Itinerary: 18days
Arrive Guwahati-S/Jongkhar
Arrive in Guwahati airport in Assam, India. Meet and take a drive to SamdrupJongkhar, a frontier town in south eastern Bhutan. Along the way, you will pass through many small Assamese villages and tea gardens. Complete immigration formalities and enter Bhutan. In the evening stroll around the town to see the locals. SamdrupJongkhar is a trading town for eastern Bhutan. Overnight at hotel
S-Jongkhar-Tashigang
After an early breakfast, we will drive north to Trashigang. As the road ascends, we pass through a variety of vegetation zones in the Himalayan foothills. Looking back we should get a distant view of the Indian plains. The roadside is rich in plants including ferns, rhododendrons and primulas and we will pass though many small villages. If possible, we will stop in some of them, including a local weaving center in Khaling. Late in the afternoon, we will visit TrashigangDzong which houses the monastic institute for monks and administrative center for the valley. Overnight at hotel
Trashigang – Radhivillages 24km
Highlight: Radhi is a well-known community in the east for the production of bura (raw silk) textiles and also known rice bowl of the East. Textile production has become a major income source for the people of Radhi, especially in the off-agricultural seasons. Around 200 households here are dependent uponbura weaving and all use the traditional back-strap loom.
Morning drive to Radhientoute visit the RangjungWoezelChholing Monastery, than drive further to Jonla villages and visit the Jonla temple, after Jonla villages drive to Tshangkhar village and Lunch at farm house. Afternoon walk around the villages and view women weaving beautifully patterned bura. They will even demonstrate the dying process involved in weaving raw silk. Visit the weaving centers developed for women coming from sections of the non-weaving community to improve their livelihood through provision of training and equipment.
Evening cultural show by villager. Overnight at farmhouse.
In Trashigang (Day excursion to TashiYangtse)
Drive to Tashiyangtse, visiting Gomkora Temple, Doksum village along the way. In Trashiyantse, visit Traditional Art School, ChortenKora and stroll around the village and a small town. Return to Trashigang for overnight.
Trek to Merak
Drive about 2-3hrs and begin trek from Chaling village. We trek for about 4hrs each day and reach Merak village. Merak is one of the most isolated valleys in Bhutan. Like the people of Sakteng, Merak people (Brokpas) are said to have migrated here few centuries ago from the Tshona region of southern Tibet. They arrived here after several months of journey across treacherous passes, set the shrubs on fire and settled down to make it their home called Merak, which literally means “Set on fire”. The inhabitants of Merak are similar to those of Sakteng in their language, dress, lifestyle and spiritual affiliation. However the people from Merak are said to be better built and taller than their counterparts in Sakteng. The houses are built of stones with very small windows and in most cases the houses are one storied only. In Merak the custom of polyandry is practiced, with brothers sharing the same wife.Overnight in Camp.
Trek to Sakten (B/L/D)
Hiking about 6-7hrs one day and 2-3hrs next day, we get to Sakten village, where we spend one day to rest and explore the valley. Sakten is a large village of about 200 households at an altitude of 2950m, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Sakteng literally means bamboo field. The inhabitants of Sakteng are similar to those of Merak in their language, dress, lifestyle and spiritual afflictions. It comprises of around 200 households with three main villages, Sakteng, Tengma and BorangTse but generally known as Sakteng, and the people are known as Saktengpa. Every winter, Brokpas take on drukkor or grain journey to the lowland village, where they have their regular host family, with whom they have close trading and social relationship. They live together as one family for weeks and barter their Yak products with maize and grains.Overnight Camp.
Trek and drive to Mongar (B/L/D)
We trek and camp one more night near Joenkharteng village and end our trek in Phongmay village, where we meet our transport and drive to Mongar town and yay!
Overnight in Hotel Wangchuk or similar.
Mongar- Jakar, Bumthang (B/L/D)
After breakfast, we begin a long and spectacular drive west to Bumthang, across Thrumshingla National park, through ever changing vegetation and landscapes, rich in bird and other wildlife. We also pass through many small hamlets and villages along the way and we will stop to visit few of them, arriving in Jakar in the evening.
Overnight in Hotel Mountain Lodge.Autumn trip attend JambayLhakhangDrup.
In Bumthang (B/L/D)
Bumthang is justifiably regarded as the cultural heartland of the kingdom with its many temples, holy sites, languages and traditions. We spend the full day in and around Jakar visiting its important monuments and cultural sites and local villages/school.Overnight in Hotel .
Bumthang – Trongsa – Punakha (B/L/D)
After breakfast take a long drive to Punakha. From Jakar, cross into Chumey valley, then across Yontongla pass, we arrive in Trongsa, where we stop to peek at the Tower of Trongsa museum and also see the impressive TrongsaDzong. TrongsaDzong is one of the largest fortress monastery in Bhutan. Traverse Pele la pass (through Black mountain national park) and descend into semi-tropical Punakha-Wangdue valley, where we arrive in the evening.
Overnight in Punatsangchu or MeriPhuensumHotel .
Punakha-Thimphu (B/L/D)
VisitPunakhaDzong, a former winter capital of Bhutan, located at the confluence of two rivers. Then drive up to Dochula pass, where we stop for lunch and to get the panoramic mountain views of eastern Himalayan peaks (weather permitting). Thimphu is only a half hour drive from Dochula pass and we spend the rest of the afternoon visiting Thimphu’s many monuments and attractions including traditional art school, Zilukha nunnery, Takin (national animal) sanctuary, Buddha Dodema (largest Buddha statue in the world) and other things as per available time.
Overnight in Jumolhari or similar Hotel .
Thimphu&Paro (B/L/D)
After further tour of the capital Thimphu for the whole day, we drive to Paro in the evening and spend next 3 nights here. On Day 16, we spend time visiting Charming Paro valley by short walks and drives. Tour will cover National Museum, RinphungDzong and beautiful 7th century KichuLhakhang temple, DumtseLhakhang, Dzondrakha cave temples and local farm houses.
Overnight in Tenzinling or TashiNamgay hotel.
Departure (B)
Departure transfer to the airport in time for your flight. You can fly to Kathmandu, Kolkata, Delhi, Bagdogra, Bangkok, Singapore
Paro (Takstang Monastery) (B/L/D)
No journey to Bhutan is complete without a visit to Takstang Monastery and our is no different !. Taktsang Monastery (also called Tiger’s Nest) is situated on a nearly vertical cliff at 3000m altitude north of Paro in Bhutan. Situated on the edge of a 1,200m cliff, this monastery creates an impressive sight, and is the unofficial symbol of Bhutan. Taktsang was established as a sacred place for meditation by Guru Rinpoche who visited the site on his second visit to Bhutan in 747 CE. It is also known as “Tiger’s Nest” because Guru Rimpoche is said to have flown on the back of a tigress in the 8th century. He then meditated in a cave here for three months where the monastery was later built. The cave is said to be the origin of Buddhism in Bhutan. The first monastery was constructed in 1694, but in 1998 a tragic fire destroyed most of the original buildings – which have since been painstakingly restored to their former glory. After visiting the monastery, lunch at the cafeteria and return downhill to Paro for remaining tour or stroll around the town area.
Overnight in Hotel.
