9 Days Druk Path Trekking with Best Bhutan Highlights

Welcome to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon! Upon arrival at Paro International Airport, you will be greeted by your local travel guide and driver, and then be escorted to Paro Town (2200m). A guided Paro tour will be enjoyed after checking in your hotel.

You will firstly visit Bhutan National Museum where you are going to learn a crash course in Bhutanese rich culture and history. There are many impressive collections displayed in its five galleries, including traditional thangkas, festival masks, religious statues, interesting carvings, etc. Your next attraction is Rinpung Dzong, also known as Paro Dzong, which is reputed as the finest example of Bhutanese dzong. After appreciating these charming architectures in Rinpung Dzong, you could take a leisure walk through cantilever bridge and to Paro Town and witness national game archery, which is played almost every day on the ground.

After Paro sightseeing, you will attend a pre-trek briefing with your trekking guide at your hotel.

Start the day with short drive to Paro’s upper valley. If the day is clear, you’ll have an unforgettable view of the “Goddess” – Mt.Chomolhari (23,640 feet).

Afterward, it’s a short drive to Taktsang trail ahead. Take a challenging but necessary 2~3 hours’ trek to Taktsang Monastery, the most famous monastery in Bhutan, also known as “Tiger Nest Monastery, because Guru Rinpoche reportedly flew to the site on the back of a flying tiger late in the 7th century. Between blue pines and a blue sky, the monastery perches miraculously on a cliff nearly 2,700 feet above Paro’s valley floor. Break along the way for tea and snacks in small tea house, and the view of both Taktsang Monastery and Paro Valley is magnificent.

Hike down the mountain, then drive back to Paro for accommodation.

Tips: 1) it takes about 2 ~ 3 hours to trek from the parking lot to Taktsang Monastery, and you could ride a horse for the first hour; 2) photography is strictly forbidden in the monastery, but you can take a nice shot on your road to Taktsang Monastery; 3) travelers have to deposit all belongings (cameras, phones or other electronic equipment and bags) at the entrance.

Elevation: From 2250 metres to 3770 metres

Start today’s trek with an up-hill but not steep climb from Paro’s Natonal Museum (2470m) to Jele Dzong (3540m). En route you will walk through farms, archery fields and some forest before reaching Jeli Pass (3540m). Jele Dzong is located near Jele Pass. Take a strop here to enjoy the clear and matchless view of the Paro Valley and snow-capped mountains behind clearly if weather is clearly.

After lunch, continue to hike along prayer flags, and climb up again through thick alpine forests and rhododendrons to higher ridges. You can hear the monal pheasants calling and nomadic yaks herding along the route. From the higher ridges, you are rewarded with dramatic views of Paro Valley and Bemang Rong Valley. If weather permits, you will have chance to see the Black Mountains and Mt. Chomolhari. You will finally reach Jangchulakha, the campsite of today.

Elevation: From 3770 metres to 3870 metres

Today’s trek is full of short ascents and descents. Leaving Jangchulakha, you will take the horse road ascending diagonally to a viewingpoit with prayer flags (3960m). Keep walking 30mins from the viewpoint to a meadow, then pass through rhododendrons, climb up the top of the Langye Ja La Pass (4070m) to enjoy an impressive panoramic view. Keep trekking to another higher pass (4150m) then drop down from the pass to the bank of Jimgelang Tsho (3885m), a plateau lake famous for giant sized trouts. During the descend, you can enjoy a great view of Jichu Drake (6989m), which is believed to be the protective deity of Paro. Camp at the side of Jimgelang Tsho.

Elevation: 3870 metres to 4110 metres

Leaving the campsite, take the trail from the lower end of Jimgelang Tsho rising through yellow rhododendrons forest to two ridges over 4000m. Overlook Janye Thso m, a beautiful lying at 3956m, from the second ridge. Descend from the pass to a yak herder’s camp near the lake where may spend some time seeing how the herders live. After the final climb from the herder’s camp, you will reach today’s campsite by the lake of Simkota Tsho.

