Bhutan: Druk Path Trek

Land in Kathmandu and transfer to our hotel. The evening is free to relax.

We fly to Paro today. If the weather is clear, we should get a fantastic view

(from the left hand side of the plane) of much of the eastern half of the

Himalaya, including Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and

Chomolhari (Jhomolhari). After completing visa formalities in Paro, we

transfer to our hotel. The Paro valley is considered to be one of the most

beautiful in Bhutan. Its blue pine-covered hills and attractive, solidly

built farmhouses among the paddy fields are dominated by the massive dzong,

or fort.



This afternoon we aim to visit the Paro Dzong and the National Museum above

it. Paro Dzong is one of Bhutan's most impressive, and the finest example of

Bhutanese architecture you will see. The inward sloping walls form a massive

structure that towers over the town. Built in the 17th century it was one of

Bhutan's strongest and most important fortresses and it was used on several

occasions to defend the Paro Valley from invasions by Tibet. Formally the

meeting hall for the National Assembly, the dzong now houses a monastic

school and district government offices. Scenes from the 1995 film 'Little

Buddha' were filmed in the dzong. West of the dzong a traditional wooden

covered bridge called Nyamal Zam, a reconstruction of the original bridge,

which was washed away in a flood in 1969. The most famous pictures of Paro

Dzong are taken from the west bank of the river, just downstream from the

bridge. At the top of the hill above the dzong is the old watchtower known

locally as Ta Dzong. Originally built in 1656, it was renovated in 1968 by

King Jigme Dorje Wangchuk to house the National Museum. Damaged by the

earthquake in 2011, the museum is housed at the present time in a new

building above the Ta Dzong. Inside the museum there are collections of masks

and thangkas.



Please note that the itinerary above could change subject to flight timings,

which are generally unpredictable.

*

Today we will have a warm-up hike to Taktsang Monastery. 'Tigers Nest'

Monastery, is perched on the ledge of a cliff high above the Paro Valley.

Partly destroyed by fire in 1998, it has now been completely restored to its

former magnificence. We drive a short distance from the hotel and then hike

up for about 1.5 hours to a viewpoint, for the classic views of the monastic

buildings which cling impossibly to the cliff wall opposite. For the

energetic, there is the chance to walk another 2 hours to the actual

monastery. The walk is good for acclimatization and we recommend you wear

trekking boots and take trekking poles and plenty of water. Please note there

about 100 steps up and down. Returning to the hotel we have time in the

afternoon to explore Paro town.

Today we start our trek. After breakfast, we have a short drive to about

2620m, just above the ancient Ta Dzong watchtower. The first day's trekking

is not long in terms of hours but it’s uphill all the way and we gain quite

a lot of height. From our trek start point it is a gentle climb for about 1.5

hours on a jeep track to a prayer wall. The trail then narrows and we

continue climbing on a rocky path up a little steeper now through the forest.

We have lunch about an hour further on in a clearing and then it’s about an

hour’s walk in the afternoon to the Jele La (3550m) and our camp just below

the pass and Jele Dzong. If the weather is clear, we can see the Paro Valley

below. The energetic can walk further up the ridge from the Jele La to a

ruined shepherd hut with a small Bon shrine inside. 



*Full-service Camping (sleeping altitude 3,530m)*

After breakfast, we walk five minutes back up to the main trail and continue

climbing for about half an hour to Jele Dzong. If it is open, we can go and

see inside the dzong which dates back to the 14th century. Continuing up the

ridge for a short way we can see the Paro Valley way below and if the weather

is clear we may even spot Chomolhari in the distance. The trail undulates

through thick rhododendron forests this morning - look out for the colourful

Monal and Blood Pheasants which inhabit the forests. Lunch is in a forest

clearing and we have a short walk in the afternoon to our camp at Rawna at

3860m. (Please note that if there are other trekking groups around we may

have to camp at Jangchu Lakha (3700m) or Tsokam (3750m). All 3 campsites are

close by, each sitting in different forest clearings. 



*Full-service Camping (sleeping altitude 3,860m)*

A long day today and probably the hardest walk of the trek. We climb steeply

up from camp on a narrow trail for about an hour to rejoin the main trail. We

continue climbing through a rocky landscape littered with small rhododendron

bushes. We reach a col at 4073m marked with prayer flags and then drop down a

short way to a cave. The trail then climbs again quite steeply to a ridge at

4080m, from where on a clear day we get spectacular mountain views including

Chomolhari and Jichudrake. We have lunch on the ridge to enjoy the views and

then continue a little further up the ridge to 4120m. From here we contour

round a little and then drop steeply on a rocky trail to the shores of Jimi

Lang Tscho, well known for its trout. 

