travee+14N/15D Bhutan Fourteen-Night Grand Traverse - Every Dzong on the Lateral Road
Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjikha, Trongsa, Bumthang, Mongar, Trashigang, Samdrup Jongkhar · 14 nights / 15 days · Bhutan
From ₹58,082 per person
Every Dzong on the Lateral Road. Stay plan: Paro (2N) – Thimphu (2N) – Punakha (2N) – Phobjikha (1N) – Trongsa (1N) – Bumthang (3N) – Mongar (1N) – Trashigang (1N) – Samdrup Jongkhar (1N). Arrive Paro International Airport, depart Guwahati Airport, India, with road entry at Darranga.
Where the nights are
Paro (2N) → Thimphu (2N) → Punakha (2N) → Phobjikha (1N) → Trongsa (1N) → Bumthang (3N) → Mongar (1N) → Trashigang (1N) → Samdrup Jongkhar (1N)
Day by day
- Day 1 — Arrival and transfer to Paro
Arrive at Paro International Airport. Clear immigration and baggage, meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Paro. The valley the only international airport sits in — a fortress over the river, the oldest temple in Bhutan and the Tiger Nest on the cliff above. The rest of the day is free to settle in. Overnight in Paro.
Overnight: Paro
- Day 2 — Paro: Taktsang Tiger Nest monastery, a five-hour return climb
Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Paro — the Taktsang Tiger Nest monastery, a five-hour return climb; the Rinpung Dzong and its cantilever bridge; and the Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Paro.
Overnight: Paro
- Day 3 — Paro to Thimphu
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Thimphu — a 55 km, ninety-minute drive up the Wang Chhu valley. The capital, and the only one in the world without a traffic light — a valley of dzongs, weaving studios and a very large seated Buddha. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Buddha Dordenma statue over the valley. Overnight in Thimphu.
Overnight: Thimphu
- Day 4 — Thimphu: Tashichho Dzong, seat of the government and the Je Khenpo
Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Thimphu — the Tashichho Dzong, seat of the government and the Je Khenpo; the National Memorial Chorten and its circumambulating crowd; and the Folk Heritage Museum and the National Textile Museum. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Thimphu.
Overnight: Thimphu
- Day 5 — Thimphu to Punakha
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Punakha — a 75 km, three-hour drive over the Dochula pass and its 108 chortens. The old winter capital at 1,200 m, warm enough for rice and oranges, with the finest dzong in the country at the meeting of two rivers. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Punakha Dzong at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. Overnight in Punakha.
Overnight: Punakha
- Day 6 — Punakha: Chimi Lhakhang fertility temple across the rice fields
Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Punakha — the Chimi Lhakhang fertility temple across the rice fields; the Punakha suspension bridge, one of the longest in Bhutan; and the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten and its valley walk. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Punakha.
Overnight: Punakha
- Day 7 — Punakha to Phobjikha
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Phobjikha — a 75 km, three-hour drive over the Pele pass. A glacial valley at 3,000 m where the black-necked cranes come down from Tibet to winter, and where the Gangtey monastery looks over the whole bowl. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the black-necked cranes, from late October to mid-February. Overnight in Phobjikha.
Overnight: Phobjikha
- Day 8 — Phobjikha to Trongsa
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Trongsa — a 120 km, three-hour drive east. The ancestral seat of the royal family, its dzong strung along a ridge above a gorge, commanding the only east-west road in the country. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Trongsa Dzong, the largest fortress in Bhutan. Overnight in Trongsa.
Overnight: Trongsa
- Day 9 — Trongsa to Bumthang
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Bumthang — a 68 km, two-and-a-half-hour drive over the Yotong pass. Four valleys that hold the oldest temples in Bhutan, the country buckwheat and its only brewery. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang. Overnight in Bumthang.
Overnight: Bumthang
- Day 10 — Bumthang: Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird
Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Bumthang — the Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird; the Tamshing Lhakhang and the Mebar Tsho burning lake; and the Ura valley drive and a cheese and beer tasting at Swiss Farm. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Bumthang.
Overnight: Bumthang
- Day 11 — Bumthang: Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang
Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Bumthang — the Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang; the Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird; and the Tamshing Lhakhang and the Mebar Tsho burning lake. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Bumthang.
Overnight: Bumthang
- Day 12 — Bumthang to Mongar
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Mongar — a 190 km, seven-hour drive over the Thrumshingla pass. The first town of the east, on a hillside reached by one of the more spectacular road descents in the Himalaya. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Mongar Dzong, built in the 1930s in the old manner. Overnight in Mongar.
Overnight: Mongar
- Day 13 — Mongar to Trashigang
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Trashigang — a 90 km, three-hour drive east. The largest town of the east, above the Drangme Chhu, and the junction for Merak, Sakteng and the Indian border. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Trashigang Dzong on its cliff above the river. Overnight in Trashigang.
Overnight: Trashigang
- Day 14 — Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Samdrup Jongkhar — a 180 km, six-hour descent to the Assam plain. The south-eastern border town where the eastern road meets the Assam plain. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Samdrup Jongkhar Dzong and the border bazaar. Overnight in Samdrup Jongkhar.
Overnight: Samdrup Jongkhar
- Day 15 — Samdrup Jongkhar — departure
Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Time for any last shopping before your transfer to Guwahati Airport, India, with road entry at Darranga for the onward flight. The tour ends here, and we hope it is not your last visit to Bhutan.
Inclusions
- Accommodation in Tourism Council of Bhutan approved hotels on double sharing basis.
- All meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — for the whole tour, as the Bhutan tariff requires.
- A licensed English-speaking Bhutanese guide throughout, and a private vehicle with driver.
- All monument, dzong and museum entrance fees named in the programme.
- Bhutan entry permit and route permits processed before arrival.
- Mineral water in the vehicle and a hot stone bath where the programme names one.
- 24x7 on-tour coordination and a dedicated Bhutan destination desk.
Exclusions
- Airfare to Paro or to the entry gateway, and airport taxes on it.
- The Sustainable Development Fee levied by the Royal Government of Bhutan, quoted separately because it is a government charge and it changes by nationality.
- Travel insurance, which is compulsory for entry.
- Optional activities not named in the programme — rafting, mountain biking, archery, a helicopter transfer or a festival photography permit.
- Alcoholic and bottled beverages, laundry, telephone, tips and personal expenses.
- Peak-season and festival-period hotel supplements, and any Gala Dinner supplement.
- Anything arising from circumstances outside our control — road block, landslide, a cancelled Paro flight or a change of government levy.