7 Days Cultural Tour With Day Hikes

On arrival at Paro airport, you will be greeted by our guide and take you to one of the restaurants for lunch. After lunch, you can drive/walk to the Rinpung Dzong crossing a traditional wooden bridge. From here, you will be taken to Kichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest and the most sacred shrine in the country. In the evening, you can take an exploratory walk through the Paro town.

In the morning drive to Ta dzong and visit national museum of Bhutan which was built to serve as watch tower in 1649 and later in 1968 the ancient watch tower was renovated and converted into national museum under the command of His Majesty, the third king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. After that start hiking to Zuri dzong through forested hillside. On the way you will have stunning view of the fortress below and the Paro valley. Your hike will end from traditional wooden bridge and you will be picked by your car to the lunch place. Afternoon drive to Thimphu city which takes about an hour and explore the city. Overnight in thimphu.

The Buddha Dordenma is located atop hill in Kuenselphodrang nature park and overlooks southern entrance to Thimphu valley. The statue fulfills an ancient prophecy dating back to the 8^th century which was later discovered by Terton Pema Lingpa (Religious treasure discoverer) and is said to bring peace and prosperity to the entire world. It is a massive statue of Buddha Shakyamuni which measures 51.5m, making it one of the largest statue of Buddha in the world. The statue is made up of bronze and gilded in gold. Inside the Buddha statue they plan to maintain 125,000 smaller statues; 100,000 smaller statues of 8^th inches and 25,000 statues of 12 inches. This 125,000 smaller statues are all made up of bronze and gold gilded.

After you are done exploring here start walking towards the park which ascends gradually through colorful prayer flags. Here you can come across a canopy where most people come here to enjoy the amazing views of Thimphu valley. After walking for 1 ½ to 2 hours with few ascends and descends through the forest of pines, oaks and rhododendrons, we will end our hike from Changangkha temple. If it is too early for lunch visit Takin preservation center, which is said to be unique and rare. Visit 13 arts and craft institute(zorig chusum), folk heritage museum and Royal textile museum etc.

Morning, drive to Dochula La (3,100 meters), where you will be greeted by the scenic view of the distant Himalayas. From the 108 chortens the trail gradually climbs into rhododendron forests for about 2 hours with some steep sections. It offers panoramic views of the Himalayan ranges. Hike back to Dochula and enjoy your lunch. After lunch, drive downhill through the forests of rhododendron, fir and hemlock. You will arrive at Punakha after traversing through rice field and along the bank of River. visit Chimi lhakhang(fertility temple) the Divine Madman’s temple and the Punakha Dzong.

In the morning drive about 30 minutes from punakha town to reach at the start point of the hike. Another 30 to 40 minutes hike up to the stupa through paddy fields and through the tranquil forest of pines which leads to the stunning Khamsum Yulley Stupa.

Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chörten (also known as Nyizergang Chöten ) is located in the northeast of Punakha district, Bhutan about 7km away from Punakha dzong.

This chörten (stupa) was built in 2004 by HM the Queen Mother, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, in Nyizergang— about a thirty minutes walk uphill from the footbridge in Yepaisa Village.

It was built in accordance with the instructions of Lama Sonam Zangpo, with the intention to bring peace and prosperity in the world in general, and to clear obstacles for the country of Bhutan in particular.

Its exterior is in the form of a pagoda like stupa while the interior consists of four stories containing images of the Vajarakilaya deities.and mandalas.

Bartsham Lama Kunzang Wangdi, popularly known as Lama Nyingkula, a close disciple of Dudjom Rinpoche was in charge of the construction of this Chörten.

 As you walk in to the main room on the first floor of Khamsum Yulley Namgyal, for example, you’ll come face to face with a 15-feet-tall statue of Vajrakilaya, one of the eight deities of Kagyé. And while considered a powerful and wrathful deity, Vajrakilaya’s fury is directed at destroying forces hostile to compassion, purifying their power to do damage.

Statues and shrines to these wrathful deities are also found on the second and third floors, each offering protection against the forces of evil in the world. And to balance the wrathful force of these deities are a series of yab-yum figures on the walls. Each of these figures depicts a male deity in union with his female consort, representing the union of wisdom and compassion.

Finally, as you reach the final rooftop floor, you’ll see a golden statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in his classic pose. The serene statue looks to the south, surveying the spectacular view out across the Punakha Valley. Afternoon drive back to Paro via dochula.

Today, you hike to Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery, Bhutan’s most famous monastery, which stands at 3180m. According to the legend, it is believed that Guru Rimpoche, the 8th century Spiritual Master, flew to this location on the back of a tigress to meditate. Lunch will be served at Cafeteria Restaurant halfway up on the mountain. Explore the monastery and hike back to Paro.

In the morning, you will drive to the airport for departure. Our representative will bid you farewell.