate local legends.

From ledges overlooking the Paro Valley, pause for photos and reflection as your guide shares tales of saints, spirits, and the ridge-top hermitages that once dotted Bhutan’s high places.

Meet your group for a hosted introduction to Bhutan and meet your Tour Director. Enjoy a relaxed welcome dinner featuring Bhutanese staples—think red rice, momos, and the chilli-and-cheese classic ema datshi—alongside milder dishes.

Your leader outlines cultural etiquette, festival customs, and hiking advice for high-altitude days ahead. This convivial start helps you connect with fellow travellers and set intentions for a journey rooted in shared discovery.

Visit a traditional farmhouse in the Phobjikha Valley to glimpse Bhutan’s rural rhythms—mud-plastered walls, timber balconies hung with drying chilies, and wood-fired kitchens.

Conversations with your hosts reveal how seasonal work, prayer, and careful stewardship of land and livestock shape daily life in this high valley. It’s an intimate counterpoint to dzong grandeur and festival pageantry, showcasing Bhutan’s lived culture.

Unwind in a Bhutanese hot-stone bath heated by fire-roasted river stones that crack to release minerals into the water. Set in a rustic wooden tub at a local farmhouse, the soak offers deep warmth after valley walks.

This restorative ritual is part of Bhutan’s homegrown wellness traditions and can be arranged while in Phobjikha. This is an optional experience at additional cost (approx. 830 BTN / US$10) and is bookable on tour.

Experience the devotion and colour of the Paro Tshechu as monks and lay performers enact masked cham dances in vivid brocade. Gather with local families in national dress to watch symbolic stories of Guru Rinpoche and Bhutan’s history unfold to the beat of drums and long horns.

Absorb the festival’s carnival atmosphere while learning how these rituals reinforce Buddhist teachings and community bonds. Depending on the schedule, you may also witness blessings or rare textiles displayed by the monasteries during this revered religious celebration.