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THE CENTRAL BHUTAN TOUR
< Paro, Thimphu, Wangdue, Bumthang, Trongsa, Gangtey/Phobjikha, Punakha >
Day : 1 Arrival at Paro Airport  
Bhutan is an ancient land secluded high in the Himalayas with magical customs and people with deeply held beliefs.Bathing in its primitive beauty,Bhutan is a paradise lost since medieval times,a heavenly place in the heart of the vast Himalayas. It is a land of Dzongs(fortresses) and monasteries; monks,majestic mountains and a rich heritages land of the unique architectural style and a land of warm-hearted friendly people.
Visit Bhutan and admire the Bhutanese effort to integrate the process of modernisatioll while maintaining the traditional lifestyle.A trip to Bhutan normally begins and ends at Paro,a place where nature and man conjured to create their dearest image. The beautiful terraced valley where the medieval town of Paro nestles is home to many of Bhutan's oldest temples and Dzongs. 		 
   
Day 2 : Paro sightseeing (Taktsang )(AM) - Evening drive to Thimpu (PM)
In the moming,drive to the end of the valley to look at the old ruined fortress of Drugyel Dzong,then Day hike to Taktsang Monastery view point.Taktsang meaning "Tiger's Nest",is built around a cave in which Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) mediated,clings seemingly impossible to a cliff of rock at 3,000 feet above the valley floor.
For the local people it is a place of pilgrimage, but for a tourist, a hike up to the view point opposite the monastery is exhausting,thrilling and mystical.The legend has it that Guru Rimpoche is said to have flown to the site of the monastery on the back of a tigress from Tibet and mediated in the cave there for three months.Although the main building of the temple was destroyed by fire on April 1998,the hike up to the view point is still worth a visit once in a lifetime.The reconstruction works have already started and soon it will be restored in its original form.
This evening, you are driven through a spectular mountain views and peaceful countryside to Thimphu,Bhutan's capital.Thimphu is a small,charming capital city sandwiched in the heart of the Himalayas.It is nothing lide what capital city is imagined to be. All houses and buildings are painted and constructed in traditional Bhutanese style.
   
Day 3 : Thimpu sightseeing (In Thimpu 1st day)  
Your sightseeing of Thimphu,the modern capital of Bhutan includes :
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 a visit to the general post office;
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 the arts and crafts school where you can see young children leaming ancient craft of paintings;
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 the Traditional Medicine Institute where censures old healing arts such as acupuncture and herbal remedies are practiced;
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 the Memorable chorten built in 1974 in the memorary of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck with a multi-storied stupa and numerous paintings inside the monument provide a rare insight of Buddhist philosophy.
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 Stop by a traditional paper factory where paper is made from Daphnia and Edgeworthia shrub;
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 visit the Botanical Zoo where you can see Yak and Takin, the National wild animals of Bhutan. Drive upto the viewpoint and take a hike beyond to enjoy a stunning view of the valley.
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 Continue to downtown, visit the Handicraft Centre, wandering through local shops if you like to Zrowse through examples of Bhutan's fine traditional arts.
   
Day 4 : Thimphu sightseeing -(Thimphu 2nd day am) - Drive to Wangdue (pm)
Thimphu's charm is not embedded in its wealth of galleries,museums or places of historic interest.Visitors must wander along the main street and into the shops,all of which are decorated in traditional style.Thimphu's shopkeepers are delightfully helpful and will do best to oblige even the smallest request.Every Saturday and Sunday most of Thimphu's scant population and many valley dwellers congregate on the banks of the river where the weekend market is held.It's a quite lovely place to see the Bhutanese do their weekend shopping unlike in other regions of the world.
A wonderful day's outing from Thimphu is a visit to Cheri and Tango Monasteries to the north go up to the monasteries for a day of the town.They cab be reached by road but many Thimphu residents trip by foot.
If your stay here falls on Saturdays or Sundays, you can visit the Thimphu weekend market.
PM-Drive to Wangdue:
The first stop after leaving Thimphu is Dochula Pass at 10,500 ft.,site of one of Bhutan's most enchanting views.From these pass, the breath taking peaks of Bhutan's Northern border can be viewed and within site of the alpine snow is a magnificient canvas of color- a profusion red, pink, white, yellow and purple rhododendron blossoms splashed among the soft green of wild herbs and forest trees..
   
DAY 5 : Wangduesightseeing-DriveearlytoBumthang  
Continue overland to Bumthang. This is one of the most spectacular valley in Bhutan and also the heartland of Buddhism.Here the great teachers meditated and left in their wake many sacred grounds. The Guru and his lineage of Tertons, the treasure finders have laid to the sprouting of many temples in the valley.
  
   
DAY 6 : Bumthang sightseeing (in Bumthang - halt)  
Start your tour of the city with a walk upto Tamshing Monastery, founded by Terton Pema Lingpa, where about 200 monks reside. Visit Wangdicholing Palace, Jambay and Kurjey Lhakhan-, the oldest monastries in the kingdom.All the Kings of Bhutan are taken their cremations rites at Kurjey Lhakhang. Visit some of the numerous temples in the city. Drive to the Meebartsho (burnin- lake), where Terton Pema Lingpa was led by mystic forces to discover spritural treasures at the bottom of the lake. This is considered one of the most holy places for buddhist pilgrimage. Visit a Swiss farm and taste sweet cheese, apple brandy and locally brewed wine and bear.
   
DAY 7 : Bumthang sightseeing (AM) - Drive to Trongsa (PM - halt)
Your sightseeing of Tongsa valley includes a visit to Tongsa Dzong, the most impressive Dzong in Bhutan, the architectural masterpiece built in 1648 by the then Shabdrung.You will also Visit the ancient
watchtower situated above the town.
   
DAY 8 : Trongsa via Gangtey and Phobjikha valley to Wangdi (halt)
Drive to Gangtey and Phobjikha valley, one of the most beautiful open valleys in Bhutan. It is the winter home of the rare Black-necked Crane, migrating down from the Tibetian Plateau. Visti the Nature Educational Centre, the carpet factory and the sacred Gangtey Monastery, the only Nyingmapa Temple in the country.
   
DAY 9 Wangdue - Punakha - Paro.
Blessed with a temperate climate and drained by the Phochu and Mochu rivers, is the fertile valley of Punakha. Before Thimphu was made the capital of Bhutan, Punakha held the title as the winter capital because of its more temperate climate.Today it is the winter seat of Je- Khenpo (the Chief Abbot) and the Central Monk Body. Punakha Dzong, built at the junction of the Phochu and Mochu rivers in 1637 by the first Shabdrung of Bhutan, Ngawang Namgyal, served as both the religious and the administrative centre of Bhutan. You will also visit Punakha High School if possible.
   
DAY 10 : Paro Depature  
 
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