The flight to Bhutan is a breathtaking trip with views of the jagged snow-capped Himalayas, followed by a triumphant landing in the mountainous airport with the airplane descending down the steep slopes of the landscape.

On arrival at Paro International Airport, representatives from NELJORE JOURNEYS will welcome you and escort you to the hotel. After your long flight, you can unwind, relax, and enjoy your lunch.

Paro is a beautiful pristine valley nestled at an altitude of 2200m above sea level. It is adorned with stretches of paddy fields, meadows, and pine forests, dotted with settlements and small municipalities. The suburbs, the sloping fringes, and the mountains are enclaves blessed by Guru Padmasambhava and many great saints. Paro also houses the renowned Tiger’s Nest/Taktshang.

In the evening, we all gather and enjoy our special welcome dinner, briefly going through our daily itinerary for the entire trip. We will have introductions and interactive sessions, as well as welcome song performances by some very popular Bhutanese singers and some cultural performances. We will provide information about the hotel and its website.

The flight to Bhutan is a breathtaking trip with views of the jagged snow-capped Himalayas, followed by a triumphant landing in the mountainous airport with the airplane descending down the steep slopes of the landscape.

On arrival at Paro International Airport, representatives from NELJORE JOURNEYS will welcome you and escort you to the hotel. After your long flight, you can unwind, relax, and enjoy your lunch.

Paro is a beautiful pristine valley nestled at an altitude of 2200m above sea level. It is adorned with stretches of paddy fields, meadows, and pine forests, dotted with settlements and small municipalities. The suburbs, the sloping fringes, and the mountains are enclaves blessed by Guru Padmasambhava and many great saints. Paro also houses the renowned Tiger’s Nest/Taktshang.

In the evening, we all gather and enjoy our special welcome dinner, briefly going through our daily itinerary for the entire trip. We will have introductions and interactive sessions, as well as welcome song performances by some very popular Bhutanese singers and some cultural performances. We will provide information about the hotel and its website.

The day starts with breakfast at the hotel, followed by a brief introduction about the sites we will visit: Paro Kyichu and the National Museum at Ta Dzong. In the morning, we will visit Paro Kyichu, followed by the National Museum at Ta Dzong after lunch.

Paro Kyichu:

Paro Kyichu is one of the oldest temples in the Himalayan region, built in the 7th century by King Songtshen Gampo on the same day as 108 other temples. The Himalayan landscape resembled a sleeping demoness, threatening the spread of dharma in the region. Therefore, the 108 temples were built all over the region to put an end to the destructive force of the demoness and create an unhindered space for dharma to spread and flourish. The Lhasa Jokhang, Paro Kyichu, and Bumthang’s Jampa Lhakhang are key temples among the 108 built in one day. There are several other lesser-known temples in Bhutan.

 National Museum at Ta Dzong:

In the afternoon, we will visit the National Museum at Ta Dzong. The National Museum was created inside the renovated Ta Dzong (an ancient watchtower) in 1968 upon the command of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, the third King of Bhutan. Perched on the southeast slope of the Paro Valley, it showcases the finest collections of Bhutanese artifacts dating back 1500 years, displaying the cultural heritage and housing over 3000 artifacts.

After breakfast, we drive to Drukgyel. The upper meadows of Drulgyel house many retreat centers and accomplished retreat masters who spent numerous years practicing and training in the mountains and hermitages under the guidance of many realized masters. We will visit one of the retreat centers and receive teachings on Shamata followed by a practice session.

Shamatha: 10 am-1 pm

Lunch: 1-2 pm

Shamatha practice: 2-3 pm In the afternoon, guests can stroll around Paro Town, a clustered little town on the bank of the Paa Chhu river. It served as a business hub in medieval Bhutan and has now manifested into a bustling town with the central lane of shops and buildings preserved in the traditional architecture. Several shops house souvenirs and handicrafts, along with cozy coffee shops and restaurants to try out.

After breakfast we drive towards Punakha via Thimphu and Wangdi Phodrang districts.

