Bhutan Tour and Druk Path Trek: 11 Days

Highlights of Bhutan Tour and Druk Path Trek

• Hiking to Tiger’s Nest Monastery. This is a must-do activity during your Bhutan Trip. It’s a 4-5 hour hike(round trip)  through a beautiful forest trail. En route, you stop at a scenic viewpoint cafe and enjoy the view of the Monastery as well as the valley. Inside the Monastery, you explore sacred halls, a meditation cave, murals, and statues of Guru Rinpoche.
• Visiting Kichu Lhakhang Monastery, one of Bhutan’s oldest temples. You get a glimpse into Bhutanese Buddhist traditions through the temple’s peaceful courtyard, ancient murals, and sacred relics.
• Camping at most of the places during the trek. The peaceful surroundings with incredible landscapes and views make it a perfect place to camp.
• Spotting giant trout in Jimilang Tsho, also known as San Ox Lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains, alpine meadows, and dense forest. You may also spot species like Himalayan Monals and Blood Pheasants. Bhutanese locals also have a belief that spirits and deities reside in the lake so many visit to pay respects.
• Crossing the highest point of the trek, Phume La Pass(4,210m). From the pass, you are treated to panoramic views of Mount Gangkhar Puensum(7,541 meters), the world’s highest unclaimed peak.
• Visiting Punakha Dzong, one of Bhutan’s most exquisite fortresses. You cross the wooden cantilever bridge and see Dzong’s white-washed walls, intricate woodwork, and murals. Inside, you explore sacred halls where monks chant prayers and learn about the fortress’s historical and religious significance.
• Hiking to the fertility temple, Chime Lhakhang. Many couples struggling to have children come to visit this temple to receive a special ritual blessing from the monk, using a wooden phallus said to have belonged to Drukpa Kunley. The hike to the temple is beautiful as you pass through rice fields, lovely villages, and valleys.
• Standing in front of the Giant Buddha at Kuensel Phodrang. The sight of the large Buddha Dordenma statue will leave you in awe. It is 169 feet tall and houses 125,000 smaller Buddha statues inside. From here, you get a panoramic view of Thimphu Valley.
• Exploring Tashichho Dzong, Bhutan’s central government seat and the King’s office. The dzong has an elegant architecture with golden roofs and intricate wood carvings. There are also sacred shrines and beautiful gardens.

Overview

Bhutan Tour and Druk Path Trek is a 11-day journey where you explore must-visit sites in Paro, Punakha, and Thimphu and trek in Bhutan’s wilderness that follows an ancient trade route from Paro to Thimphu.

You’ll have 4 days of Bhutan tour and 6 days of Druk Path Trek on this trip. During the four days of sightseeing in Bhutan, you’ll explore Paro, Punakha, and Thimphu. In Paro, you’ll visit: 

• Kichu Lhakhang Monastery

Built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, it is one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Bhutan. It is widely known for its amazing architecture and sacred relics, including a statue of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan.

• National Museum

The museum is located in a former watchtower and is preserving Bhutan’s cultural heritage. It has a huge collection of artifacts, religious statues, paintings, costumes, and weaponry as well as it exhibits Bhutan’s history, wildlife, and traditional crafts.

• Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest Monastery)

Located on a cliff at 900 meters above Paro Valley, Tiger’s Nest Monastery is Bhutan’s top site. To reach this monastery, you have to hike for 4 to 5 hours back and forth. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche meditated here in the 8th century, flying to the site on a tigress’s back. The trail to the monastery offers an incredible view of the Paro Valley.

In Punakha, you’ll visit:

• Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong is known as the Palace of Great Happiness. It is the most beautiful dzongs in Bhutan located between the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers. The architecture is one of a kind with intricate woodwork and murals. It houses the sacred relics of the country and serves as the winter residence of the central monk body. Not to mention, Punakha Dzong is historically important as it was the site of Bhutan’s first king’s coronation and remains a central figure in the administration of Bhutan.

• Chime Lhakhang

Located on a hilltop surrounded by rice fields, Chime Lhakhang is known for its fertility blessings. It’s also a place of spiritual healing where you can seek blessings and guidance.

