Best of Bhutan

Day-by-day plan

Your route and activities

1. 1
   Day 1

   Paro arrival & Thimphu introduction

   Paro → Thimphu

   ChuzomCrafts bazaar

   Land among summits, then trace the Pa Chhu and Thimphu Chhu rivers past Chuzom’s three chorten styles. Settle in the capital and stroll Main Street’s craft bazaar — textiles, thangka studios, and warm apple cider moments.

   Overnight: Thimphu (≈2,400 m)

2. 2
   Day 2

   Living arts & the great Buddha

   Thimphu

   Painting schoolSimply BhutanKuensel PhodrangTrashichhoedzong

   Delve into manuscripts at the National Library, watch apprentices at the Zorig Chusum painting school, and admire royal weaving at the Textile Museum. Simply Bhutan brings folk dance and archery to life. Later, Buddha Point, the Memorial Chorten’s clockwise pilgrims, and Trashichhoedzong’s whitewashed walls.

   Overnight: Thimphu

3. 3
   Day 3

   Dochula vistas & Gangtey’s glacial bowl

   Thimphu → Gangtey (≈150 km, 5 hrs)

   Dochula PassWangdue PhodrangGangtey Monastery

   Climb Dochula Pass (3,080 m) for a 108-chorten ridge and, skies permitting, a wall of eastern Himalaya peaks. Descend through Wangdue’s market of bamboo crafts into Phobjikha’s wide, glacier-carved valley. Gangtey Goempa anchors the view — Bhutan’s major Nyingma seat on the Black Mountains.

   Overnight: Gangtey

4. 4
   Day 4

   Nature trail & Punakha’s river confluence

   Gangtey → Punakha (≈75 km, 3 hrs)

   Gangtey Nature TrailPunakha Dzong

   Walk the gentle Gangtey Nature Trail (≈5.5 km / 2 hrs) through meadows and Semchubara village. In Punakha, stand inside the dzong where two rivers meet — winter home of the central monastic body and a masterpiece of Bhutanese joinery.

   Overnight: Punakha

5. 5
   Day 5

   River walk & nunnery heights

   Punakha

   Khamsum ChortenNunnery

   Rice paddies lead you along the Mo Chhu to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten (1999). Later, climb to Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang Nunnery for valley views and a serene 14-foot bronze Avalokiteshvara.

   Overnight: Punakha

6. 6
   Day 6

   Fertility temple hike & Paro’s citadels

   Punakha → Paro (≈120 km, 4.5 hrs)

   Chimi LhakhangTa DzongRinpung Dzong

   Trek through paddies to Chimi Lhakhang — the playful fertility temple linked to Lama Drukpa Kunley. Continue to Paro for Ta Dzong’s museum treasures and Rinpung Dzong’s mural-lined courtyards.

   Overnight: Paro

7. 7
   Day 7

   Tiger’s Nest crescendo

   Paro

   TaktsangKyichu Lhakhang

   A full-day commitment to Taktsang — prayer flags snapping on the cliff stairs, tea houses mid-ascent, and the monastery seemingly floating in space. Kyichu Lhakhang rounds out the spiritual arc at day’s end.

   Overnight: Paro

8. 8
   Day 8

   Departure

   Paro

   Airport transfer

   Early breakfast and escorted transfer to Paro International Airport.

   Overnight: —