Places Covered : Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and Wangdue
Punakha Festival Dates : 21 – 25 September, 2007
Main Highlights of Bhutan Punakha Festival Tour:
- Punakha festival is the perfect occasion to closely witness Bhutan’s unique culture and traditions, history, legend and religion.
- In the past Bhutan had used various means of defense strategies to protect its sovereignty from the Tibetan invaders. On the last day, the Punakha Festival portrays one of such defenses with a grand procession of Bhutanese troops marching into the battlefield and commemorating the great victory over the Tibetan invaders in the 17th century.
- Peak tourist season; require to book the tours 3 months in advance to confirm the Druk-Air ticket and good hotels
- Bring you a closer contact with the people and give you an insight into the Bhutanese lives, beliefs and more.
Sketch Itinerary: Book the tour and get detailed itinerary
Day 01 : Arrive Paro
- Arrive Paro and transfer to hotel for overnight halt
- Evening free time at leisure
Day 02 : Paro
- Depart at 08.30 am for a hike to Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's Nest, about 4-5hrs walk up and down)
- Lunch at Taktsang cafeteria
- Overnight halt in the hotel
Day 03 : Paro – Thimphu
Full day Paro sightseeing includes visit to;
- Drukgyel Dzong , ruined fortress
- Kyichu Lhakhang Buddhist monastery built in 7th century
Lunch at hotel
- National Musuem (Ta Dzong)
- Paro Dzong (fortress)
Evening drive to Thimphu (about 1 hr 30 m drive). On arrival, transfer to hotel for overnight halt.
Day 04 : Thimphu
Thimphu sightseeing includes visit to;
- National Memorial Chorten (stupa)
- Changangkha Lhakhang ( Buddhist monastery)
- Radio Tower to catch a spectacular glimpse of whole Thimphu valley
- Mini zoo to see Bhutan’s national animal Takin
Lunch at Hotel
- National Library
- Institute of Traditional Arts
- Folk Heritage Museum
- National Institute of Traditional Medicine
- Textile Museum
- Handicrafts Emporium
Overnight halt in the hotel.
Day 05 : Thimphu – Punakha/Wangdue
- After breakfast, drive to Punakha and Wangdue (about 2 hrs drive).
- Enroute, halt at Dochula pass (10500 feet) to see the spectacular view of snow capped eastern Himalayan Mountains.
Lunch at Hotel
- Visit Punakha Dzong
- Visit Khamsum Yuela Chorten (stupa)
Overnight halt in the hotel.
Day 06 : Punakha
- Attend Punakha Festival. Venue- Punakha Dzong (fortress) courtyard
Overnight halt in the hotel.
Day 07 : Punakha/Wangdue - Paro
- After breakfast, visit Chimi Lhakhang (about 20 minutes leisure walk across the rice fields from the road)
- Visit Wangdue town.
- After lunch, drive Paro (about 3hrs 20 m drive).
Overnight stay in the hotel.
Day 08 : Depart Paro
Transfer to Airport for your onward journey.