Druk Wangyal Chorten:

On the way to Punakha, after crossing Thimphu, we stop at Dochula pass, perched at an elevation of 3100 meters above sea level. On this pass, on the hillock stands 108 stupas known as the Druk Wangyal Chorten. These stupas were built under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen Mother Azhi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck to honor the gallantry of His Majesty the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who guarded the peace and security of Bhutan and its people, successfully removing insurgent camps in southern borders. We get a stunning view of the snowcapped Himalayan peaks stretching from west to east and breathe crisp, fresh air.

Punakha:

As we descend from Dochula pass, the air gets warmer and the vegetation transitions from blue pine to deciduous and chir pine forests. Punakha, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan, is located at an altitude of 1200m above sea level, nestled in the subtropical climatic zone. It is one of the most beautiful places with a lower elevation and warmer climate compared to most of the places in the western-central-eastern belt of Bhutan.

The Punakha Dzong is one of the most iconic cultural and spiritual sites in Bhutan, widely photographed and shared worldwide on postcards and stamps. Two mildly meandering rivers flow from the right and left, named Pho Chu (male river) and Mo Chu (female river). The majestic dzong was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century and remained as his main spiritual and administrative seat till his death. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan from medieval times till 1955, following which the capital was shifted to Thimphu, the current capital of Bhutan. Lunch will be at Punakha.

Fertility Temple:

The Fertility Temple is a rare site of intrigue and wonder for people from within and outside Bhutan. In the 14th century, the Tibetan saint Drukpa Kuenley, known for his maverick approach to spiritual pursuits, earned the name “Divine Madman.” His phallus was symbolic of wisdom and liberation, and thus, with his phallus combined with skillful means, he subdued a demoness residing on Dochu La Pass, where he trapped the demoness into a rock that now stands as a stupa next to the Temple.

The temple houses a phallus brought from Tibet by Drukpa Kuenley and it is said that women seeking to conceive a child/children must get blessed by the phallus. The phallus thus became a symbolic object of worship and blessings so much so that it is widely seen as paintings and wooden carvings on walls of traditional Bhutanese houses in and around Punakha. Souvenirs of the phallus are sold in almost every handicraft and souvenir shops across Bhutan.

After the Fertility Temple visit, we will check into the Hotel in Punakha, and if you would like, you can take a stroll around Punakha valley in the afternoon and enjoy the warm air, the gentle wide river, and the beautiful stretches of paddy fields.

After breakfast, we drive to the divine valley of Bumthang. This place, massively blessed by Padmasambhava and trodden by many saints such as Terton Pema Lingpa and Kuenkhen Longchen Rabjam, falls in central Bhutan and is the most beautiful valley with gentle rolling hills dotted with blue pine forests and meadows. With wooden-fenced wheat, millet, and barley fields nestled on the slopes and valleys, little huts perched in these fields to keep watch over the crops from wild animals at night, and traditional architecture mandated all over the place, it presents a true aura of an alpine and temperate landscape and cozy thriving village communities.

Bumthang is 4 hours by car from Punakha. By lunchtime, we will arrive in Bumthang and check into hotels. After lunch, we visit Kurjey and Jampa Lhakhang.

 Kurjey and Jampa Lhakhang:

Kurjey means “Body Imprint”. The temple takes its name after Guru Rinpoche left his body imprint in a cave. History says that when King Sindhu Raja of Bumthang fell sick with an incurable illness, he turned to Guru Rinpoche for refuge to save him. Guru Rinpoche discovered that it was the demon Shelging Karpo who inflicted sickness and harm to the king. Guru Rinpoche thus meditated for three months in a cave, subdued the demon, and subsequently left his body print on the cave. The site thus became revered as Kurjey, Body Imprint of Guru Rinpoche.

Jampa Lhakhang:

Jampa Lhakhang’s history shares the same narrative as Kyichu Lhakhang we visited on day two of our trip. Thus, Jampa Lhakhang was built by King Songtsen Gampo on the same day as 108 other temples.

In the afternoon, there will be a Seven Line Prayers and Mahaguru prayer led by Lama……

After breakfast, we drive towards Tang Valley whereby, we ride up the meandering roads through the meadows, fields, and pine trees.

Tang Kuenzangdrak and Bebzur villages:

These are the communities into which Terton Pema Lingpa was born in the 15th century and spent his childhood herding sheep and cattle. Later, he manifested into Bhutan’s greatest Terton.

