Happiness & Bliss

Reach Bagdogra by noon and start for Phuentsholing. We are doing this road trip to avoid uncertainities and scarcity of flights to Paro. Check in to your stay and relax. While we process the route permit, explore the little border town on foot. Overnight at Phuentsholing. 

After breakfast, start your journey for Thimphu, stopping at the villages and scenic spots to enjoy and photograph the landscape which is replete with bounties of nature. Thimphu has a thriving local culture. Upon arrival in Thimphu, check in hotel. Take a walking tour in capital city visiting Bhutanese Crafts market and Clock Tower Square area. Overnight at Thimpu.

Explore Thimphu today. Visit Simply Bhutan – a living Museum/studio showcasing the age old culture and traditional heritage. Fine peace at Buddha Dordenma Statue. Visit the incense and handmade paper factory. Visit the National Post Office and get stamps with your pictures on. You can use these to send postcards home! Later in the evening, explore Takin Preserve and soak yourself in beautiful surroundings. Overnight at Thimphu.

After breakfast, start for Gangtey. From Thimphu, the road climbs up to Dochula pass (3,050m), where you have the opportunity to view the peaks of the eastern Himalayas if the skies are clear. Continue the beautiful journey towards Gangtey, Phobjikha Valley. Visit the ancient Gangtey Gompa Monastery, take a walk in the beautiful valley and meet the locals. Overnight at Gangtey.

After breakfast, descend into the Punakha valley(1450m above sea level).

Visit Chimi Lhakhang temple or the fertility temple, dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kunley, popularly known as ‘the divine madman’; a folk hero and a cultural icon around whom countless yarns of stories and legends have been spun. Later visit the impressive Punakha Dzong, built at the confluence of two major rivers in Bhutan, the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, which converge in this valley. Walk on the longest suspension bridge of Bhutan.
Overnight in Punakha.

In the morning, drive a short distance through the idyllic countryside and walk a short distance uphill to Khamsum Chorten on Nyenzangang hill. The view of the terraced rice fields, dotted with traditional houses, the river and the valley surrounded by mountains is amazing!

Start your  journey towards Paro, crossing the Dochu La and visiting the Simtokha Dzong, the oldest in Bhutan. Arrive in Paro, and explore the market. Try traditional dresses and get clicked. Shop and relax. Overnight in Paro.

We will be climbing to the most identifiable and spiritual icon of Bhutan – the Taktsang Monastery or the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. It is blessed and sanctified as one of Bhutan’s most sacred religious sites. It hangs on a cliff and stands above a beautiful forest of blue pine and rhododendrons. The trek will take up the whole day.
If for some reason, you are not able to hike, your guide can arrange other interesting alternatives.
You can also hire pony for the uphill part, till the first viewpoint & cafeteria but you must be able to walk back downhill. While some will probably not make it all the way to the monastery, it is worth getting till the first viewpoint.

Return to the stay and indulge in a hot stone bath if you like. Overnight at Paro.

After breakfast, start your return journey to Bagdogra. This will be a long drive and we will make stops on the way to make this journey comfortable and interesting. Overnight at Bagdogra.

Catch your return flight from Bagdogra airport. Trip ends.