Druk Path 13 Days Trekking Tour in Bhutan

Day 1 Arrive in Paro, transfer to hotel On arrival into Paro airport we greet you and transfer you to your hotel. In the afternoon visit Paro Dzong and the National Museum. OVERNIGHT:Paro - 3-star hotel MEALS:Lunch, Dinner Day 2 Tiger's Nest walk, afternoon tour This morning walk up to the iconic Taktshang ( or 'Tiger's Nest') monastery perched on a cliff face (approx. 2-3 hours each way). Afternoon tour to the ruined Drukgyel Dzong and ancient Paro Dzong and the National Museum. OVERNIGHT:Paro - 3-star hotel MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3 Start trek from Paro, Jili Dzong The first day can be quite arduous as you have to climb more than 1,000m elevation. You start from the Ta Dzong (National Museum) in Paro. The trek follows a gravel road past a few farms for about 30 minutes and then climbs up a steep ridge before leading through blue pine and fir forests to Dame Gom. Once you reach the ridge below Jili Dzong you descend about 100m to the campsite below the Dzong. Trekking notes: Distance 7 km, 4-5 hours, 1,090 m ascent, camp altitude 3,480 m OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 4 Jili Dzong to Jangchulakha You begin with a steep climb for about an hour and a half, then the slope evens a bit and the ascent is more gradual. The trail takes you through thick alpine forests and dwarf rhododendron trees. You may see herders and their yaks around your campsite. Trekking notes: Distance 10 km, 4-5 hours, 310 m ascent, 50 m descent, camp altitude 3,770 m OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 5 Jangchulakha to Jimgelang Tsho The trail follows a ridge and on a clear day the view of the mountains and valley are simply stunning. The campsite is close to the Jimgelang Tsho Lake. This lake is known for its giant sized trout. Trekking notes: Distance 11 km, 4 hours, 230 m descent, 330 m ascent, camp altitude 3,870 m OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6 Jimgelang Tsho to Simkotra Tsho The trail takes you through dwarf rhododendron trees and past Janetso Lake. You may come across some yak herder camps where you will have the opportunity to get a glimpse of a nomad's life. The campsite is close to Simkotra Tsho Lake. Trekking notes: Distance 11 km, 4 hours, 820 m ascent, 400 m descent, camp altitude 4,110 m OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 7 Simkotra Tsho to Phajoding The day begins with a gradual climb. If the weather permits, you will have a spectacular view of Mount Gangkar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan and several other Himalayan peaks. From this pass, the trek takes you downhill towards Phajodhing where you will halt for the night. The camp is located just above Phadjoding Monastery. Trekking notes: Distance 10 km, 3-4 hours, 130 m ascent, 680 m descent, camp altitude 3,750 m OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 8 Phajodhing to Mothitang After passing Phadjoding monastery, the trek to Thimphu (Mothitang) is downhill through a forested area of mostly blue pine. The walk, at a leisurely pace, takes about three hours. Trekking notes: Distance 4-5 km, 3 hours, 1,130 m descent OVERNIGHT:Camping on trek MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 9 Druk Path to finish, tours of Thimphu The Druk Path finishes at the Bhutan Broadcast Service (BBS) Telecommunication Tower, offering a great view of the city of Thimphu. Free afternoon (perhaps try some traditional Bhutnese archery). OVERNIGHT: Thimphu - 4-star hotel MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 10 Thimphu sightseeing tours Today you have a full day to do a range of sightseeing tours around Thimphu. Your guide will provide a choice of sites to visit which you can select from based on your personal interests. These include craft, heritage and traditional medicine museums, the national library, temples and stupas, and the national Takim research centre. Ideally, we'd time the tour you can also visit the weekend market this morning (the market runs between Friday afternoon & Sunday lunchtime). OVERNIGHT:Thimphu - 4-star hotel MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 11 Thimphu to Punakha, Wangdue Phodrang The drive till Punakha will take about three to four hours and traverses through beautiful forests composed of rhododendron and fields of dwarf bamboo. The landscape, green meadows, beautiful wildflowers, gushing waterfalls and constantly changing vegetation offers breathtaking scenery. About 45 minutes drive from Thimphu, is the Dochula pass (3,100m). From here one will get their first glimpse of the eastern Himalayan ranges, consisting of snow-capped peaks with heights measuring anywhere from 6,000m to 7,554 m. The pass is also exotic in flora and fauna. Apart from this, the spectacular 108 stupas or shortens build around a mound and the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang (Temple) at the pass makes the place a visitor's delight. The road from the pass descends all the way to Punakha. Before reaching Punakha, you will visit the Temple of Fertility (Chimi Lhakhang), which is an hour hike (round trip) from the road. Associated with Lam Drukpa Kuenley (Divine Madmonk), this 15th-century structure is a place where the phallus is worshipped, with barren women from around the world receiving blessings from a phallus. You will then arrive at Punakha Dzong (Fortress), which from far looks like a gigantic ship perched on a mass of water. Punakha served as the capital of Bhutan until 1955 and is home of the Chief Abbot and the central monk body during the winter months. Built in 1637 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal at the confluence of two rivers (Pho-male and Mo-female), the Fortress is the quintessence of Bhutanese architecture and was a hub of ancient Bhutan's civil and religious life. It houses some of the Kingdom's most sacred relics in the form of religious antiques. In the afternoon, you will visit Punakha Dzong and then drive for half an hour and hike to the Khamsumyuly chorten. OVERNIGHT:Punakha - 3-star hotel MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 12 Punakha to Wangdue Phodrang, return to Paro In the morning, we will visit the ruins of Wangdue Phodrang (fortress), which was built in 1638 by the Shabdrung and tragically gutted by a fire in 2012. We will also take a stroll around Wangdue town. A four-hour drive takes us back to Paro, where we will have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we take a stroll around Paro town and visit a farmhouse. OVERNIGHT:Paro - 3-star hotel MEALS:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 13 Paro, transfer to airport After breakfast, you will be driven to Paro international Airport for your journey home. OVERNIGHT:N/A MEALS:Breakfast