Essential Bhutan

Discover the mystery of Bhutan on this tour of the country’s highlights, including Thimphu, Gangtey, Punakha and Paro.

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Group Tour

Duration10 Days
Flights IncludedNo
Prices From £ 2495

Places Visited : Kathmandu, Thimphu, Gangtey, Punakha, Paro, Kathmandu

Discover the magic and mystery of the Land of the Thunder Dragon, Bhutan, on this interesting tour covering the incredible sights of Paro and Thimphu and taking in the astonishing fortified monastic complexes at Punakha, including the Tigers Nest Monastery. The tour also included the beautiful valley of Gangtey, famous for its population of migrant, black-necked cranes that make an excellent base for walks through the valley. The tour is bookended with short stays in the magical capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, where you will have the opportunity to experience some of its principal sites and do a spot of souvenir shopping between returning home.

Suggested itinerary

Day 1

Kathmandu

Greeted on arrival in Kathmandu transfer to Kantipur Temple House or similar for an overnight stay. The afternoon is at leisure to explore the bustling Thamel quarter on your own.

A sprawling modern city of nearly a million inhabitants, the Nepali capital can feel overwhelmingly crowded and chaotic on first impressions. But head for its ancient core and things improve dramatically.

Durbar Square forms the epicentre of the old quarter. More than fifty temples, 106 monastery courtyards (bahals) and countless shrines line its narrow, cobbled backstreets and stone-paved piazzas. Settle on to one of the terraced platforms of the Manju Devul tower to watch exotic bustle of marigold sellers, saffron-clad sadhus, stray cows and pigeons.

Accommodation Options

Kantipur Temple House

Day 2

Kathmandu - Thimphu

Take a short flight on Druk Air, Bhutan’s national carrier, landing in Paro. Greeted on arrival and driven to Thimphu, the capital city, for your two nights’ stay at Hotel Osel or similar.

Approached by spectacular flight path, the town’s airport at Paro is the principal arrival point for foreign travellers. A couple of hours’ drive away, Thimpu became the capital of Bhutan in 1961, since when it’s swollen to a town of 80,000 people – the perfect place to get to grips with life in modern Bhutan.

Accommodation Options

Hotel Osel

Day 3

Thimphu

A full day is spent visiting the sights of Thimphu. This includes an impressive dzong, a fortified monastic building found in nearly all of Bhutan’s main settlements as well as the King’s Memorial, the Painting School where students undergo a 6-year training in Bhutan’s 13 traditional arts and crafts, Simply Bhutan Museum, Textile Museum, Buddha Point and a local craft bazaar.

During the third day of your trip you’ll tour the Bhutanese capital’s impressive dzongs (fortress-monasteries), the King’s Memorial chorten, Buddhist painting school and national folk museum, made of rammed earth to resemble a traditional farmstead. In the city’s market, your guide will point out local delicacies such as jellied cow skin and fried fern, and don’t miss the chance to touch a taking, Bhutan’s national animal, which looks like a cross between a cow and a goat and survives in the nearby Mothitang Reserve. We’ll also pause at the Textile Museum, the city’s craft bazaar and Buddha point.

Accommodation Options

Hotel Osel

Day 4

Thimphu - Gangtey

Begin the journey eastward with a morning’s drive up to the Dochu-la pass (3,088 metres). Continue on to Gangtey and the valley of Phobjika. Two nights are spent at the simple Dewachen Resort or similar.

The 17th century dzong at Gangtey is this awesome valley’s prime religious monument. The major event in its festival calendar is tsechu, which usually falls in October, when monks perform traditional Cham dances in the monastery courtyard. Preserved in one of Gangtey’s inner shrines is one of the country’s more gruesome relics: the hands of a British army officer killed in a battle with Bhutanese forces in 1864.

Accommodation Options

Dewachen Hotel

Day 5

Gangtey

The valley is considered sacred to the Bhutanese as it is the winter residence of a small but significant black necked crane population that migrate over the Himalaya from Tibet. Visit the black necked crane centre to learn more about these birds and the significant place they hold in local folk lore.

Surrounded by snow peaks and old-growth forest, the beautiful Phobjikha Valley is home to a unique conservation initiative, where migratory black-neck cranes, which pass through here in the winter months between October and March, are protected by local wardens and volunteers. The centre provides information about the birds and their migration, and if your tour coincides with their stay in the village you’ll be able to observe them grazing on the valley floor through telescopes.

