Bumthang Cultural Trek

Upon your arrival at the airport, one of the representatives of Pokalde Adventure will receive you and transfer you to the planned hotel. You will then be warmly welcomed with an excellent dinner that offers authentic Nepalese cuisine rich in taste and culture.

After breakfast, the tour can begin with sightseeing world heritage sites within Kathmandu. Kathmandu is known for its rich art, culture, and architecture. The Malla dynasty ruled over the country from the 12th to 18th century. Pashupatinath is a religious Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Bouddhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas in South Asia, built on the ancient trade route to Tibet.

We fly from Kathmandu airport to Paro airport in Bhutan. We will witness Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, and the holy peaks Jumolhari and Jichu Drake in splendid view. A Pokalde Adventure Tours & travel representative will welcome us to Paro and take us to the hotel. Normally, we reach Paro for Lunch to experience Bhutanese culture and food. After lunch, we visited the Ta Dzong – National Museum, which contains a gallery that embraces a variety of ancient canvases, the “Arena of Buddhas.” After touring the museum, we visited the Drugyal Dzong Ruins (Bhutan Victory Fort), which was built in 1646 to commemorate Bhutan’s victory over Tibetan invaders during the 1600s. Thimphu is, in fact, a lovely valley with a peaceful environment located amid the Himalayas even though it is the capital of a county, it is a small valley with an ethnic community with a serene ambiance where all houses are built in Bhutanese style. In the evening, you can stroll around town and experience the lifestyle of people and have dinner and sleep overnight in Paro.

Early morning hike to Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery, where we will have breakfast in the cafeteria of a monastery, which is located at 3180 meters it is said that the Guru Rimpoche winged on tigress back to meditate in a cave where Taktsang Monastery is located and lunch will be served nearby halfway on the peak. The monastery is perched on the edge of a 900-meter cliff above Paro Valley After traveling to the monastery, hiking to Paro Valley, and in the evening, driving to Thimphu and staying overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, we drive to Punakha while taking a few minutes for tea at Dochu La (3,100 meters), by observing the beautiful scenic view of farmland, terraces, meadows, and Himalayas after passing the wonderful rhododendron forest, we will reach Punakha. After crossing over the paddy field along the bank of the Punakha River, you will explore the Himalayan paddy field at Metshina village for half an hour to Chimi Lhakhang (A fertility temple dedicated to the Devine Madman or Lama Drukpa Kuenley) and if someone like one can accept the blessing and after lunch, visit Punakha Dzong. Overnight at a hotel in Punakha.

After having breakfast, we will drive to Bumthang, the ethnic hub of the country.  The way is laterally a zigzag road that overpass 3,300-meter-high Pele La pass, and at times, likely to see yaks- herd and take rest in Trongsa for lunch.  After lunch, you’ll visit Trongsa Dzong, the masterwork of Bhutanese design, and continue to Bumthang, with opulent valleys and hilly jungles, and once again stop at the yathra (fabric weaving) factory, where yathras are designed with designs exclusive to Bumthang, and also watch weavers at looms and Check into hotel and stay at Bumthang hotel overnight.

Exploring Bumthang’s ( Jakar Dzong), the main point of the valley and we also visit  Jambay Lhakhang ( ancient monasteries in Bhutan) and ( Kurjey Lhakhang,)  holy areas where Sage Rinpoche, in the 8th century left his body’s inscription on the cave while meditating and visit Tamshing Lhakhang,( treasure house of fascinating spiritual Buddhist images) and lastly at sunset one visit indigenous shops and stay Overnight at hotel in Bumthang.

We walked 10km for 3 hours along the bank of Chamkhar Chu, which is popular for Trout fish. We stopped at Thangbi Lhakhang to have lunch, and after lunch, we hiked to Ngang Yul, where there is the Ngang Lhakhang (Swan Temple).  In earlier days, the valley was the residence of countless Swans, later, the name of the valley was given to Ngang Yul. We will camp at an altitude of 2895m.

We walk 18km for 6-7 hours to cross Phephe la pass (3352m), which is the uppermost part of the trekking. Gradually, the trails follow a beautiful forest where we can take a few moments to capture nature’s beauty. One can explore Ugyen Choling Palace to experience the artifacts of ancient nobility. We will camp at an altitude of 2895m.

Today, we walked only 1.6 km following the Tang Chu to conclude our three days of trekking. On the same river, the Tang Rimpochen lhakhang made it a scary zone by mediating after the trek to Mebar (flaming lake) to Pangshing, and then we will move to Jakar, where we can have a revitalizing shower.

Today we go to Bumthang market and wander over there for an hour. Then we drive to Punakha, where one can visit the typical Bhutanese town of Wangdue with its melodramatic dzong at the curve of a river the villages around are famous for stone artifacts and masterpieces of intangible work, and the night ends at Hotel Punakha.

In the morning, visit the Punakha Dzong, the ancient capital of Bhutan, built in 1637. In the winter, Je Khenpo, Head Abbot of Bhutan, moves to Punakha with about 1000 monks. This Dzong is open to visitors only in summer when the monk’s body is in Thimphu. We pass Wangdue, one of the major towns and district headquarters of Western Bhutan, where we make a short stop to view the Wangdiphodrang Dzong, dramatically located on the spur of a hill at the confluence of the Tsang Chu and Dang Chu rivers and then drive to Thimphu the capital. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Thimphu sightseeing includes a visit to the National Institute of Traditional Medicine, the National Library, stocked with priceless ancient Buddhist manuscripts, and the Art & Craft School, where children still learn the ancient art of Buddhist painting. Other highlights include a visit to the National Memorial Chorten, built in honor of late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk; Zilukha Nunnery; Folk Heritage Museum; Textile Museum; Bhutanese Handmade Paper Factory and Handicrafts Emporium, which has all types of Bhutanese handicrafts and shopping for souvenirs in the shops of Thimphu. Overnight at hotel.

We drive to Paro Airport from Thimpu for an international flight. You fly to Kathmandu, transfer to the hotel, and take a rest.