Glimpse of Bhutan Tour Package (4 Nights / 5 Days)

Today, you'll visit one of the largest sitting Buddha statues overlooking Thimphu valley and then transfer to Punakha valley via the sacred mountain pass, Dochula.

Buddha Dordhenma Statue – Buddha Point at Kuensel Phodrang: The magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. From here you can see a nice view of Thimphu city. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also for the purpose of bringing peace in the world. The giant Buddha statue houses more than 100,000 8-inch tall Buddha statues of the same type.

Then we drive to Punakha Valley via Dochula Pass.

Dochu La Pass – 3,150m/10,335ft above sea level: About 45 min drive from Thimphu towards Punakha is a mountain pass at an altitude of 3,150 meters above sea level from where you can see, on a clear day, some of the highest peaks of Bhutan. Before the construction of these beautiful 108 Druk Wangyal Choetens (stupas) in 2004, this mountain pass remained only as a sacred place blessed by a famous Buddhist saint, Lam Drukpa Kuenley in late 15th century. From Dochu La Pass, we will continue driving towards Punakha, passing through some villages, the elevation drops gradually and the road winds through the pine trees. As you reach the lower subtropical valley, you will feel the drastic change in altitude from 3,150m just an hour and a half ago to subtropical valley at 1,200m.

Just about 11km before arriving Punakha town, visit the 15th-century Chimi Lhakhang – The Temple of Fertility: Chimi Lhakhang is located on a gentle hilltop near the village of Sopsokha. To reach the temple, you have to walk 20 – 30 minutes through beautiful terraced paddy fields and traditional farmhouses. The history of Chimi Lhakhang is associated with 16th century Lama Drukpa Kuenley who was affectionately known as “Divine Madman” for his obscene behavior and outrageous ways of cleansing people from religious dogmatism and egoistic self-possession by exhibiting his strong desire for sex. He would often use phallus as a tool to subdue malevolent spirits. Using the phallus was also intended to free up the social inhibitions enforced by the socially established values. Today, one of the relics of Chimi Lhakhang is a phallus. The blessing of the

Today, before we drive back to Paro, you will do a wonderful hike to a Buddhist temple known as Khamsum Yuellay Namgyel Chorten located on a serene hilltop overlooking the Punakha valley.

Khamsum Yuelley Namgyel Chorten: Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the picturesque Punakha valley, this wonderful Buddhist structure is a fine example of Bhutanese architecture used in building temples, monasteries and Zangdogpelri (Copper Coloured Mountain). It was built over a period of almost 10 years under the command of Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, one of the Grand Queen Mothers of Bhutan and was consecrated in 1999.

It takes only about 20 minutes drive from the main town of Punakha to the nearest road point. From there you cross a suspension bridge over the Punakha Mochu (female) River and the trail takes you through paddy fields. The round trip hike usually takes less than 3-hours hours.

Picnic lunch can be arranged by the bank of the Mochu river on the way back. After lunch, drive back to Paro.

On arriving back in Paro, visit the 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang which is believed to have been built in 659 A.D. by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo to subdue spirit of a giant demoness causing harm to the propagation of Buddhism in the Himalayan region. In order to subdue this demoness, King Songtsen Gampo was required to built 108 temples across the affected region. Bhutan is blessed with two of these 108 temples, the other one is Jampa Lhakhang located in the district of Bumthang in central Bhutan. Both the temples were believed to have been built overnight.

Leisure time to explore Paro town.

Distance 115 km | Time 3 hours |Thimphu Altitude 2,195mm/7,200ft

Overnight at Khangkhu Resort to Bhutan Mandala Resort.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, you will hike to the famous Paro Taktsang Monastery popularly known as Tiger's Nest and later in the afternoon, visit a beautiful farmhouse to enjoy a savoury home-cooked local cuisine.

Hike to Taktsang Monastery at 3,120m/10,235ft feet above sea level:

The round trip hike to Taktsang normally takes about 4-5 hours. Taktsang Monastery is built precariously on the rock cliff some 800m above the valley floor. The history of Taktsang is associated with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava (known as Guru Rinpoche), the Indian saint who came to Bhutan and introduced Tantric Buddhism in the 8th century AD. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava flew into the cave from Kurtoe Khenpajong in eastern Bhutan, riding on a tigress. It is not only considered as one of the most sacred pilgrimage site in Bhutan but also “a must visit” place for tourists.

Oneway horse riding is available on your way up to the mid-point (Taktsang Viewpoint Cafeteria) for a fee of about USD20 per horse per person. Horse riding is not recommended on your way down and most owners will not allow it.

Towards the late afternoon, visit a beautiful farmhouse and experience the traditional Bhutanese way of life. If you are interested, you can soak in a therapeutic and revitalizing traditional hot stone bath for an additional fee of about US$15 per person. Specially selected river stones believed to contain minerals are heated in a wood-fired fireplace and dropped into a chamber of wooden tub releasing minerals. Delicious home-cooked local cuisine will be served.

Overnight at Khangkhu Resort of Bhutan Mandala Resort.

After breakfast, you'll be transferred to Paro Int'l Airport for your onward journey.