Bhutan Cultural Tour (Extensive)

The Bhutan Cultural Tour (Extensive) is an easy, private 11-day journey by road through western and central Bhutan: Paro, Haa, Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdue and Bumthang, from Paro airport and back. It is ten days of touring plus a flexible reserve day, and the one real walk is the hike up to Tiger's Nest.

You land in Paro, spend the first evening gently, and walk up to Taktsang, the monastery on the cliff, on day 2. Then the road takes over. You pass through the Haa valley to Thimphu, where a full day covers the memorial chorten, the giant bronze Buddha, the folk heritage museum, the crafts institute and the takin preserve.

From Dochula, a pass with wide valley views, you drop to Punakha Dzong and spend the night at Wangdue, where a dzong stands at the meeting of two rivers. The next day goes by Gangtey and Phobjikha, over the Pele La, past the Chendebji chorten and a viewpoint of Trongsa Dzong, to Bumthang. A full day there goes to the old lhakhangs around Jakar and a short hike. Then you return along the same road to Wangdue and Paro.

It suits travellers who want Bhutan's monasteries, dzongs and valleys rather than a trek, and who are happy with a few long, scenic days by road. Between early November and mid March the Phobjikha valley also holds black-necked cranes. For the western valleys alone, see the Bhutan Cultural Tour.

• Duration: 11 days, 10 nights, Paro to Paro
• Grade: easy; one hike, the rest is touring and short walks
• Season: open all year
• Airport: Paro International Airport, pickup and drop included

Your group stays private, and the days are not rushed. The flexible day sits at Paro before your flight, because Paro flights run only in daylight and good visibility.

• Tiger's Nest (Taktsang): the hike to the monastery hanging on a cliff above Paro, taken on day 2 after a gentle first evening.
• Haa valley: a stop between Paro and Thimphu, off the usual first-time circuit.
• Thimphu in a full day: the National Memorial Chorten, the Buddha Dordenma, the Folk Heritage Museum, the Zorig Chusum arts institute and the Motithang Takin Preserve.
• Dochula and Punakha Dzong: a pass with wide valley views, then the dzong built in 1637-1638, the second oldest and second largest in Bhutan.
• Wangdue Phodrang: a dzong on a spur at the meeting of two rivers, and a warm night after the cool of Thimphu.
• Gangtey and Phobjikha: the monastery above a wide valley that is the winter home of black-necked cranes from early November to mid March.
• Pele La, Chendebji and Trongsa: the road to Bumthang through meadows, yak-herder country and the Chendebji chorten, with a viewpoint of Trongsa Dzong.
• Bumthang: Jambay, Kurje and Tamshing lhakhangs, Jakar Dzong, and hikes to the Uru and Tang valleys or Membartsho, the Burning Lake.
• A reserve day built in: one flexible day at Paro before the flight home.

Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, is a monastery hanging on a cliff above the Paro valley, and it is why many people come to Bhutan. Its history reaches back to the 8th century, and it is tied closely into Bhutanese life. On this tour the hike is the one proper walk, and we have placed it with care.

Why day 2

Paro sits at about 2,200 m. The first evening is for arriving, resting and drinking water; the airport is a short drive from town. The hike comes the next morning, once you have slept a night in the valley and are not fighting a long journey. It also means the monastery is not left to the end of the trip, when a closed trail or a weather day would cost you the very thing you came for. If conditions change, the flexible day at Paro before your flight is there.

The day itself

We drive to Drugyel Dzong first, near the head of the valley, and walk from there. The path is a steady climb, not a technical one, so the pace is yours: slow, with stops for the views of the monastery across the gorge. Carry water, a warm layer and sun protection in your daypack, and dress modestly for the visit inside. Your leader will tell you where to rest and when to turn back if someone is struggling. We do not hurry anyone.

Is it too much for you?

If you walk regularly and are comfortable on a stairway-style uphill for a few hours, you will manage it. This is the hardest day of the tour, and the rest of the route is by road with easy walks. If you want more walking in Bhutan afterwards, the Druk Path Trek also starts above Paro.

Tell us your dates and how you walk, and we will shape the day around you.

Thimphu, at 2,179 m, is the capital, and the tour gives it a full day of its own after the drive from Paro and Haa. Here is what the day holds and why each stop is worth the time.

National Memorial Chorten

Built in memory of the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, this whitewashed chorten has a golden spire and carved annexes facing the four directions, with mandalas, statues and a shrine to the king inside. People walk around it all day, turning the large red prayer wheels. Early morning is the quietest time, with elderly visitors and children on their way to school passing through.

Buddha Dordenma (Kuensel Phodrang)

The bronze Buddha, 167 feet high, sits on a hill about 15 minutes from the centre and looks over the Thimphu valley. A temple is housed inside it. The road up is steep and winding, with a good view of the city, especially after dark.

