Druk Path Trek 13 Days

general information -bhutan

Bhutan Trekking Package

  • Overview
  • Full Itinerary
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Bhutan, also known as ‘the Last Shangri-La’ or ‘the Land of the Peaceful Thunder Dragon’, is endowed with rich cultural heritage, amazing monasteries, formidable fortresses, colorful festivals, picturesque valleys, breathtaking landscapes, and irresistible panoramic view of the stunning peaks. The Drunk (Dragon) Path trek provides an unique experience into the land considered to be the last paradise on earth, and takes you through the journey through dense forests, lush green farmlands, high mountain passes, captivating lakes, diverse flora and fauna, and vibrant cultural heritage of Bhutanese people.

Short Itinerary

Day 01: Onboard flight to Bhutan.
Day 02: Arrive in Paro.
Day 03: Paro Valley Sightseeing.
Day 04: Paro (Hike to Taktsang).
Day 05: Start Trek (Paro - Jele Dzong).
Day 06: Trek to Jangchulakha.
Day 07: Trek to Jimilangtsho.
Day 08: Trek to Simkota.
Day 09: Trek to Phajoding.
Day 10: Trek to Thimphu (trek ends).
Day 11: Thimphu Valley Sightseeing.
Day 12: Thimphu -Paro.
Day 13: Departure (B).




Trip Cost  >

6375$/P

International Flights >

 $1850/Person

Regional Flights       >

N/A

Travel Innsurance  >

From $250/P






















Cost Includes:
Cost Excludes:
- All airport transfers.
- Hotel accommodation on twin sharing basis.
- Daily Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
- North Face Tents during the treks.
- Private vehicles.
Local English Speaking Tour Escort/guide.
- All sightseeing  with entry fees.
- All applicable govt. taxes.
   - All flights.
   - All applicable airport taxes.

   - Special entry fees for camera / video camera.
   - Laundry, telephone calls, drinks, etc.
   - Tips.
   - Travel and Personal Insurance.
   - Passport and Visas.
   - All other services different from above mentioned.

