If you are planning to make a visit to Bhutan, the month of March will be the best time for you. Most of our guest plan their holidays coinciding with Paro Tshechu. This is because, firstly you will get to witness Paro Tshechu through which you can discover more about the unique culture and traditions of Bhutan on your own. Secondly, the weather will be moderate and favourable at that time. Above all, you will be able to see and feel the very essence of Gross National Happiness (GNH) amidst the people and culture around you by being a part of this widespread festival of Bhutan.
Paro Tshechu is one of the most prevalent religious festival of Bhutan. Tshechu means the 10th day of the month of the lunar calendar (Buddhist calendar). The festival is annually held in every dzongkhags (districts) on the 10th day of different months. The mask dances were being performed by Guru Rinpoche in order to recover the health of the King Sindhu Raja. Hence, the mask dances became the heart core of the festival. The festival is being observed for five days i.e. from 15-21 March 2019. Paro Tshechu was instigated by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and Ponpo Rigzin Nyingpo in 1644 along with the sanctification of the Dzong which is known as fortress. Since then, the festival is being held annually in order to show our homage to Guru Rinpoche, for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan.
People from all walks of life come together in their best Bhutanese attires and scintillating jewelleries. Men are dressed in their finest gho while women in extravagant hand woven Kiras. It is an occasion wherein one can see families walking towards the fortress with lunch baskets filled with delicious Bhutanese cuisines starting from red rice, varieties of vegetables and meat is a must dish in every person’s plate, if one is a non-vegetarian. They make sure to appear best and eat best on that special day. People sit together and enjoy the meal during the lunch break with their families and friends. The offices will be closed since the government will declare holiday so that the people can be a part of this grand celebration and be blessed at the end of the day. During the Tshechu, Mask dances and folk dances are being performed by the monks and laymen wherein you will find them magnificently dressed in grand silk robes and skilfully crafted masks. It is believed that by watching the mask dances, one gains merits. Moreover, you will get to witness the unfurling ceremony of the sacred ‘throgdroel’ scroll on the final day of the festival towards the dawn and obtain blessings. Hence, people make it to witness this grand event with a hope of paving the road to the next life.
Day 1
ARRIVE PARO AND SIGHTSEEING AT PARO
Day 2
PARO TO THIMPHU
Day 3
THIMPHU TO PUNAKHA
Day 4
PUNAKHA TO POBJIKA
Day 5
POBJIKA TO THIMPHU TO PARO
Day 6
ATTEND THE FESTIVAL
Day 7
ATTEND THE FESTIVAL AND SHOPPING IN THE EVENING
Day 8
HIKE TO PARO TAKTSHANG
Day 9
DEPARTURE FROM PARO- OUR GUIDE WILL DROP YOU AT THE AIRPORT
DAY 01 (ARRIVE PARO AIRPORT)
You will be received at the Paro airport. You will be engaged in sightseeing around Paro after lunch wherein you will get to visit Taa Dzong (Museum), Paro Rinpung Dzong, Drugyal Dzong, and Kicchu Lhakhang.
Taa Dzong – lies on the hill located above the Paro Dzong. It is an ancient watch tower which is now used as the National Museum. The building has a unique design built in a shape of a conch shell. The museum has different galleries which provide better display and various categorizations such as anthropology, arms and armor, pre-history, manuscript, paintings, textiles, bronzes, decorative arts, philatelic items, epigraphic items and numismatics.
Next visit will be to Paro Rinpung Dzong. Rinpung means, “Heaps of jewels” and it is a fortress monastery possessing a long history. Inside the Dzong, there are fourteen shrines and chapels.
After exploring Paro Rinpung Dzong, we will accompany you to Drugyal Dzong and Kicchu Lhakhang. Drugyal Dzong is one of the oldest Dzongs in the country which was built to commemorate the victory over an invasion from Tibet. This Dzong now lies in ruins. Right after the visit to Drugyal Dzong, you would enjoy the visit to Kicchu Lhakhang on the way back to the Paro town. The temple is one of the oldest temple built by a Tibetan Emperor, Songtsan Gampo. It is believed that this temple is filled with various hidden treasures.
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 02 (DRIVE TO THIMPHU)
On the next day, we will have a smooth drive towards Thimphu which would approximately take 1 hour from Paro. You will visit the following places and other sightseeing in and around Thimphu.
Visit Tashi Chhoe Dzong – This marvelous fortress was built by Lama Gyalwa Lhanapa. The Dzong houses the office of the King, the cabinet secretariat, ministry of home affairs and finance and also other government departments.
Visit Bhutanese Craft Bazaar – It is a handicraft market in Thimphu which is acquainted with unique arts and crafts of the country. It will indeed take you to the different world exhibiting its own beauty and charm.
Watch Archery game – Visit the changlimithang ground to witness an Archery match. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and the sports is played by the Bhutanese on several occasions. Archery is played differently in Bhutan as compared with the internal standards where the two targets are placed 100 meters apart from each other
Visit centenary market – in the evening where many local produces foods stuffs as well as arts and crafts are sold in the market. Thus, this provide great opportunities for interacting with the local and photography session.