*Full-service Camping (sleeping altitude 3,885m)*

Another long but great day's walk with good mountain views. The trail climbs

from camp along a rocky trail up to Janye Tscho Lake at 3956m. Climbing even

higher to a col at 4150m, we then have a short descent to Simthokha Lake

(4090m), the highest lake on our trek. From the lake the trail undulates all

the way to our camp at Labana. 



*Full-service Camping (sleeping altitude 4,100m)*

The trail today climbs gradually up to the Labana Pass at 4235m (the highest

point of this trek). The views get better and better and on a clear day we

can see Gangar Punsum, Table Mountain and much of the Bhutan Himalaya. Way

below is the Thimphu Valley. From the top we traverse the hillside with great

mountain views and descend towards Thimphu. There are a couple of small

climbs to cols but the general direction is downhill. From the Phajoding

Labsa chorten we descend quite steeply to Phajoding Monastery for lunch.

There are several temples here and a monastic school and the place is a

visited by many Bhutanese. We descend even further through forests of blue

pine to the end of our trek at Motithang, just above Thimphu, the capital of

Bhutan. We should reach our hotel by mid afternoon. The evening is free to

explore Thimphu. 

*Departure starting in Kathmandu on 16th March 2021*



Today we spend the day visiting the most important sites in and around

Thimpu, including the Memorial Chorten, which was built in 1974 to honour the

memory of the third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk and Buddha Point, which is a

large Buddha statue built on the hillside overlooking Thimpu. There are

several museums in Thimpu and an art school, the post office and the market

are interesting and above the town is a takin preserve. Your leader will aim

to show you as much as possible in the time available depending on opening

times.  In the late afternoon, we drive to Paro (1hours drive)



*Departures starting in Kathmandu on 18th September 2020 and 8 September

2021 will visit Thimphu Festival, whereas the 7th October 2021 departure

will visit Genekha/Dechenphu Festival

*



We spend the whole day experiencing one of the many vibrant festivals in

Bhutan. During the festivals the Bhutanese gather to see the monks and lay

dancers dressed in colourful brocade and silk costumes, wearing painted masks

re-enacting the stories of the religious and lay history of Bhutan through

music and dance. For several days there are masked dances and prayer

meetings, and a general carnival atmosphere prevails as many villagers arrive

to meet old friends. The Bhutanese all dress in their finest national dress

for the festival and one of the highlights is the riot of colours of the

magnificent silks on display. Paro and Thimpu are the most popular festivals

in Bhutan whereas the one at Dechenphu is much smaller.



*Non-festival departure: starting in Kathmandu on 17th October 2020*



Today we take an excursion to the nearby town of Punakha. The road climbs

steadily out of Thimpu Valley and winds its way through forests to the

Dochula Pass. At 3050m (10,000ft) the views over the eastern Himalaya are

magnificent although this is most definitely weather dependent! We descend to

the valley floor and continue to sub-tropical Punakha. At an altitude of

1350m, the difference in temperature and flora is apparent. Punakha is the

winter capital of Bhutan and the dzong was the second one to be built in

Bhutan. This remarkable fortress is situated between two rivers and it has

survived many fires, an earthquake and a glacial flood. Over the years it has

been repaired and added to and has several interesting features to protect it

against invasion. In the afternoon we'll drive back to Thimphu to spend the

night.



*Rema Resorts / Dewachen Hotel, or similar in Paro*



*Hotel Pedling / Galingkha / Gakhil, or similar in Thimphu*

*Departures 18th September 2020, 17th October 2020, 8th September 2021 and

7th October 2021: Thimphu sightseeing; drive to Paro*



We spend most of today visiting the main sights of the town including the

Memorial Chorten, which was built in 1974 to honour the memory of the third

king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk and Buddha Point, which is a large Buddha statue

built on the hillside overlooking Thimpu. There are several museums in Thimpu

and an arts school, the post office and the market are interesting and above

the town is a takin preserve. Your leader will aim to show you as much as

possible in the time available depending on opening times. In the late

afternoon, we drive to Paro (1 hour).



*Departure starting on 16th March 2021 - Paro Festival*



We spend the day at the Paro Festival.

Today we fly back to Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free to explore the

temples and markets of Kathmandu or go shopping. There are several

sightseeing tours on offer (ask the Exodus representative in Kathmandu), or

you may want to explore Kathmandu on your own. You may want to visit the

monkey temple at Swayambhunath or the largest Hindu temple in Nepal at

Pashupatinath or the one of the largest Buddhist stupas in Asia at

Boudhanath. Once you have had your fill of culture the colourful markets of

Thamel are great for souvenir hunting.

Our trip ends in Kathmandu after breakfast.

/Please note that sometimes due to opening times, holidays or festivals we

have to change the timings of the sightseeing around. We will endeavour to

show you all the sights in the time available. In case it is not possible to

visit any of the sights described in the notes above an alternative will be

provided./