Sector
Hotel/Camping
Nights
Paro Amankora Paro 04
Trekking Routes  Camping 05
Thimpu Amankora Thimpu 02
Day 1: Arrive in Paro, 2550 m. 
Our team representatives will receive you at Paro airport with a warm welcome, and drive you through the picturesque valley of Paro towards your luxurious hotel. Upon reaching hotel, you will be oriented in detail about your trip, so you are fully acquainted with your upcoming trip. 
Day 2: Paro Valley Sightseeing.  
After breakfast, we proceed for another day of sightseeing tours of more prominent venues of Paro. We also treat this day as an acclimatization day, and spent our time visiting following sites of Paro
The National Museum:  It is the main tourist attraction in Paro Valley. This national museum is housed in Ta dzong, which is an ancient watchtower. The white and brown ringed fortress, built in 1657 was made as the National Museum in 1967. This museum is the country’s only archive, and has the collection of old coins, stamps, birds, mammals, and the costumes of the people of Bhutan at various times of its history.  It also houses ancient weapons including the bows used in archery, and numerous other ancient Bhutanese art and artifacts. 
The Philatellic Gallery:  Near the top of the national museum is another greatest tourist attraction.  This gallery contains a large collection of stamps, which is a big business in Bhutan and are an important source of foreign exchange. The postage stamps are also brought by visitors as they cover a wide range of subjects and are beautifully printed. On 30 October 1967, Bhutan issued the world’s first three-dimensional stamps in commemoration of man’s conquest of space. The world’s first steel stamps printed on hair-thin-steel foil reflect the importance of steel industry in the economic development of Bhutan. Silk stamps with religious motifs of Bhutan were also printed. The king of Bhutan has been featured on a series of gold-embossed coin stamps. Bhutan was also the first country to introduce “Talking Stamps” in 1973. These stamps were gummed miniature phonograph records playing Bhutan’s national anthem. 
The Rimpung Dzong or Paro Dzong:  It is situated on the hillside above the gently meandering Paro River. Rimpung means the heap of jewels, and Paro Dzong is the symbolic center of religious and secular affairs of entire Paro Valley. This fortress offers the view of the Paro Valley stretched out below. Some centuries ago, it was an unreachable fortress that repelled invasions from Tibet. But, today, it houses the Paro monastic body with the office of the Dzongda (district commissioner) and Thrimpon (district judge). Consecrated in 1646, the Dzong is an architectural wonder that showcases the cultural strength of kingdom's strength.
The Thongdroel: It is the most sacred giant, which is painted in an appliquéd scroll and depicts the eight manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava with its two attendants - Khendu Yeshey Tsogyel and Khandu Minona Rawa. It is displayed for a few hours on the concluding days of the Paro Tesechu festival held from the 10th to 14th day of the Bhutanese lunar calendar’s second month. It is unfurled before dawn for the few hours before the direct rays of the sun strikes it. This giant is about 400 years old, and can be easily damaged by sun rays. Ugyen Pelri : Palace is in a secluded wooded compound on the south side of the river just west of the dzong.  It is designed after Guru Rinpoche’s celestial paradise, Zangto Pelri, and is one of the most beautiful examples of Bhutanese architecture.
Day 3: Hike to Takstang Monastery.
Today, after a hearty breakfast, we proceed for an excursion to Takstang Monastery by driving to Sartsham Chorten followed by two hours of uphill horse-riding. 
Takstang Monastery is the famous 17th century temple, also known as “The Tiger’s Nest”, which is perched high on a breathtaking vertical granite rock cliff almost 900 meters above Paro valley (3000 m). In 8th century, Guru Rinpoche, the great Indian saint who brought Buddhism to Bhutan, is believed to have arrived here flying on the back of a tigress and have meditated in the cave here for about three months. After him, many great masters followed. Among them were Guru Milarepa, Guru Padampa Sangye, Guru Machik Lapdrön and Guru Thangtong Gyalpo. The view from here is a superb one, and the atmosphere is very holy with the place itself is revered as of the most sacred places in the universe.  At night, we head back to our hotel in Paro.
Day 4: Start Trek Paro - Jele Dzong, (3450 m, Trek: 10 km, Duration: 3-4 hrs).
Today is the first day of our trek. We start early to escape the scorching heat on the uphill where trees are less. The trail above the Ta Dzong (Museum), and we start by walking gradually uphill through mixed temperate forests, occasional farmhouses and thick coniferous belt. Look out for wild animals & birds, and if the weather is clear, we could even see the Mt. Jumolhari(7314m) and snowcapped mountains above the valley. By evening, we reach the Jelela Pass (2600m), and hundred meters further downhill there will our campsite with wide meadow. We fix our tents and spend overnight camping by this beautiful campsite. 
Day 5: Trek to Jangchulakha (3780 m, Trek: 10 km, Duration: 4-5 hrs.).
Today, our trail will be mostly up and down with good views of Paro valley on the left as we walk on the ridges. The trail will takes us through thick alpine forests and rhododendrons trees with a beautiful sight of  Mt. Jumolhari on the background. We will likely to encounter yak herders camping by our campsites, so we accommodate ourselves as the campsite will enough space for all of us. 
Day 6: Trek to Jimi Langtsho (3880 m, Trek: 11 km, Duration: 5 – 6 hrs).  
Today, we continue towards Jimi Langtso Lake, which will be the highest campsite of our trip. We start uphill through coniferous forests and barren hillsides dotted with rhododendron flowers, making our walk very scenic one.  After the first Pass, it’s mostly up and down, until the last Pass, where from we could view Mt. Kanchenjunga of Nepal and Bhutan’s Mt. Chomolhari, Mt. Jichu Drakey & Mt. Tsrim gang towards northwest on a clear day. After we cross the last Pass, the Lake can be seen on our left, and we head downhill until we reach our campsite, which will be by the lakeside of the lake known for their giant sized trout. 