Museums, crafts and paper

The Folk Heritage Museum is set in a replica traditional house and shows how rural families live. The National Institute for Zorig Chusum trains young people in the 13 traditional arts and crafts: painting, embroidery, calligraphy, sculpture and wood carving among them. The National Library is an eight-cornered four-storey building that looks like the central tower of a dzong. The Jungshi paper factory makes handmade paper from daphne, without destroying the plant.

Takin preserve and the BBS tower

The Motithang Takin Preserve is a forested enclosure for the takin, Bhutan's national animal. A short walk from the BBS tower road end takes you to a hill of prayer flags with a view over the valley.

Not everyone wants all of this in one day. Tell us what you care about, temples or crafts, and we will choose the order and drop what you would skip.

Day 5 takes you from the cool capital down to the warm valleys of Punakha and Wangdue. It is a short, scenic day by Bhutanese standards, with time for the places that matter.

Dochula, 3,150 m

The road leaves Thimphu and climbs to Dochula, where the pass opens a wide view of the surrounding valleys. Go in the morning when the air is clearer, and keep a warm layer handy, as it is cool at the top.

Punakha Dzong

Built in 1637-1638, Punakha Dzong is the second oldest and second largest dzong in Bhutan. We stop for lunch on the way and then visit. It is a working building, so you walk through its courtyards and shrines respectfully, with shoes and cameras handled the way your leader explains.

Wangdue Phodrang

From Dochula to Wangdue is about two hours' drive. The Wangdue Phodrang Dzong stands on a spur at the meeting of two rivers, and we spend the night in a hotel here. Because the road drops a long way, the evening is much warmer than Thimphu.

Why we sleep at Wangdue and come back to it

Wangdue is the hinge of the tour. It sits before the long road to Bumthang, and again on the way back, so the long days are split in two rather than driven in one stretch. It also keeps the drives out of the dark. Road blockages in Bhutan come mostly between May and October, so we start early and keep the flexible day at the end.

If you would like the western valleys only, see the Bhutan Cultural Tour. Tell us how much road you want and we will advise.

The road to Bumthang is the long day of this tour, and the reason it is called Extensive. We leave early from Wangdue and keep the stops to the places that repay them.

Gangtey and Phobjikha

We drive about an hour toward the Pele La, then take the road over the Tashi La to Gangtey Gompa. It is a Nyingma monastery on a hill above the wide, open Phobjikha valley. The valley is the winter home of black-necked cranes, which arrive from Tibet in early November and stay until mid March, so those months give you the birds as well as the monastery.

Pele La, Chendebji and Trongsa

We then drive back over the Pele La, a pass of about 3,350 m, and descend through open meadows and the valley of yak herders, with several villages on the way, to the Chendebji chorten. Lunch is a picnic or a restaurant stop here. Another two hours or so brings you past Tsangkha and Tashicholing to a viewpoint of Trongsa Dzong, and on to Bumthang.

A day in Bumthang

Bumthang is a group of valleys around Jakar. Our full day starts with the temples: Jambay, Kurje, Tamshing, Konchogsum and Chankhar lhakhangs, Jakar Dzong, and the Lhodrak Kharchhu Monastery. In the afternoon there is a short hike, chosen by weather and legs from the Uru Valley, the Tang Valley, Membartsho (the Burning Lake), Ugyenchholing Palace, Kunzangdrak Goemba or Tang Rimochen Lhakhang.

Planning notes

Bumthang is a long way into the country, and we come back by the same road on day 8, with a night in Wangdue. It suits travellers who want to see how far Bhutan goes beyond Thimphu and Paro, and who are fine with a long day in the vehicle. If you would rather stay in the west, tell us and we will suggest the right tour.

This tour is 11 days: ten days of touring and one flexible reserve day, from Paro airport and back. Here is how we run it and what to plan before you come.

A private group, no rush

It is just your group, usually 2 to 10 people, with a local team. The days are built around short drives, an early start only where the road is long (Wangdue to Bumthang and back), and time in each place.

The reserve day

The flexible day sits at Paro, after the long drive back and before the flight home. Paro flights land only in daylight and good visibility, and road blockages in Bhutan come mostly between May and October. If nothing goes wrong, it is a quiet day in Paro. We keep a spare day between your Paro flight and any onward international connection for the same reason.

When to go

The tour is open all year. Cranes arrive in Phobjikha from early November to mid March, and autumn brings coloured maple leaves. The monsoon, June to September, can slow the roads, so the flexible day matters more then.

Getting in and permits

Paro is served by Drukair and Bhutan Airlines. From India, Delhi and Kolkata have flights on most days of the week, and Drukair also flies from Guwahati and Bagdogra. Indian nationals are issued their entry permit at the airport with a passport or voter ID; most other nationalities need a visa approved before they fly. We arrange permits, and we will tell you exactly what to send.

Fitness

The tour is graded easy. The only hike is to Tiger's Nest, and the two passes, Dochula and the Pele La, are crossed by road.

Tell us your dates, your flight options and how you like to travel, and we will shape the days.