THE JOURNEY TO DRUK-YUL
| Day 1: Paro Arrival | |
| Start your joumey with a breathtaking flight over the great peaks of the high Himalayas right into the Dragon Kingdom's airport among the clouds at Paro (7000 ft). On arrival, your Bhutanese escort will drive you through the picturesque Paro valley with its quaint clusters of hamlets amid terraced paddy fields, to check in at your preferred hotel. The rest of the day is yours to explore the town of Paro, its markets, museums and maybe even one of the oldest and most celebrated dzongs (Buddhist temples) in Bhutan, the Rinpung Dzong, or the Fortress of the Heap of Jewels. And if time permits, you must take a trip to the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Bhutan, the place where the founding father of the Bhutanese strain of Mahayana Buddhism, Guru Rinpoche, also known as Guru Padmasambhava, is said to have arrived on the back of the legendary tigress. Built atop a cliffs 900M, the Taktsang Lhakhang, the famed Tiger's Nest monastery also offers you an amazing view of the Paro Valley (ROUNDTRIP 05HRS HIKE). | |
| Day 2: Paro sightseeing (AM) - Evening drive to Thimphu (PM) | |
| Begin this day with a short drive to the ruins of Drukgyal Dzong or the Fort of Drukpa Victory, the historical site from the ramparts of which the Bhutanese repelled Tibetan invaders, time and time again. On a clear day, you will be overawed by the sight of the 24,000 ft white-domed peak of the sacred Mt Jhomolahri (Mountain of the GoddessJHOMO) that looms overhead. After lunch, you will visit Ta Dzong, the National Museum housed in an ancient watchtower, which has a fine collection of ancient Thangkha paintings, textiles, weapons and other artifacts. In the evening, a two hour drive through the Paro and Thimphu valleys takes you to Thimphu, tile capital of Bhutan (7500 ft). En-route you will pass the Simtokha Dzong, built in 1629 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Once the oldest fortress of its kind that guarded the Thimphu valley, Simtokha Dzong is today a theological university. | |
| Day 3: Tizimphu sightseeing(AM) - Evening drive to Paro (PM) | |
| This is your day to discover Thimphu, perhaps the most unusual capital city in the world. Situated on the banks of the Wangchhu River, modern day Thimphu continues to en body a strong national character in its architecture and planning (isn't it the only capital city in the world without traffic lights???). You sightseeing tour in Thimphu will include a visit to the National Library which holds a vast collection of ancient Buddhist manuscripts, the School of Thangkha paintings, and the Traditional Medicine Institute, where centuries' old healing arts are still taught and practised. Then, you will visit the Bhutan Arts and Crafts Centre and the Handicrafts Emporium to see the exquisite artistry of traditional crafts and textiles, and wander through the streets for a little shopping. After lunch, you will visit the Memorial Chorten to his Late Majesty, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, and proceed to the Bhutan's most impressive building, the Taschichodzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion), built in 1641 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and reconstructed in 1961 when the Late King, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, regarded as the Father of Modem Bhutan, shifted the capital from Punakha to Thimphu. Today. it is the seat of the central government where both the temporal and spiritual heads of the country preside. In the evening, you will drive back to Paro. | |
| Day 4: Departurefrom Paro | |
| After an early breakfast at the hotel, you will drive to the airport to board your onward flight. | |