To many, no trip to the Himalayas is really complete without getting into the countryside and walking through the rural villages and farmland that line the foothills. Breathe in the fresh air, and see the traditional way of life that has such a timeless charm and quality. This itinerary to Bhutan features a range of day walks, so that you can have a superb trekking experience, but each night return to the comfort of a lovely hotel and not have to put up with a tented camp. We can of course arrange for adventurous treks, such as the Druk Path Trek of Bumthang Cultural Trek, but we feel doing it this way gives the perfect balance between adventure and comfort.
The itinerary includes day walks in Paro and Thimphu, the Giligang Trail in Punakha, the Longtey Hike in Gangtey and the day treks to the Tang, Ura and Chhume Valleys in Bumthang.
| £5320 |
|---|
| Days | Location | Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Kathmandu | The Inn at Patan The Inn at Patan |
| Day 2-4 | Paro | Naksel Boutique Hotel & Spa Naksel Boutique Hotel & Spa |
| Day 5-6 | Thimphu | Druk Hotel Druk Hotel |
| Day 7-9 | Punakha | Dhensa Dhensa |
| Day 10-11 | Gangtey | Dewachen Dewachen |
| Day 12-14 | Bumthang | Village Lodge Bumthang Village Lodge Bumthang |
| Day 15-16 | Paro | Uma Paro Uma Paro |
| Day 17-18 | Dhulikhel | Dwarika’s Dhulikhel Dwarika’s Dhulikhel |
Fly to Kathmandu and spend the night at a charming boutique hotel. Take an optional afternoon private tour of the city.
Fly to Bhutan, seeing the vast expanse of the Himalayas on your left-hand side. On arrival, spend three nights in Paro.
Today, make your first day trek to Tiger’s Nest Monastery, but instead of returning straight back down the path to Paro, you’ll go higher up to Ugyen Tshemo and north along the ridge and descending down to Drukgyel Dzong. This offers far better views of the valley. It takes about two hours to reach Tiger’s Nest, then 2-3 hours to reach Drukgyel Dzong.
Today, take an all-day trek through forests, farmlands and across mountains. The Sagala Hike takes you to the remote Haa Valley and across the Chele Pass, Bhutan’s highest pass. You’ll walk up to the pass through forests, being rewarded with stunning views back over Paro. You’ll then descend into the Haa Valley before reaching the village of Makha Zampa. A car will be waiting for you to explore the valley before returning back over the Chele Pass. Total trekking time is about 6-7 hours.
Drive to Thimphu and you’ll have the afternoon to walk around the city with your guide. The following day, set off on one of the best treks around Thimphu to Dodedrak, a monk village with a 12th century temple at its heart. You’ll have a picnic lunch in the courtyard outside of the temple and have a chance to meet the monks. The trek takes about 4-5 hours in total.
Drive to Punakha and spend two nights here. If you want, we can include the short walk to Chimmi Lhakhang, the Temple of Fertility followed by evening prayers in the Punakha Dzong.
Today, head out through the paddy-fields and small villages on the Giligang Trail visiting Khamsum Chorton, Giligang Temple before ending at Punakha Dzong, a trek of about 4-5 hours.
Set off on the Nobgang Trek, located on the a hilltop above Punakha and starts close to the charming village of Talo, the native village of the Queen Mother of Bhutan. The walk then takes you all downhill back to Punakha and takes about an hour.
Drive to Gangtey, and stop at the Lawola Pass and walking down to the village which takes about an hour. The trek the following day takes about 3-5 hours and takes you through a small yak herder village and through an old rhododendron forest. Walk through Lord of the Rings like forests before arriving at the village of Kumbu where you will be picked up and taken back to the hotel.
Drive to Bumthang, with a quick stop in Trongsa en route (where you can do a two-hour trek if you want).
Set off on the Bushman Trail, an easy-going three hour walk and passes through typical Bhutanese farmland with superb views of the Chamkar Valley. The trek takes about three hours.
Today, set off on the Shugdrak Hike, one of the four holy cliffs of Bumthang. It’s a steep 30 minute walk up to the top, but the views are incredible. Have a picnic lunch at the top before descending back to the valley floor.
Fly back to Paro and spend two nights at Uma Paro where you can properly take off your trekking boots and put your feet up. There is an excellent spa, and delightful pool. The cuisine here is amazing, and no doubt you can reward yourself with a feast of epic proportions!
Fly back to Kathmandu and drive up to Dhulikhel on the ridge of the valley. Again, put your feet up, admire the views and possibly dip into their spa.
This is the ultimate Nepal Trekking Holiday. The mountain scenery of Nepal is impossibly spectacular, combine Kathmandu with a five day trek in the Annapurna Range and some R&R in Pokhara.
The Annapurna Base Camp Trek is one of the best treks you can do in the Nepal. We use private porters, guides and superb lodges to ensure you have the best experience possible.
We arrange totally bespoke trips and design an itinerary that is designed around you. You may have seen a suggested itinerary that we can base your plans around, or we can start with a blank sheet and paper and design something from scratch. You can leave a phone number and suggest a time to call you back, and we can also arrange to do this during the evenings or at weekends if you are busy during the daytime. We can also meet up with you in you fancy a coffee and are based in and around London.