Elevation: 4210 metres to 2350 metres

Today you will trek from Simkota to Thimpu in the morning and explore Thimpu city in the afternoon. Begin with a gradule climb up to the Phume La Pass which is the highest poit of our drek at 4210m. Overlooking from the pass, you can see the majestic Mt. Gangkar Puensum (7570m), Bhutan’s highest peak and world’s highest unclimbed peak. Descending the pass, the trail meander through juniper forest to Phajoding Monastery (3950m), built in 13th century by Togden Pajo who was a Tibetan Yoga master from Tibet. It serves as an important meditation center for Buddhist. The final part of the trek is a downhill all the way from the monastery to Thimphu city, passing through a blue pine forests.

Check in your hotel in Thimphu and take a rest. The rest time of today is to enjoy a guided walk around the town. Feel free to tell your interests to your guide who will organize Thimphu exploration accordingly.

This morning you will start the day by visiting the National Memorial Chorten (shrine), a monument dedicated to the past 3rd king of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. More than a memorial stupa, it is also one important religious center for Bhutanese daily worship. Then go to visit National Institute for Zorig Chusum, a school where students are taught to make Bhutan’s 13 traditional arts and crafts, like painting, woodcarving, embroidery, statue-making and so on. Next, go to Bhutan Post Office Headquarters, an informative and indulging museum with excellent exhibition of the evolution of Post & Telegraph in Bhutan as well as good details on historical and symbolic interpretation behind stamps. Afterward, drive to Buddha View Point where a massive bronze statue of Buddha Dordenma sits. The statue is placed on a lotus and below it is a meditation hall housed with 125,000 small statues of Buddha. This Buddha dominates over the valley of Thimphu, and you can hardly tell whether the view from Buddha Dordenma or the view of Buddha Dordenma is more spectacular.

Leaving Thimphu, drive through a forest of pine and hemlock, up to cross over the Dochu La Pass (Alt: 10142ft/ 3,050 m). From the place, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the majestic Himalaya Mountains. Keep driving along the winding road to the fertile valley of Punakha (Alt: 4430ft/ 1,350 meters).

Accommodate in Punakha Town.

Tip: there are many other interesting museums where you can probe into Bhutan's culture, history and local people's daily life, including Simply Bhutan Museum, National Textile Museum, National Library and Archives of Bhutan, etc. Feel free to tell your travel consultant if you are interested in visiting any one of them.

Start today’s journey in the early morning with a visit to Wangdu Phodrang Dzong, where you can get a commanding view of the below valleys. In fact, Wangdu Phodrang Dzong enjoys an important status in the history as well, and it was the second capital city in the early days. Since Wangdu Phodrang is situated on the ridge, you can walk down to the bridge and have a short hiking to the village of Rinchangang. After the wonderful sightseeing, you will drive to Paro via Dochula Pass again.

Accommodate in Paro.

After breakfast, you will go to visit Punakha Dzong, situated between Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu (male and female rivers) and featuring in three docheys (one more than other dzongs). It is praised by many people as the most beautiful one in Bhutan’s 21 dzongs, especially in spring when the lilac jacaranda trees in blossom. Next, move to Wangdu Phodrang Dzong, where you can get a commanding view of the below valleys. In fact, Wangdu Phodrang Dzong enjoys an important status in the history as well, and it was the second capital city in the early days. Since Wangdu Phodrang is situated on the ridge, you can walk down to the bridge and have a short hiking to the village of Rinchangang. After the wonderful sightseeing, drive to the Chimi Lhakhang, a mysterious temple built in 1499 by the legendary “Divine Madman” - lama Drukpa Kunley. There is a tradition that the childless women can visit this temple to receive a wang (blessing) from the saint, then they will have a child.

After lunch, drive about 3.5 hours back to Paro. Have a good night in Paro Town.

Your journey in Bhutan comes to an end today! After breakfast, your guide will pick you up from the hotel to the airport in time for the scheduled flight to your next destination. Before that, you can take a rest at the hotel or go for a walk nearby.

Tips: Please pack your luggage carefully, especially for small things like camera charge, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet and towel.