Day 01 : Flight to Paro
Airport
The first thing you will notice as you disembark
is the transparent purity of air and the absenc
e
of noise. The Paro valley has kept its
bucolic nature inspite of the airport and the
existence of development projects. Fields, brown
or green depending on the season, cover most
of the valley floor, while hamlets and isolated
farms dot the countryside. The houses of Paro
valley are considered to be among the most
beautiful in the country. Paro is believed to
be one of the first valleys to have received
the imprint of Buddhism.
Afternoon : Visit the
National Museum (Ta-Dzong).Once the watchtower
for the Rinpung Dzong, it was converted
into the National Museum in 1968. The
museum stands on a promontory overlooking the
Paro valley in all its glory.
Visit the Paro Rinpung Dzong.
A flagstone path rises gradually from a beautiful
wooden bridge with shingle roofing and abutted
by two guardhouses, to the Dzong. Today, the
Dzong is the seat of the district administration
as well as the home for the monastic school.
The central tower (Utse) of the Dzong, with
its superb woodwork, is one of the most beautiful
in the nation. The Dzong was built in 1645 A.D.
Check in at Hotel.
Day 02 : Thimphu Sightseeing
Thimphu lies in a wooded valley, sprawling
up a hillside on the West Bank of the Thimphu
Chhu [Chhu means River]. Thimphu is unlike any
other world capital. Small and secluded the
city is quiet and there are never the traffic
jams familiar in other Asian Capitals. It is
often said that Thimphu is the only world capital
without traffic lights. Thimphu's main shopping
street is a delight not so much for what you
can buy there, but for the picturesqueness of
the architecture and national costume. Beautiful
weaves in wool, silk and cotton, basketwork,
silver jewellery, thangkas and other traditional
crafts of the Kingdom are available in various
Handicraft Emporiums.
Morning : Visit the Memorial
Chorten, a huge stupa built in memory of
the third King who reigned from 1952-1972.
Visit the National Library where
ancient manuscripts are preserved.
Visit the Painting School where
traditional art is still preserved. Artists
are taught to paint Thankas here (sacred Buddhist
scroll).
Visit the Handicrafts Emporium
where one can buy Bhutanese textiles
and other arts and crafts.
Visit the Weekend market where
vendors from throughout the region arrive on
Friday afternoon and remain till Sunday. Here
you will find indigenous goods, handicrafts,
locally produced goods, etc.
Afternoon : Visit Se
mtokha
Dzong. This is the oldest fortress in Bhutan,
built in 1629 A.D. by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal.
It also houses the largest monastic schools
in the country.
Visit Tashichho Dzong -
the main secretariat building. It is from here
that the King and other prominent civil servants
run the country. The Head Abbot and the central
monastic body also reside here during the summer.
Visit Pangri Zampa Monastery,
situated just beyond Dechencholing Palace (5
km. from Thimphu). This temple was the first
residence of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal when
he arrived in Bhutan in 1616 A.D. Ngawang
Chogyel, the great ancestor of the Shahdrung,
built it during the first quarter of the 16th
century.
Day 03 : Thimphu sightseeing
/ Paro ( Excursion to Taktsang Monastery
)
Transfer to Paro for 03 hrs hike
to the Taktsang Monastery. Taktsang is
the most famous of all Bhutanese monasteries.
It is perched on the side of a cliff 900 m above
the floor of the Paro valley, where the only
sounds are the murmurs of the wind, and water
and the chanting of the monks. The name
Taktsang means Tigers Nest;
the Guru is said to have flown on the back of
a tigress to the site of the monastery where
he meditated in a cave for three months.
The monastery itself is closed
to tourists except by special permit. However
the one-hour walk to the viewpoint, where there
is a small wooden teahouse provides a close-up
view of the monastery. Its also a good
warm-up hike if you are going trekking.
In the evening visit a farmhouse
for traditional hot stone bath and
local hospitality.
Day 04 : Departure onward
destination