14 Days Bhutan Highlights Tour Package
Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights
Priced From: $ 6,390 pp dbl.occ.
Date: Jan - Dec

 

Highlights

-Discover the breathtaking beauty of this magical and still largely isolated country.
-Step back into Bhutan’s rich heritage as you investigate Paro’s 17th century monasteries, temples and fortresses.
-Explore the busy, amiable capital town of Thimphu  
-Hike to Kurjey Monastery (Tiger’s Nest), some 2,600 feet above the valley floor, where legend holds that the wizard-saint of Himalayan Buddhism left his body imprint in stone. 

Itinerary

Day 1:Depart USA
Today begins your adventure to mythic Bhutan.

Day 2:En route

Day 3:Arrive New Delhi, India or Bangkok Thailand
Arrive in New Delhi.  Your representative meets you and transfers you to your to hotel. Uppals Orchid Hotel Delhi/ Novotel Bangkok Airport Hotel

Day 4:Delhi or Bangkok/ Paro, Bhutan
The flight to Paro through the Himalayas is perhaps one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights.  You may spot Mt. Everest. The Kingdom of Bhutan lies in the pristine heart of the eastern Himalayas.   your representative whisks you to your hotel.  Relax and acclimatize to the elevation, 7,218 feet.  Hotel Uma Paro. (B,D)

Day 5:Paro
Land of myths and legends, Paro rests in a valley rich in cultural heritage and incomparable landscapes.  It is home to many of Bhutan’s oldest temples, monasteries, and the country’s only airport.  Glacial waters from 24,000-foot Mt. Chomolhari plunge through deep gorges to form Pa Chu (Paro River).  Terraced fields in this fertile valley produce the bulk of Bhutan’s famous red rice.  Explore the 17th-century Rinpung Dzong.  Approach the fortress through a covered bridge and along a stone path that runs beside its massive walls. The dzong is a school for monks and an administration center.  Nearby, the castle-shaped Ta Dzong, dating from the same era, was once a watchtower.  Now houses Bhutan's national museum with fascinating collections of artwork, textiles and ancient weaponry.  Ruins of Drukgyel Dzong (Victorious Fortress), to the north, are where Bhutanese repelled invading Tibetan armies in the 17th century.  Hotel Uma Paro (B,L,D)

Day 6:Paro
Today, you are on your own to revel in this enchanted setting.    Como Shambhala at Uma Paro is a holistic retreat.  Treatments utilize both ancient and modern traditions, including herbal wrap therapies and Thai massage. Uma Paro (B,L,D)

Day 7:Paro / Thimphu
This morning, drive through a pine and rhododendron forest to Chele La Pass, where, at 13,800 feet, views of Mt. Chomolhari and Mt. Jichu Drakey are striking.  After check-in and lunch, explore Thimphu, elevation, 7,845 feet.  Bhutan’s engaging capital town nestles amid graceful hills on the banks of Thimpu River.  An animated jumble of new and old, Thimphu’s streets hum with civil servants, expatriates and monks.  Visit National Memorial Chorten, a memorial to world peace in honor of the third king of Bhutan, father of modern Bhutan.  Admire fine wall paintings and delicate statues.  Tashichho Dzong houses the royal throne room.  Tour the painting school, where children still learn the ancient techniques of Thangka painting.  Riverview Hotel or Druk Hotel (B,L,D)
 
Day 8:Thimphu / Tongsa
This morning, drive to Tongsa via Duchu La Pass, 10,006 feet.  On clear days, you are met by superb views of the highest peaks in Bhutan.   Stop for lunch at Wangdi Phodrang Lodge before traveling on to Tongsa via Pele La Pass, 10,334 feet. Tongsa is known for its impressive dzong and extravagant scenery.  Yangkhil Resort or Phuenshi Lodge (B,L,D) 

Day 9:Tongsa / Bumthang
Drive to Bumthang, four valleys that comprise the holy heartland of Buddhism.  Lunch at Tamshing Tourist Lodge and visit Jakar Dzong, built in the 17th century, now an administration center.  Kurjey Monastery (Tiger’s Nest), where legend claims that Guru Padmasambava, wizard-saint of Himalayan Buddhism, came in the 8th century.  He rode his flying tiger to a cave here to meditate and left his body imprint in stone.  Later, a temple was carved into the cliff 2,624 feet above the valley floor in his honor.  For Bhutanese, this is a place of pilgrimage.  Those who hike up to the cafe opposite the monastery are rewarded with breathtaking views. Mountain Lodge or similar. (B,L,D)

Day 10:Bumthang / Tongsa
This morning, you are free to relax before an afternoon drive back to Tongsa.  If time permits, visit the watchtower used to defend the Tongsa Dzong in the 17th century.  Yangkhil Resort or Phuenshi Lodge (B,L,D) 

Day 11:Tongsa / Punakha
Today, venture to Punakha, Bhutan’s capital until 1955.  Blessed with a temperate climate and fed by Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers, Punakha is the most fertile valley in the country.  This afternoon, take in Punakha Dzong.  Damaged over the centuries by four catastrophic fires and an earthquake, the dzong has been fully restored.  Travel to Wangduephodrang, south of Punakha.  This valley provides rich pastureland for cattle.  The district is famous for its fine bamboo work, stone carvings, and locally mined slate.  Wangduephodrang Dzong stretches along the hilltop above the confluence of two rivers.  Hotel Zangdo Pelri or Hotel Y.T (B,L,D)

Day 12:Punakha / Thimphu
Today, return to Thimphu.  En route, visit Simtokha Dzong, built in 1627.  Spread across a low ridge, it houses the Institute for Language and Culture Studies.  Here, more than 300 finely worked slate carvings can be seen behind the prayer wheels in the courtyard.  Riverview Hotel or Druk Hotel (B,L,D)

Day 13:Thimphu / Paro / Delhi or Bangkok
Early morning, drive to airport in Paro for your flight to Delhi. On arrival, your representative meets you and escorts you to the hotel, where you have a dayroom for your convenience.  Later this evening, return to the airport for your early flight to Delhi. Uppals Orchid Delhi (Day Room) or Novotel Bangkok Airport Hotel (B)

Day 14:Delhi / USA
Depart Delhi aboard your international flight home.

12/08