Overnight at your hotel in Thimphu
DAY 03 (THIMPHU TO PUNAKHA)
Travel to Punakha (2 hours’ drive)
Visit Dochula Pass – On the way to Punakha you will come across Do Chula pass which is placed 3100 meters above the sea level. There are about 108 sacred stupas or temples being build out there. Gangkar Puensum, the highest peak in Bhutan is seen from the Dochula Pass.
Visit Punakha Dzong – Punakha Dzong is the second largest and one of the most beautiful dzongs in Bhutan. It was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel as prophesied by Guru Rinpochhe. This Dzong is built at the confluence of Po Chhu and Mo chhu.
Visit Chimi Lhakhang – It is a popular Buddhist monastery built around 1499 by Ngawang Chogyal in honor of Lama Drukpa Kuenley who is also known as a “divine madman” after he subdued the demon of the Dochula with his “magic thunderbolt of wisdom”. He is called as a “Divine madman because of his unusual ways of teaching Buddhism by means of singing, humor and outrageous behavior, which amounted to being bizarre and awful. He is also considered as a symbol of fertility and most childless couples visit his temple for blessing.
Overnight at your hotel in Punakha.
DAY 04 (PUNAKHA TO PHOBJIKA)
Right after breakfast, we will accompany you to Gantey and you would definitely love this beautiful plane valley amidst the dense forest. The valley is wide and tightly enclosed. Here, you will visit the Gangtey Gompa (temple), which is built on a hill top. It is the only Nyingmapa monastery on the western side of the Black Mountain. Moreover, it is the biggest Nyingmapa monastery in the country.
Next, you would be exploring Phobjika valley which is one of the most beautiful U-shaped valley in Bhutan. Phobjika valley is home to Black necked cranes (endangered bird) which flies to Bhutan from Tibet during winter to roost. They migrate from higher attitude to spend their winter here because of an extreme cold weather in Tibet. The best time to visit this place is during winter as you can see Black necked cranes all over this magnificent valley. You can also see Yaks grazing on the mountains before entering the valley.
Overnight at your hotel in Phobjika
DAY 05 (PHOBJIKA TO THIMPHU TO PARO)
After breakfast, drive back to Thimphu in the morning. You will visit the following places in Thimphu:
Visit Buddha Dordenma Statue – It is a massive Shakyamuni statue built on the hill top of Kuenselphodrang which is 51.5 meters in height and is made up of bronze and gold . It is one of the largest statue in the world. This great statue also houses over one hundred thousand small Buddha statues. I bet that you will be startled to gaze at this gigantic statue right in front of you.
Visit Bhutan Post Office – Bhutan post office is located in the heart of the Thimphu city. This is one exciting place to visit as there is unique collection of Bhutanese stamps and you will get to explore about Bhutan’s history from these stamps as well.
Visit Museum – Thimphu has Many Museums. Each artifact in the museum has its own stories to tell which you would love to listen to.
Visit Royal Textile Academy Simply Bhutan Museum
National Folk Heritage
National Textile Museum
Drive back to Paro in the evening.
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 06 (ATTEND THE FESTIVAL)
You will attend the Paro Tshechu (festival). The festival is being held annually in order to show our homage to Guru Rinpoche, for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan. People from all walks of life come together in their best Bhutanese attires and scintillating jewelries. Men are dressed in their finest gho while women in extravagant hand woven Kiras. It is an occasion wherein one can see families walking towards the fortress to witness mask dances and spent quality time with their loved ones. Mask dances and folk dances are being performed by the monks and laymen. You will find them magnificently dressed in grand silk robes and skillfully crafted masks. It is believed that by watching the mask dances, one gains merits. Hence, people make it to witness this grand event with a hope of paving the road to the next life. You will get to socialize with the locals and discover about the rich culture of Bhutan on your own.
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 07 ATTEND THE FESTIVAL AND SHOPPING IN THE EVENING
Attend the festival till afternoon and shopping time in the evening.
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 08 HIKE TO PARO TAKTSHNG
After the breakfast, there will be a hike to Taktsang Monastery. Paro Taktshang is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of the country and your trip would be tedious without visiting this most important Buddhist temple. Taktshang “Tiger’s nest” is built on a cliff which is about 3120 meters above the sea level. It is located 10 km away from the Paro town and will take at least 2-4 hours for trekkers to reach the spot. You can even have an exhilarating uphill ride on a rented horse. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche (Buddhist saint) came riding on a tigress to this site and meditated in the cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours so as to subdue evil spirits dwelling in that region. He was indeed victorious which is why Taktshang was built to signify the victory over the evil spirit. There is a Taktshang cafeteria which serves tea, lunch, snacks and fruit drinks at a reasonable price as well.
In the evening, we will accompany you to a farm house in Paro for a hot stone bath. This traditional bath uses fresh water from the river mixed with Artemisia leaves. The water is then heated by dipping hot stones in the water tub. This hot stone bath is a traditional method of healing diseases. In additional, you would feel relax while taking hot stone bath. So, if you are tired, a hot stone bath is all you need!
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 09 PARO-DEPARTURE FROM PARO AIRPORT
After the breakfast, we will drop you to the Paro International Airport from where you will fly back home.
Khadenchey la!