This tour is designed for shorter visits to
Bhutan. It is perfect for travelers with limited
time and a limited budget. The itinerary features
visits to scenic Paro and historic Thimphu,
the vibrant capital of Bhutan and home of the
King.
Day 01: Arrival at Paro.
Your flight to Paro can be from any of these
entry points Calcutta/Bangkok/Kathmandu/Dhaka/Delhi
or depending on one’s international flight
connection. Via road from India and enter the
southern part of Bhutan. When you are about
to land at Paro you will be introduced to the
spectacular beauty of our country. In clear
weather, views of Chomolhari (Mountain Goddess),
and other magnificent Himalayan snow peaks,
before you see the beautiful Paro valley as
you land.
The representative from Bhutan Footprints
*Travel will escort you to the hotel. After
lunch, visit the National Museum (watch Tower).
This museum has a very interesting assortment
of costumes, treasures and world-renowned stamps,
and will bring alive the history of Bhutan since
the 6th century. Visit Paro Dzong (Fort), Headquarter
of Paro District. Altitude: 2250 meters.
Day 02 : Hike to Tiger Nest and drive
to Thimphu. (Alternative for old person)
Built on the seemingly impossible cliff at a
height of 400 meters above the lush valley floor
of Paro is one of the most sacred places in
Bhutan. Guru Rinpoche, the second Buddha, flew
here on a flaming Tigress for the second visit
to Bhutan and meditated here in the 8th century.
Here he propagated Vajrayana- Mahayana Buddhism
(Bigger Wheel) that was prophesied by the Buddha
at the time of attaining Nirvana.
In April 1998, a fire destroyed the main structure
of the buildings and the religious contents.
A complete restoration was done and resulted
in a carbon copy of the original. This place
beholds the history of The Hidden Land. The
return walking time is approximately five hours
(if you have a permit to the site). Otherwise,
around 3- 4 hours is enough to make round trip
to the viewpoint.
In the evening drive to Thimphu, 2 hours through
winding roads following the Pa-Chu (Paro River)
down stream to its confluence with the Wang-Chu
(Thimphu River). There are good views of the
forests, Rocky Mountains & scattered village
on our route. As we enter the Thimphu valley
we will pass through Semtokha Dzong built in
1629 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (The man who
unified Bhutan). Now Semtokha houses the language
and cultural school where scholars of all the
ages study Dzongkha (National Language). Thimphu
altitude 2350 m, Driving time: 2 hours.
Day 03 : Full day sightseeing (lots
of hike depends on one’s interest)
In morning visit to Changangkha monastery (Temple),
which was built in 12th century, the viewpoint
where we can get a birds eye view of the capital
Thimphu. Visit the animal sanctuary home of
the Takin our National animal, and then visit
the Nunnery, which is NGO in the Kingdom.
After lunch, some highlight visits will be
the Textile Museum, Folk heritage museum and
Bhutanese traditional handmade paper factory.
Visit Dechen Phordrang monastic School; visit
General Post Office, where you will see the
finest stamps of Bhutan and the capital building
of Bhutan (Tashi Chhodzong) except after 5 p.m.
& holidays.
Day 04 : Morning sightseeing and drive
back to Paro.
After breakfast, drive to the memorial Chorten
(Stupa) built in the memory of His Majesty King
Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. He is regarded as the
father of modern Bhutan. Visit the National
Library, which holds ancient Buddhist texts,
historical books, and some very famous manuscripts
written with gold ink.
A three-minute drive to the Traditional Medicine
Institute will show you where medicines are
prepared from plants, flowers and animal’s
bones according to ancient practices. Acupuncture
is its main discipline. Visit the Art &
Painting School, where the students learn the
13 different kinds of Bhutanese Arts.
Afternoon free for the last day shopping at
Thimphu and evening drive back to Paro for tomorrow’s
departure.
Day 05 : Departure.
In the morning your representative will bid
you farewell at Paro airport.