In Thimphu, you’ll visit:

• Buddha Point(Kuensel Phodrang)

Buddha Point is home to a 169-foot statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, one of the largest in the world. The statue is placed in a beautiful bark with breathtaking views of Thimphu Valley. The Buddha’s body also holds 125,000 smaller Buddha statues.

• Memorial Chorten

Memorial Chorten was built in 1974 in honor of the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Locals often walk around the chorten in a clockwise direction and use this place for prayer and meditation. Inside, you’ll find statues depicting Vajrayana Buddhism and murals.

• Traditional School of Arts and Crafts

This school is also known as the Zorig Chusum. Here students learn traditional Bhutanese arts such as paintings, sculpture, woodwork, and weaving. It’s a place where Bhutan’s rich artistic culture is preserved and passed on to future generations.

• Tashichho Dzong

Tashichho Dzong is the seat of the Bhutanese government. It also houses the office of the King and the central monastic body. The dzong has strikingly beautiful architecture with white-washed walls, golden roofs, and wooden carvings. It is located on the banks of the Wang Chhu River and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. It is also home to sacred shrines and temples.

Now, for the trekking part, you trek from Paro to Jele Dzong. Jele Dzong is located at 3,400 meters. It is an ancient fortress that offers breathtaking views of the Paro Valley. Quite the perfect starting point for the trek.

Then, it’s Jele Dzong to Jangchulakha. This part of the trek offers walking through the forest filled with rhododendrons trees and amazing views of Mount Chomolhari. You may also spot Bhutan’s national bird, the Monal pheasant.

Continuing the trek from Jangchulakha to Jimilang Tsho, the trail leads to Jimilang Tsho, which is a serene lake surrounded by peaks. The lake is famous for its huge trout.

Trekking from Jimilang Tsho to Simkota Tsho allows you to immerse yourself in Bhutan’s countryside lifestyle. The trek takes you through yak herder camps and passes Janetsho Lake. Simkota Tsho is another serene lake, also popular for trout fishing.

Then, you continue from Simkota Tsho to Phajoding. You pass the Phume La Pass (4,210 meters) from where you’ll get breathtaking views of Mount Gangkhar Puensum. Phajoding Goemba is a spiritual retreat where monks meditate and it is considered the most sacred sites in Bhutan. Coming to the end of the trek, it’s Phajoding to Punakha. You come down from the mountain to Punakha’s valley.

The 10-day journey begins in Paro. Upon arrival, you visit the ancient Kichu Lhakhang Monastery, one of Bhutan’s oldest temples, to see the intricate murals and sacred relics that give you a glimpse into the country’s spiritual practices. The National Museum of Bhutan will further deepen your understanding of Bhutanese history and culture. One of the big highlights of this trip is the hike to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. The 4-5 hour hike through the pine forest with colorful prayer flags offers stunning views of the Paro Valley and ends with an amazing visit to the monastery itself where you can explore the meditation caves and prayer halls.

After the cultural tour, your adventure continues with the 6-day Druk Path Trek, an ancient trade route that connects Paro to Thimphu. This trek takes you through dense rhododendron and blue pine forests, peaceful yak pastures, and high-altitude lakes. You camp in pristine locations under the starlit sky, completely immersed in the Himalayas. The trek takes you to amazing places like Jimilang Tsho, famous for its giant trout and serene surroundings, and Simkota Tsho where the reflection of the surrounding peaks in its crystal clear water is breathtaking. The highest point of the trek is Phume La Pass at 4,210 meters where you get to see the breathtaking panorama of the Himalayas including Mount Gangkhar Puensum (7,541 meters).

After the trek, you will descend to the cultural heart of Bhutan and start with a visit to the magnificent Punakha Dzong, a masterpiece of Bhutanese architecture with its intricately carved wooden structures and historical significance as the former seat of the Bhutanese government. You will also hike to Chime Lhakhang, the Fertility Temple, where couples from all over the world come to receive blessings for children. Then you will continue to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Here you will visit the big Buddha Dordenma statue which is 169 feet tall and has 125,000 smaller Buddha statues inside. The Memorial Chorten, a place of prayer and meditation, and the grand Tashichho Dzong, the center of the government and spiritual center of the country will further give you a glimpse of Bhutan’s culture and governance.

And finally, you return to Paro and depart from Paro International Airport with a big smile and memories of the last 10 days.