Bumdra Luxury Camping

Day 1: Welcome to Bhutan:

Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your guide and driver.
From there, you will be transferred to Thimphu. You will be traveling through spectacular countryside and en route you will be surprisingly presented with traditional Bhutanese architectural designs and paints all captured on the houses and buildings of the kingdom, the land of the thunder dragon.

On arrival in Thimphu, you will be checked into your hotel and proceed for lunch. After lunch, we will explore Thimphu. First, there is the largest Golden Buddha Dhordenma Statue for us to visit. We also will have to visit the National Memorial Chorten and Takin Conservation Park. The majestic Tashichoedzong is a must-visit monument because it is the place where His Majesty the King works. You may have a walk along the busy street of Thimphu in the evening.

Overnight stay will be at Hotel Tara Phendeyling

Day 2: Thimphu

After breakfast, we will hike to Chagri Monastery. It will take about an hour on foot to reach the monastery from the road-end point. Chagri was built high on the slope in 1619 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal as his first monastery in Bhutan. Then, we will drive back for lunch in the town. We will spend the second half of the day going to watch archery, the national game of Bhutan, and other tourist sites.

Day 3: Thimphu–Punakha

Check out from the hotel and drive towards Punakha.
On the way, we will stop at Dochula Pass to see the stunning sights of Druk Wangyel Chortens which was built at the command of Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. There are 108 chortens there.
Then we will resume our journey. Our next stop will be at Chhimi Lhakhang, the sacred and famous pilgrimage site for childless couples. From there, we will continue traveling toward Punakha. We will visit the majestic Punakha Dzong which is situated strategically at the confluence of the Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers. We will also visit the 160 meters Pho Chhu Suspension Bridge.

Overnight stay at Zhingkham Resort

Day 4: Punakha–Paro

After breakfast, we will leave Punakha and drive towards Paro. This afternoon you can look forward to enjoying an orientation tour of the major monuments in Paro including Paro Dzong and the National Museum. Paro Dzong, meaning ‘the fortress on the heap of jewels’, serves as the district headquarters. A small temple was built in the 15^th century on the site which later, in the 17^th century, was replaced by the present structure.

Similarly, the National Museum was believed to be built around the same time when the present structure was constructed in the 17^th century by Zhabdrung Rinpoche as the watch tower.
In Paro, it is highly recommended to take a leisure stroll along the main street which offers not only excellent scenery but also good shopping for jewelry and handicrafts. Alternatively, your guide can arrange a hike in the valley to suit your fitness.

5: Paro-Bumdra Trek

After an early breakfast, we will drive to Sang Choekor Monastery and will start our hike to Bumdra which is believed to be blessed by 100,000 dakinis from there. Before starting the hike, you can visit Sangnga Chhoekhor Lhakhang which is a Buddhist College.
In a couple of hours, we will gradually ascent through a shady, forested ridge. We will be offered a beautiful scenic view of Paro along this stretch of the trek. We will take a brief recess at the ChhoeTse Lhakhang (temple) nestled on the mountainside. The trail undulates before the last steep section up to the pretty temple, which offers commanding views of the south over Paro and northwards to the snowcapped Himalayas.

After a final 20 to 30-minute climb through ruins and fluttering prayer flags, we plunge back into the ancient forest, and after traversing for about 40 minutes, we come out onto a high wide meadow dotted with sacred chortens and prayer flags.

Our camp for the night is tucked away just under Bumdra Monastery (Cave of a Hundred Thousand Prayers) and offers an unimpeded view of the Himalayan range. After lunch, we can visit the monastery and meditate there for the whole afternoon.
Dinner and overnight stay at Bumdra camp (3800m).

Day 6: Bumdra-Tiger’s Nest

After breakfast, we will start our hike down to Paro via Taktsang Monastery. After one to two hours of descent, we can catch glimpses of the golden roofs of Taktsang temples.  An hour later, we will reach Taktsang Monastery. Taktsang is the most sacred temple built in the 8^th century by Guru Padmasambhava. Then we will walk downhill for an hour to the Taktsang base camp where our vehicles will be waiting to pick us up.

If time permits, we will visit Kyichu Lhakhang – one of Bhutan’s oldest and most beautiful temples, followed by a visit to the old ruined fortress called the Drugyel Dzong. This dzong has a special significance. It is believed that there were a lot of Tibetan invasions during the 17^th century but none succeeded. After the last invasion was fended off, the dzong was built to mark the victory.

If we are lucky and the weather favors us, then we might have a view of 7,314 meters of snow domed peak of sacred Mt.Jhomolhari.

Overnight stay at Bhutan Mandala Resort

Day 7: Departure

Today, we will see you off from the Paro International Airport.

• Bhutan Royalties, tourist fees, Visa fees, and taxes.
• Accommodations in listed or similar hotels (pleasant hotels 3-4 star type) during the tour and in tents during the trek.
• All meals, including evening tea/coffee, etc throughout the trip.
• All land transfers, and sightseeing with entrance fees.
• Experienced Culture Tour Guide.
• Bottled water in the vehicle and other camp services.

NOT INCLUDED

• Flights in and out of Bhutan.
• Travel insurance, Drink, Visa fees, Laundry