Mebertsho (Burning Lake):

On the way towards Bebzur and Kuenzangdrak is Tang Chhu flowing down the gorges. In the gorge is a walk down towards the Burning Lake, a rocky gorge with a river flowing between the rocks. There you can spot a deep lake formation in between the rocks, with water halting into a circling phenomena. This is the spot where the great Terton Pema Lingpa took a dive into and swam to the bottom of the lake, discovering a temple with multiple doors. One of the doors was open, and as he entered, a scripture was handed to him by a woman with only one eye. As he received the scripture, he found himself transported back on the dry land. The then local leader questioned his authenticity and credibility as a Terton. Therefore, to prove his credibility, he dived into the water holding a butter lamp and reappeared from the water with the lamp still burning bright. These noteworthy incidences earned him far and wide recognition as a great Terton.

Baribrang:

After crossing Bebzur and Kunzangdrak villages in the car, the road takes a detour from above Kunzagdrak village and heads towards Baribrang, the birth spot of Terton Pema Lingpa. Baribrang was the spot where Terton Pema Lingpa was born and resided with his parents. The whole area was buried under ruins until 2020 when a team of dedicated Bhutanese undertook restorations works whereby the remaining walls of the house was dugout and the damaged stupa restored. There are rocks around the area amidst mugworts and shrubs with Pema Lingpa’s foot imprints from childhood. There is also a huge old tree growing in the spot where Pema Lingpa’s mother was cremated.

There we will practice seven line prayers for 15 minutes led by Lama…..

After this, we will have lunch at a local homestay in Kunzangdrak village, where we will try out Bumthang local food.

Tharpaling means the land of liberation. Künkhyen Longchen Rabjam (1308-1363) was one of the most important Buddhist luminaries from Tibet to visit Bhutan and leave a great impact on the Dzongchen tradition in central and eastern Bhutan. He was one of the greatest Dzogchen masters, meditators, philosophers, and writers after Guru Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra. Longchen Rabjam arrived in Bhutan in 1350 and founded the Tharpaling Monastery. Longchenpa’s work led to the dominance of the Longchen Nyingthig lineage of Dzogchen over the other Dzogchen traditions. On the summit of a mountain overlooking Tharpaling and Samling, there is a rock where Longchen was believed to have composed and written almost half of Longchen Dzod Dun, and the sacred rock is known as Longchenpa’s Zhugthri (Longchenpa’s throne).

Lunch will be in Chumey valley, and after lunch, we will drive back westward towards Phobjikha valley.

Phobjikha is an alpine valley of breathtaking breathtaking view with a wide stretch of meadow, meandering stream, and surrounded by pine forests, nestled at an altitude of 3000m above sea level. Besides the scenic wonder and cultural uniqueness, the black-necked cranes are the iconic face of Phobjikha. Phobjikha serves as the winter roost of these magnificent birds that fly all the way from the Tibetan plateaus and arrive in Phobjikha in late October to early November and fly back in March every year.

Within Phobjikha valley, 163 square kilometers of land has been declared a protected area, managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN), primarily to protect the black-necked cranes and other endangered species of plants and animals.

Also nestled on a ridge overlooking the valley is the majestic Gangteng Monastery, which is one of the most important seats of the Nyingma sect of the School of Buddhism. Every year as the cranes arrive, they circle the monastery three times before landing in the valley, and the same is done when they fly back to Tibet.

After breakfast, we will go on a pleasant brisk hike through the valley where we will be able to see the black-necked cranes roosting in the valley. Lunch will be at a local homestay.

After lunch, we will drive back to Paro for dinner and night halt.

After breakfast, guests will be driven to the base of the Taktshang Monastery (Tigers Nest). The drive towards the base is a pleasant sightseeing trip through the meandering roads up the valley clad in paddy fields and settlements.

Taktshang is one of the most cultural wonders and iconic landmarks of Bhutan, revered and sacred, perched on a steep rocky cliff above the valley. Named one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan region, it is almost synonymous with Guru Rinpoche after he founded it in the eighth century. Positioned at 800m (2,600 feet) above the valley and 2,950m (9,678 feet) above sea level, it offers a phenomenal experience to pilgrims and hikers.

In the evening, we will have a closing dinner to celebrate the completion of the pilgrimage.

After a nourishing breakfast to close our time together, you will be driven to Paro International Airport.