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.

Visit the 15th-century Khewang Lhakhang, a peaceful country temple whose prayer halls glow with the soft light of butter lamps. Step inside to see the trio of statues representing the past, present and future Buddhas.

Murals and carved details speak to a centuries-old spiritual lineage that anchors life in the Phobjikha Valley. The temple’s contemplative atmosphere invites a quiet moment of reflection amid pastoral surroundings.

Make the celebrated hike to Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest), weaving through pines hung with stone steps and prayer flags to a soaring cliffside monastery. Vantage points reveal the complex perched almost 900m above the valley.

Here, Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated after arriving on a tigress, sanctifying the site. Rebuilt after a 1998 fire, its chapels brim with murals and statues. Photography is not permitted inside, preserving a deeply contemplative mood.

Climb to Dzongdrakha Goemba, a cluster of cliffside temples often nicknamed the Mini Tiger’s Nest. Simple chapels cling to the rock, their prayer rooms filled with murals and time-worn statues.

The vantage looks across the Paro Valley’s fields and farmsteads. Quiet footpaths and the scent of incense lend a contemplative air to this smaller, less-visited counterpart to Taktsang.

Explore Thimphu’s cultural landmarks, starting at Kuensel Phodrang, where the Buddha Dordenma gazes over the valley with sweeping views. Continue to Simtokha Dzong, Bhutan’s oldest fortress, known for its serene courtyards and richly painted chapels.

Witness traditional weaving techniques at an artisan center, see handmade paper being crafted, and browse the lively market. From a viewpoint above the Motithang Takin Preserve, glimpse Bhutan’s gentle, odd-looking national animal, before returning with a deeper sense of Thimphu’s heritage.

Ascend to Dochu La Pass (3,100m) and wander among the 108 chortens that crown this breezy ridge. On clear mornings, a Himalayan panorama stretches across serrated peaks, while prayer flags snap and flutter in the mountain air.

Commissioned by the Queen Mother in the early 2000s, these whitewashed stupas invite quiet moments to pause for photos and reflection. The scent of pine and the hush of high-altitude wind create a contemplative counterpoint to the valleys below.

Visit Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, a commanding clifftop fortress surveying river terraces and farm fields. Step through carved gates into spacious courtyards framed by whitewashed walls and richly painted prayer halls.

Founded in the 17th century and rebuilt after a 2012 fire, the dzong blends spiritual life with regional administration. Monastic chants drift across the complex, offering a calm window onto Bhutan’s intertwined civil and religious traditions.

Walk the Gangtey Nature Trail across the wide bowl of the Phobjikha Valley, passing farmhouse hamlets, marshy meadows, and blue pine forests. The route frames photogenic views of Gangtey Monastery and the glacial valley floor.

This high-altitude wetland is winter home to black-necked cranes, revered in Bhutanese culture. Even outside migration season, the quiet paths, mani walls, and crisp air offer restorative immersion in Bhutan’s rural landscapes.

Learn about Bhutan’s emblematic winter visitors at the Black-Necked Crane Visitor Centre. Exhibits illuminate the species’ migration from the Tibetan Plateau and the fragile wetland habitat they rely on.

In season, use scopes to spot the elegant cranes across the marshes near Gangtey. Conservation stories highlight how local communities protect the birds’ winter roosts, blending stewardship with long-standing reverence.

Step inside a traditional farmhouse to glimpse daily rhythms of rural Bhutan. Note the thick rammed-earth walls, timber beams blackened by kitchen fires, and lofts stacked with grains that sustain families through long winters.

Conversations with hosts reveal planting cycles, herding patterns, and the quiet pride of self-sufficient highland life. It’s a gentle, human-scale look at rural Bhutanese life beyond the monasteries and mountain passes.

Cross fields and village lanes to Chimi Lhakhang, the celebrated fertility temple linked to the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman. Spot playful phallic motifs painted on houses to ward off the evil eye.

Inside the small monastery, pilgrims seek blessings while prayer flags ripple above the valley. The easy walk pairs countryside charm with a light-hearted yet meaningful strand of Bhutanese spirituality.

Enter Punakha Dzong, the Fortress of Great Bliss, set at the confluence of the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu rivers. Cross the wooden bridge to courtyards lined with jacarandas and galleries of intricate woodcarvings.

Former seat of government and winter home of the monastic body, Punakha’s grand chapels and storied relics reflect Bhutan’s spiritual and political heart. River breezes and gilded rooftops complete this evocative riverside setting.

Walk across the Tachog Lhakhang Iron Chain Bridge, a swaying span over the Paro Chhu draped in prayer flags fluttering in the breeze. Feel centuries of ingenuity in the iron links beneath your feet.

Attributed to Thangtong Gyalpo, the Buddhist master-engineer famed for his chain bridges, this medieval crossing connects riverside paths to a quiet hillside temple—an elegant fusion of devotion and engineering skill.

Visit Kyichu Lhakhang, among Bhutan’s oldest sanctuaries, where seventh-century chapels glow with butter lamps and elderly devotees spin prayer wheels. Orange trees perfume the courtyard year-round.

Tradition holds it as one of the 108 temples raised by Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo to subdue a demoness and pin Buddhism across the Himalaya. The temple’s layered legends and living rituals impart Paro’s deep spiritual roots.

Discover the Paro National Museum (Ta Dzong), a former watchtower displaying thangkas, textiles, and natural history that chart Bhutan’s cultural arc. The circular galleries also frame wide views over the valley.

Stroll down to Rinpung Dzong—the “Fortress of the Heap of Jewels”—via its stone-flagged ramp and cross the cantilever bridge over the Paro Chhu. Carved beams, painted pillars, and monastic calm reveal Bhutanese craftsmanship in every detail.

Gather to meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers over a warm welcome dinner in Paro. Sample Bhutanese dishes such as ema datshi, red rice, and momos, alongside milder options tailored to your tastes.

Enjoy practical insights into etiquette at temples, dress for festivals, and Bhutan’s love of archery. This hosted evening sets the tone for a culturally rich journey and fosters easy camaraderie within the group.

Create a quirky keepsake at the Thimphu General Post Office by arranging to create personalized Bhutan stamps with your own photo. Leave with an official sheet you can post—or frame as a memento.

Bhutan is famed for inventive philately, from silk to 3D issues. This lighthearted stop blends design, storytelling, and national iconography. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to opening hours.

Soothe trail-weary legs with a traditional hot-stone bath, where a wooden tub is infused with herbs and heated by river-heated stones. Settle into the warmth as steam rises and muscles relax—a perfect post-hike ritual.

Long used in the highlands for recovery and circulation, baths are offered at local farmhouses or hotels in Paro and Gangtey. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Unwind after trekking with a hotel massage in Paro designed to ease tired legs and shoulders. Choose light or deeper pressure to target the after-effects of altitude and stone steps.

Treatments are delivered by trained therapists and can be scheduled through your tour leader at the property. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to therapist availability.

Immerse yourself in Bhutan’s most spirited celebration as you join Bhutanese families for a full day at the Thimphu Tshechu. In the courtyards of Tashichho Dzong, watch monks and lay performers whirl in brocade robes and masks during masked cham dances, set to the thrum of long horns and drums.

Gain insight into rites that honor Guru Rinpoche, the saint whose teachings shaped Bhutanese Buddhism. Jokers called atsaras mingle with the crowd, blessings are bestowed, and the festival’s color and devotion create a vivid window into Bhutan’s living spiritual culture.