Adventure Bhutan Multi-Activity

DAY 1

Arrive Paro. Transfer to Paro Hotel.

Arrive at Paro Airport. You’ll be met upon arrival and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel in the very small town of Paro. Depending on your arrival time, you may be able to enjoy a short sightseeing tour of Paro.

Accommodation: Tenzinling Hotel or similar, Paro
Meals: Dinner

For detailed information, choices and advice for International flight options to Paro, Bhutan - please click here

DAY 2

Trek to Jili Dzong

Your trek to Bhutan’s capital, Thimpu, begins from Paro Dzong by heading up through the forested hills As you gain height, pine trees give way to rhododendrons. Where there are breaks in the foliage cover, there are great views of the Paro Valley now below you. Reaching Jili La (3490 m), you’ll soon be passing a prayer wall, from where you now descend gradually to the camp site (3450 m), just below Jili Dzong. Walking time is approximately 5 hours.

Accommodation: Camp, Jili Dzong
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FULLY SUPPORTED CAMPING IN BHUTAN

DAY 3

Trek to Jangchulhakha

Heading up to the Dzong, a walk of around 20–30 minutes reveals some great views of distant Chomolhari (7314m) and Jitchu Drake. Most of today's walking is undulating, contouring mountain sides and up through Rhododendron forests, sometimes above the tree line. There is some height to be gained overall to reach camp at 3780m in a clearing used by yak herders for winter pasture. Walking time is approximately 5–6 hours.

Accommodation: Camp, Jangchulhakha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4

Over the Janghcu La to Jana Tsho

After breakfast at camp, you’ll now follow a path that heads up onto a ridge, following the ridge line and up to the Janchu La (3880 m), from where there are splendid views of distant mountains and the valleys below. Beneath you, you’ll also see the large lake of Jimilangtso and begin your descent to the valley floor, eventually walking past the lake. Heading up again along a cliffside path, there are some big drops below, ultimately leading to tonight's camp site by a smaller lake at 3955m. A longer walking day today of around 7 hours.

Accommodation: Camp, Jana Tsho
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5

Trek to Phadjoding

The literal high point of the Druk Path Trek is Simkota La (4210m). First, there’s a shortish ascent up to Simkota Lake, and above you’ll see the saddle of the pass that you now hike up to. Following a mountain trail, there’s a mix of ups and downs with a couple of other lesser passes to cross, and if it’s clear, you may be rewarded with views of Gangkar Puensum. The trail then begins to zigzag its way down to Phadjoding, and you should have time to explore the nearby golden-roofed temples. Camp altitude is around 3960 m, and walking time today is approx. 5–6 hrs.

Accommodation: Camp, Phadjoding
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6

Trek to Thimpu

You’ll have seen Thimpu far before you on the latter parts of yesterday's trek. So, it’ll be no surprise that today is virtually downhill all the way. Around 1300m of descent. At times, it’s quite steep as you walk through forests of blue pine. Reaching the roadhead, you’ll then transfer by private vehicle for the short distance to Thimpu. In the afternoon, your guide will take you on a tour of Thimpu, or you can rest up if you prefer. Walking time is approximately 3 hours.

Accommodation: Galingkha Hotel or similar Thimpu
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7

Cycle over the Dochu La to Punakha

It's time to give some other body muscles a bit of a workout. We’ll provide you with Mountain Bikes (entry-level hardtails) and helmets; you provide the engine for the challenge of cycling over the Dochu La (3140m). Your main baggage will be transported by a private vehicle, which will also act as a support vehicle during today’s ride. The good news is that the 21-kilometre uphill section to reach the pass has a fairly steady gradient of around 4% most of the way. The bad news is that there’s around 900m of ascent to slog your way up. But, it’s breathtaking too (literally), as there are fantastic views down to Thimpu, and for most of the way you’re cycling up through lush forests, with the local bird population helping you along with their song. After a few hours of huffing and puffing, the prayer flags above you indicate that you’re almost there at the pass, and hopefully your efforts are rewarded with stunning views of the Himalayas. Take a break; you’ve earned it. After another ten minutes or so of pedalling, you reach a little restaurant where you’ll have lunch. Now comes the fun part. Around 45km and over 2,000m of descent! Potentially, that’s a good 2–3 hours of mostly freewheeling and whizzing your way down from the Dochu La to Punakha. From the possible bitter cold of the Dochu La, you’ll get warmer and warmer as you drop down into the lush Punakha Valley. The cycling distance is approx. 72km, with around 990 m of ascent and 2100 m of ascent. On average, it takes around 6 hours of cycling to get from Thimpu to Punakha.

Accommodation: Meri Phuensum Resort Hotel or similar, Punakha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8

Rafting in Punakha

The section of the Upper Cho Chhu River that you’ll tackle today by raft is classified as Grade 3–4. So, expect a fair bit of whitewater fun along the way as you paddle from Wangthangka to Samdingkha. From here, the river is now considered to be the Lower Cho Chhu, and after lunch, you’ll continue heading downstream with mostly Grade 2-3 sections to negotiate. You’ll paddle past Punakha Dzong and shortly after reach the “Take Out” point. Punakha Dzong is, of course, the most iconic and famous building in the Punakha Valley, so it would be rude not to pay it a visit. With luck, they’ll let you inside too, although this isn’t always the case, particularly if there’s a VIP visit going on. All the same, even from the outside, it’s a pretty impressive place.

Accommodation: Meri Phuensum Resort Hotel or similar, Punakha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9

Return overland to Paro

Returning to Paro in a private vehicle via the Dochu La, you can take a break at the pass and walk along the ridge to enjoy Himalayan views. Stopping off at Thimpu or the Dochu La for lunch, you should be back in Paro by late afternoon and be able to do some local exploration at your leisure.

Accommodation: Hotel Tenzinling or similar, Paro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10

Taktsang Monastery Trek

The Machhu Picchu of Bhutan is Takstang Monastery, and today you’ll visit it. It’s actually a stiff 2-hour walk up through woodland and a rather steep climb of around 350m ascent it is too. Thankfully, there’s a teahouse at one of the classic Taktsang Monastery view points where you can rest and refresh before a further 30 minutes of climbing brings you to Takstang (3110m) itself. On the final climb, you pass what is probably the most famous view point, which looks directly across to the monastery. It’s usually possible to enter the monastery, but if there’s something going on at the monastery (religious or VIP visit), then it may not be possible. Heading steeply down a descent of around 100m leads into a gorge before climbing back up to the main monastery gate, from which it’s down to the valley floor and your ride “home”. Walking time is around 4-5 hrs with around 750m of ascent and descent.

Accommodation: Hotel Tenzinling or similar, Paro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11

Depart Paro

A private vehicle transfer to Paro Airport for your departing flight

Meals: Breakfast

Of course, there's no reason to depart today; your Bhutan holiday can be readily tailored.