Accommodation Options

Dewachen Hotel

Day 6

Gangtey - Punakha

Drive to Punakha in the morning for one night at the Zingham Resort or similar. Visit the beautiful Punakha Dzong this afternoon, considered to be one of the finest examples of dzong architecture in Bhutan. Later take a short excursion to Chimi Lhakhang also known as ‘Fertility Temple’.

Around 25km east of Thimphu, Punakha is the home of one of the country’s most beautiful monasteries, built around 1638 at the confluence of two rivers. The complex is a showcase of Bhutanese craftsmanship, with a particularly impressive assembly hall featuring fine clay statues and intricate murals. The dzong also hosts a well-known festival, during which an enormous thondrol ‒ an extraordinary appliquéd sacred banner ‒ is unfurled, conferring merit on all who see it.

Accommodation Options

Zhingkham Resort

Day 7

Punakha - Paro

Drive in the morning to Paro (4-5 hours). En route visit Simtokha Dzong, the oldest fortress of the country, which now houses the School for Buddhist studies. Stay at Paro Eco Lodge or similar for two nights. Afternoon visit Ta Dzong, which houses the National Museum and the Rinpung Dzong. Optional: Experience a local hot stone bath.

Shops, restaurants and offices in richly carved traditional buildings line the main street of Paro, where two of eastern Bhutan’s main rivers meet. The town is best known locally for the splendid Rinpung Dzong, overlooking the river, whose most valuable possession is a giant embroidered tapestry, or thondrol (thangka), depicting the dzong’s founding father, Guru Rincpoche. The treasure is unrolled only once a year on the morning of the annual tsechu (festival). On the hill behind rests the National Museum in a beautifully restored watchtower, the Ta Dzong, built in the 1650s to guard Paro’s dzong.

Group members will be invited to experience a traditional Bhutanese ‘stone bath’ (optional – additional costs may apply), in which river water mixed with local Artemisia leaves is heated by river stones roasted in a wood fire – a delightful pick-me-up.

Accommodation Options

Paro Eco Lodge

Day 8

Paro

This morning take an arduous walk up to the famous Taktsang (‘Tiger’s Nest’) monastery, which rest precariously on a rocky hillside overlooking a wide forested valley. Afternoon is at leisure.

Bhutan’s most photographed monument, the Taktsang Monastery, commonly known as the ‘Tiger’s Nest’, is wedged into a lofty cliff nearly a vertical kilometre above a forested valley. Rock-cut steps and rickety bridges connect its four wings, whose golden pagoda roofs, fluttering prayer flags and distempered walls are dwarfed by the vista of forested hills and snow-capped mountains unfolding on all sides – a spectacle worth the journey to Bhutan alone!

Accommodation Options

Paro Eco Lodge

Day 9

Paro - Kathmandu

Fly back to Kathmandu for an overnight stay at Kantipur Temple House or similar.

The ancient city of Kathmandu also has a more contemporary side, seen in the vibrant live music, food and art scene, shopping districts and the persistent construction projects. The mix of old and new makes for fascinating walking tours, as atmospheric alleyways full of iconic shrines lead into hectic local markets and busy roadways.

Accommodation Options

Kantipur Temple House

Day 10

Kathmandu

Transfer to the airport.

What's Included

✓ 9 nights accommodation
✓   Arrival & departure transfers. International flight between Nepal & Bhutan
✓   English-speaking guides. Accompanying tour escort when minimum group size achieved
✓   Bed and breakfast in Kathmandu. Full board in Bhutan
✓ Entrance fees to sites and monuments listed in tour itinerary
✓   Visa fees for Bhutan

2025 tour prices for Essential Bhutan

DEPARTURE DATE	PRICE PER PERSON	SINGLE ROOM supplement	AVAILABILITY
Fri 12 Sep 2025	£2495	£365	14
Fri 03 Oct 2025	£2775	£425	9
Fri 07 Nov 2025	£2775	£425	12
Fri 20 Feb 2026	£2775	£425	12
Fri 06 Mar 2026	£2775	£425	12
Fri 03 Apr 2026	£2775	£425	12
Fri 16 Oct 2026	£2775	£425	10

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