Short cultural tour- 3 nights 4 days
This is a 3 nights and 4 days cultural tour wherein we will explore two places, Paro and Thimphu respectively. All in all, this tour package is designed to give our guests the glimpse of Bhutanese culture in terms of history, arts, architecture, dress code, food, religion and language of Bhutan. Bhutanese and Tibetans have so many cultural similarities.
Bhutanese people and monks, read and write the ancient variant of the Tibetan language, known as chhokey. The uniqueness of the culture and tradition is visible in the everyday life of the Bhutanese people. There is a short hike to the ‘Taktshang Monastery’ meaning tiger’s nest, built on a cliff which is about 3120 meters above the sea level. The best time to visit Bhutan are during the spring and autumn seasons.
Highlights
Hike to Paro Taktshang (Tiger Nest)
Visit Taa Dzong (Museum), Drugyal Dzong, and Kicchu Lhakhang
Visit Tashi Chhoe Dzong ,and important sites in Thimphu
Hot Stone bath
Day 1
ARRIVE PARO and sightseeingDay 2
PARO TO THIMPHU TO PARODay 6
HIKE TO PARO TAKTSHANGDay 6
DEPART FROM PARO
DAY 01 (ARRIVE PARO AIRPORT)
You will be received at the Paro airport. Then engaged in sightseeing around Paro after lunch wherein we will accompany you to 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 (PARO TO THIMPHU)
You will have a smooth drive towards Thimphu which would approximately take 45minutes from Paro. On reaching Thimphu, you will get to explore the place. Thimphu is the Capital city of Bhutan which is situated in the western part of the country. The place is rich in culture and tradition amidst the fast development occurring every day. It is also known for its Buddhist sites. The Bhutanese culture is fully reflected in the capital city in respect of literature, religion, customs, and national dress code, the monastic practices, music, dance, literature and in the media. Modernity has been blended without sacrificing on the traditional Buddhist ethos.You would be visiting the following sites:
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.
Visit Buddha Dordenma Statue – It is a massive Shakyamuni statue built on the hill top of Kuenselphodrang which is 51.5 meters in height which 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.
Visit Royal Textile Academy:
Simply Bhutan Museum
National Folk Heritage
National Textile Museu
Drive back to Paro in the evening
Overnight at your hotel in Paro
DAY 03 (PARO HIKE TO PARO TAKTSHANG (TIGER NEST)
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 04(DEPARTURE FROM PARO AIRPORT)
After the breakfast, we will drop you to the Paro International Airport from where you will fly back home.
Overnight at your hotel in Paro