Day 7: Trek to Simkota (4040 m, Trek: 11km, Duration: 4 -5 hrs.).  
Today, we continue on where we left yesterday and get further with another 4 or 5 hours of trekking. Our trail takes us through dwarf rhododendron trees and through the lake of Janye Tsho, until reaching the Simkota Lake. Our campsite will be little bit further Simkota Lake, so we fix our tents in the night and continue with our camping adventure.   
Day 8: Trek to Phajoding (3870 m, Trek: 10 kms, Duration: 3 -4 hrs.).  
It will be a lot of distance to cover, so we begin with a gradual climb up to Phume la Pass(4210m), which will be the highest elevation of this trek. If the weather permits we will have beautiful views of Mt. Gangkhar Punsum (7541m), the highest mountain in Bhutan and other Himalayan peaks. Below the pass, we could catch a spectacular view of the entire Thimphu valley. We are also likely to come across the Yak herder’s camp & yaks grazing all around nearby Lake, and sometimes we also could see the carven of Blue Sheep. We fix our tents in Phajoding for another night of camping. 
Day 9: Trek to Thimphu (2300 m, Trek: 4-5 kms, Duration: 3 hrs.).  
Today will be the last day of the trek, and it will be all downhill through a forested area of blue pines. By taking leisurely pace, we can reach Thimphu in about 3 hours for a nice hot shower and lunch. The sunrise view from Phajoding is very beautiful with Thimphu valley just below us. Many pheasants can be seen if we take a little morning walk around the hillside. After reaching Thimphu, we accommodate ourselves at one of the finest hotels of Thimphu.
Day 10: Thimphu Valley Sightseeing.  
After a good breakfast, we proceed to the sightseeing tours of the following prominent locations of Thimphu.
Memorial Chorten dominates the skyline of Thimpu. This Chorten is dedicated to the Third King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, after his sudden death while traveling abroad. A great amount of renovation has taken place for the 2008 celebrations to mark the Century of the Monarchy in Bhutan. While you are here in Thimpu, the Capital City of Bhutan, don't forget to take a stroll to this Memorial Chorten, which looks tall and beautiful as you make around the chorten. The Chorten serves the right place for older people and religious people to visit and worship the god and pay homage to the deities.
Tashichho Dzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion) was first built in 1661, and except the central keep, the entire structure was rebuilt in 1961-62 and now houses the main government departments, the National Assembly, the throne room of the king, and summer headquarters of the Central Monastic Body.
Simtokha Dzong was built in 1627 making it the oldest in Thimpu and gateway to the Thimpu Valley. The Dzong houses Rigney School for Dzongkha and monastic studies. There are beautiful frescos and slate carvings in Simtokha.
National Museum’s collection includes ancient Bhutanese arts and artifacts, weapons stamps, birds, animals, and an incredible collection of silver tea-ware. This is typical of the eclectic beauty of Bhutan - its prized objects bear little relation to each other but as a whole stand together as a history of one of the world's most pristine people.Thimphu Golf Course is the world most remote golf course, which is just next to Tashichodzong, the seat of His Majesty the King of Bhutan and other ministries. Royal Thimpu golf course is the only course, which is open to the public and interested players.
National Library was established in 1967 with the primary objective of collecting and preserving ancient Bhutanese written and printed resources. It has now become a multi-functional library can now pride itself on being a modern library with a number of service and research facilities. It accommodates a large and steadily growing collection of manuscripts, books, scriptures and written documents as well as a large number of hand-carved wooden blocks for printing traditional religious books.
Weekend Market The weekend market is crammed into a set of stalls on both banks of the Wang Chhu river just north of Changlimithang Stadium. Vendors from throughout the region arrive on Thursday and Friday and remain until Sunday night. It's an interesting place to visit, where village people jostle with Thimpu residents for the best and cheapest vegetables and food products. Fruits come from local orchards and from southern regions, and during the winter you can even pick up a leg of yak (with the hoof still attached). Across the newly constructed cantilever footbridge to the west bank is a collection of stalls, which will be housing clothes, fabrics and handicrafts. Here you will find locally produced goods (as well as plenty of stuff from Nepal), including prayer wheels, cymbals, horns, cloth, baskets and remarkable hats from various minority groups. Bargaining is very much popular, you could get the help from your guide to get the quality of your intended purchase in a reasonable price. 
Day 11: Drive Thimphu - Paro (Drive: 65 kms, Duration: 3 hrs.).  
In the morning, we will have free time for leisurely activities around Thimphu, where we could go shopping for exotic items in the local markets and handicrafts emporiums or visit a gallery of traditional Bhutanese art, architecture, culture, and tradition. After lunch, we take a drive for two hours through terraced fields along the river to the valley of Paro. 
Day 12: Departure from Paro.  
We thank you for choosing us on your great trek, and then drive you to the Paro International Airport for you safe flight back home.
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Trip Info

  • Arrival Info:  
    Our representative will be arriving at the airport you will be landing. Please look for a board with your name or South Asian Holidays. Upon welcome greetings, you will be transfered to hotel.
  • Hotel Info: 
    Hotel we book are carefully selected and located in the city center unless you requested different hotel by name and category. 
  • Guide Info:
    We carefully select our guides who knows the route well and lead several group for the same trip you booked. 
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