Country(ies): Bhutan
Tour type: Small Group
Group size: Min: 2 | Max: 12
Accommodation: 3-4 star hotels
Meals:
Transport: A/C minibus/people-carrier
Highlights: Tiger's Nest monastery, Punakha & Paro Dzongs, Phobkikha Valley, Thimphu market, Buddhist culture
This 8-day tour of Bhutan provides a fantastic chance to explore one of the world's most remote and fascinating countries. The itinerary is designed to provide a balance between some historic and cultural sightseeing with some short walks through the Bhutanese countryside and some beautiful scenery. You'll also enjoy plenty of Bhutanese food and learn a lot about Bhutanese culture and Buddhist way of life.
The tour starts in Paro where we greet you at the airport, which is surely one of most attractive in the world. We visit Paro Dzong and learn about how these beautiful buildings with their joint monastic and civic function have administred life in Bhutan over the centuries. We cross over the higher Dochu La Pass, hopefully enjoying some great Himalayan mountain views, and explore the Punakha Valley with its huge riverside Dzong, and also the Phobjikha Valley which is famous for being the home to many endangered Black Necked Cranes which migrate here from Tibet. We also arrange the itineraries so that you can visit the huge weekend market in the capital Thimphu which displays produce and crafts from all over the country.
We have timed several of the departure dates to fit in with some of Bhutan's special 'tsechus', which are important religious festivals held in and around the Dzongs with masked dances, processions and other activities. The itineraries on these dates may be adjusted slightly to make the most of the festivals and take account of the limited accommodation availability at the time.
Flights into Bhutan are available with the national airline, Druk Air, from Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi & Calcutta and Kathmandu. We offer a range of options to add a little time in India, Nepal, Singapore or Thailand to enable you to connect on with your main international flights.
If our scheduled departure dates don't work for you, or you would prefer not to travel with a group, then we can also run this tour privately for you. Please contact us for more information and prices.
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Festival Departures
We have timed several of the departure dates to fit in with some of Bhutan's festivals and 'tsechus', which are important religious festivals held in and around the Dzongs with masked dances, processions and other activities. The itineraries on these dates may be adjusted slightly to make the most of the festivals and take account of the limited accommodation availability at the time.
This tour can also be booked privately and customised for travel anytime through the year. We recommend booking early for festival departure dates as flights into Bhutan tend to fill up quickly around these dates.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.
Tashi Namgay Resort
Paro
Tashi Namgay Resort is located in the heart of the Paro Valley and is spread over 5 acres of gardens, traditionally designed cottages and rooms. Rooms are large and comfortable and well equipped.
Green Resort
Punakha
The RKPO Green Resort is located in the heart of the Punakha Valley, between Wanduephodrang and Punakha Dzongs, and with forests to the sides and terraced rice fields leading down to the valley floor. The hotel has 34 deluxe rooms and 4 suites.
Dewachen Hotel
Gangtey
This impressive stone-and-wood building in Tabiting village is the first choice for most travellers. The rooms are large and stylish, and the good restaurant has floor-to-ceiling bay windows that offer great valley views.
Hotel Migmar
Thimphu
Hotel Migmar is ideally situated amidst scenic landscape of Thimphu, on the expressway and about one km from city centre. It is built on contemporary theme and yet has a unique blend of Bhutanese architecture and modern amenities.
Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination youre visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.
All accommodation based options (e.g. Single supplements, extra nights, cruise upgrades) should be booked and paid for in advance so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. Other options may either be booked and paid for in advance or while you are on the tour, though we recommend booking in advance to ensure there are no issues with availability.
Many options are priced the same throughout the year, but some may incur single or high season supplements - full details are given on the tour reservation form or on request.
The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.
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