Bhutan Spiritual Journey

On arrival at Paro International Airport, you will be met by your guide for the short transfer to your accommodation. A charming town ideal for exploration on foot, Paro lies on the banks of the Paro River, overlooked by its imposing Dzong. After check in, enjoy an optional walk around Rinpung Dzong, meaning ‘Fortress on a Heap of Jewels’, believed completed in 1458 and restored by the Third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, to mark his royal wedding in 1951. Dinner at your hotel.

Enjoy yoga and breakfast before transferring to the community of Tsendona to walk a section of the Trans Bhutan Trail. The trail rises gently from Tsendona as it traverses the rice paddies of the Paro Valley, before carving around the northern ridge and descending into the traditional village of Dopshari. Enjoy a picnic lunch near the Wangchhu River and time for reflection.

Trek: 3.65 km · 1–2 hrs · +218 m / −321 m · max elevation 2,516 m.

Head to the airport for a spectacularly scenic domestic flight eastwards to Bumthang. Visit the majestic Jakar Dzong, the ‘Castle of the White Bird’, built in 1549 and once Eastern Bhutan’s main defensive stronghold and later the seat of the First King of Bhutan. Its unique features include a 50 metre utse (tower) and a sheltered passage that guaranteed access to water during a siege. You will also receive a detailed introduction to Bhutanese Buddhist ceremony and astrology, an ancient and highly respected science locals consult before major life decisions. Dinner with your guide at a local restaurant.

Bumthang is the general name given to a group of four valleys – Chhumey, Choekhor, Tang and Ura – with altitudes from 2,600 to 4,000 metres, home to many ancient temples. Start at Jambay Lhakhang, built in the 7th century by Songtsen Gampo as one of 108 temples to subdue evil spirits. Continue to Kurjey Lhakhang, whose middle temple is built around a rock bearing the body imprint of Guru Padmasambhava, then cross the river to Tamshing Lhakhang, founded in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa. Enjoy a traditional Bumthap farmhouse lunch featuring buckwheat dishes.

Follow the Trans Bhutan Trail up out of Bumthang and down into the Tang Valley, ending at Pema Choling Nunnery, known for its ‘chod’ drum ceremony. Continue to the sacred Mebartsho (Burning Lake), where in the 15th century Pema Lingpa is said to have discovered Guru Rinpoche’s hidden treasures while holding a butter lamp that did not go out underwater. Transfer to the Ogyen Choling Palace and Museum, your home for three nights, whose history began with the great master Longchen Rabjam (1308-63).

Trek: 10.73 km · 4–5 hrs · +826 m / −794 m · max elevation 3,047 m.

Enjoy yoga and breakfast before exploring village homes and the Ogyen Choling manor, built in 1898 with origins in the 14th century and converted into a living museum in 2001 by the descendants of the house. The estate offers an excellent insight into the lifestyle of a landed Bhutanese family over the last century, and remains an important religious and cultural centre.

A day for deeper practice in this remote glacial valley, a revered sacred site at the crossroads of centuries-old trails. You have the option to spend time in meditation, meet with scholars, engage in community activities and take walks through the valley.

Transfer westward towards the historic town of Trongsa, Bhutan’s geographical centre point and closely linked to the Royal Family – the crown prince traditionally serves as Penlop (Governor) of Trongsa before acceding to the throne. Enjoy short village and forest walks at Chhumey, Geytsa and Yotongla en route. Dinner with your guide at a local restaurant.

Tour Trongsa Dzong, first built as a small meditation room in 1541 and home to some 450 monks, then the Ta Dzong Royal Heritage Museum. Optionally take a challenging hike from the Dzong’s west gate down into the Mangdechhu Valley and over the old cantilever bridge. Continue to Toeb Chandhana in the Punakha Valley to visit Chandhana Lhakhang, ‘where the arrow landed’ – legend says the Divine Madman fired an arrow from Tibet that landed here – and the house of Toep Tshewang, preserved by his descendants for fifteen generations.

Trek: 2.87 km · 1–2 hrs.

Transfer to Dochula pass (3,116 m), one of the most sacred places in Bhutan, where you may burn incense and hang prayer flags. Walk across meadows and through dense rhododendron forest to Yusipang. Next visit Buddha Point, home to the 51 metre gilded bronze Buddha Dordenma, filled with 125,000 miniature statues and commissioned to mark the Fourth King’s 60th birthday. Continue to Paro to enjoy your hotel’s spa and wellness facilities.

Trek: 7.28 km · 4–5 hrs · max elevation 3,183 m.

Visit the iconic Taktshang Goemba, perched on a sheer cliff 900 metres above the Paro Valley floor, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have arrived on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave for three months. Visit the cave and the network of chapels housing images, murals, chortens and a holy spring, with an optional diversion to Machig-phu Lhakhang on the way down. Farewell dinner with your guide.

Trek: 9.15 km · 6–7 hrs · +724 m / −724 m · max elevation 3,152 m.

After breakfast your guide and driver will drive you to the airport and bid farewell. By now you might have made many Bhutanese friends and have good memories of Bhutan. We look forward to seeing you again, there are many magical places to walk and explore and festivals to attend in this land of happiness. Ka-drin-chey la and Tashi Delek.