Drukyul Heritage & Culture Adventure

Your flight into Paro will offer you a spectacular experience with views of numerous snow-capped Himalayan peaks of Bhutan and Mt. Everest on a clear day. On arrival at Paro, a representative from Bhutan Travel Adventures will welcome you at the Airport. Proceed to Thimphu for a 1-hour drive. After checking in at the hotel, you may take some time to relax, and later stroll around the city to observe the lifestyle of urban Bhutan or the capital city. Overnight stay at the hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, drive to the Buddha Point to witness the world's largest statue of Buddha Shakyamuni positioned on a magnificent hill with a panoramic view of Thimphu city. Visit the School of Arts and Crafts which was founded to preserve and promote our ancient traditions. The students here are taught 13 different traditional arts and crafts. Visit the Folk Heritage Museum, to see the house of living traditions in some of the rural areas or the farmhouse of earlier times.

After lunch, you will visit the Jungshi Paper Factory to observe how Bhutanese handmade papers are produced along with its various products. And if you wish, visit the Handicraft Emporium for your souvenir shopping. Visit the Memorial Stupa which was constructed in memory of our beloved 3rd King in 1974. Overnight stay at the same hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, drive to Punakha for 2 hours with a brief stop at Dochula Pass (3100 meters). If the weather is favorable, you could enjoy a superb view of Bhutan's Himalayas from the pass. Upon arrival in Punakha, check into the hotel first. And have lunch in Punakha town and visit the beautiful Punakha Dzong built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. According to the prophecy of Guru Padmasambhava, the dzong is located between two famous rivers, Pho Chu (Male River) and Mo Chu (Female River). Punakha was also the capital of Bhutan until 1955. After the Dzong, walk across the longest suspension bridge of Bhutan which is about 150 meters long.

Later in the early evening, you will arrive at a farmhouse for your today's overnight stay and to see how people live with their subsistence farm in the rural village. You can taste their traditional Butter Tea with local homemade snacks, and try Ara which is a distilled local wine. You will soak in a traditional Hot Stone Bath. And then you will learn how to cook a few Bhutanese typical meals with different recipes and have dinner at the farmhouse as well. Overnight stay at the farmhouse in Punakha.

After your breakfast, drive for about half an hour to Samdingkha village to begin your water rafting through the basin of Phochu (Male) River and its fertile valleys taking about 2 ½ hours. And in the evening, you can hike to Khamsum Yuelley Stupa from where you can enjoy the superb view of the Mochu Valley with its fertile rice terraces. And then you can return to your hotel in Punakha and take rest.

Drive to the beautiful Phobjikha valley for 2 hours with your lunch stop at Gangtey valley. After your lunch, you will begin your amazing 1 ½ hours Gangtey Natural Trail hike from Gangtey to Phobjikha valley which is a popular roosting place for the rarest Black Necked Cranes in winter. Upon arrival at Phobjikha, visit the Crane Information Centre to see the cranes if your time coincides with the cranes' presence from late fall to early spring. Overnight stay at the hotel in Phobjikha.

Drive back to Paro for 5 hours with your lunch stop en-route or in Paro. After lunch, drive to the historical Drugyel Dzong which is a recently rebuilt fortress after its fire incident in the 1950s, yet originally built by Shabdrung in 1649 to commemorate the victory over the Tibetans in 1644. Thus Drugyel Dzong means the Bhutanese victorious fortress.

You can stroll around the town in the evening for your last-minute souvenir shopping. Overnight stay at the hotel in Paro.

After your breakfast, drive till the road end and begin your hike uphill. Walking time will be around 4 hours for a round trip.

Taktsang Monastery is perched on the face of a cliff 800 meters above the Paro valley. It is a memorable spiritual journey. It was here that the great Tantric master, Guru Padmasambhava flew in from Tibet on the back of a flying tigress to propagate his teachings in Bhutan. If you cannot continue your hike inside the monastery, you can stop at the Cafeteria from where you can have a spectacular view of the Tiger's Nest. And then continue your hike towards the monastery for another hour. Lunch at the cafeteria and then hike back downhill. And en-route visit Kyichu Monastery dating back to the 7th Century. This is one of the oldest monasteries in Bhutan built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo to pin down the ogress. Overnight stay at the same hotel in Paro.

Our guide and driver will drop you at the airport for your flight departure. So have a pleasant flight back home.