Tour Summary

Officially, this is the most important festival as it takes place in the capital city of Bhutan, within the confines of Tashichodzong – the Fortress of the Glorious Religion – where the King and the Chief Abbot of Bhutan have their offices. A perfect opportunity to see every aspect of Bhutanese culture and people of various backgrounds coupled with visits to numerous places of historical and cultural interests in and around the capital. Thimphu is the epi-centre of Bhutan and the festival is the biggest showpiece among the activities in the capital.

THIMPHU TSHECHU ITINERARIES

Fly into the Kingdom amid a breathtaking vista of the world’s highest mountains like Mt Everest, Kanchenjunga and other peaks revered by the Bhutanese as the “Abode of the Gods”. Finally, land at Paro International airport, an adrenaline-rushing experience as we take a hair-raising descent onto a narrow strip of flatland flanked by the mountains. A short respite after the landing, we begin our Bhutanese culinary adventure. On arrival, you will be received by your tour guide at the airport. After lunch, you will drive to the capital city, Thimphu. In the evening you can either relax at the hotel or take a stroll around the Norzin Lam which remains closed during the Thimphu Tshechu. Overnight stay at Thimphu.

After an early breakfast you will attend the Thimphu Tshechu festival the whole day. Held outside the courtyard of Tashichhodzong, it is a festival in honour of Guru Rinpoche, the saint who brought Buddhism to Bhutan.Today will be the first day of the Tsechu. You will see the Sha Chham (dance of the four stages), Pelage Gingsum (dance of the three kinds of Ging), Pachham (dance of the heroes), Shawo Shachi (dance of the stags and hounds) and Dranyen Chham (dance with the guitar). You will have a choice to be dressed in traditional Bhutanese attire. You will take off sometime from the festival to visit Tashichhodzong, a fortress of the glorious religion. Built in 1641 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel it houses the secretariat building, the throne room and the office of the King, and the central monk body.
Overnight stay at Thimphu.

Today, you will attend the second day of the Thimphu Tshechu. You will get to watch the Shana Chham (the black hat dance), Shanga Ngachham (dance of the 21 black hats with drums), Pholey Moley (dance of the nobleman and ladies) and Shawa Shachi (dance of the stag and hounds).
After the festival you will visit the following:
Watch Archery match: Bhutan’s national game
Memorial Chorten: it was built in the honour of the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, also known as “The Father of Modern Bhutan”.
Kuenselphodrang: A place for refreshing with a huge statue of Buddha on the top of the Kuenselphodrang. The area also gives a very good view of the Thimphu valley from the west.Overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, you will visit the Centenary Farmers’ Market located at the bank of Thimphu river. This market scene is a good opportunity to take photographs and to mingle with the local people. After lunch, you will drive to Punakha. The drive takes you to Dochula pass (3,100m) which is perhaps the only stopover in the entire Himalayan region that affords a stunning view of the mighty and impregnable mountains on the roof of the world. We then begin a gradual descent through roadsides filled with rhododendrons, bamboo groves, other alpine flowers of all shades and hues, besides birds and numerous other fauna species along the way. Overnight stay in Punakha.

Today, we will visit the Temple of Fertility in Lobesa which is renowned for blessing infertile couples with children, and the 17th century monastery-palace-fortress called Wangduephodrang Dzong that is being rebuilt after destruction by a tragic fire. But our main place of interest for the day is Punakha Dzong, a huge 17th century monastery-fortress plus ancient capital on whose corridors of power walked Bhutan’s ancient leaders who defined much of the Bhutanese history. The monument is spectacularly built between two rivers and appears like a giant ship sailing on a huge mass of water. In the evening you will stroll around Punakha town. Overnight stay in Punakha.

After breakfast, we start our drive to Bumthang. We will head further interior, into the heartlands of medieval power and present-day spirituality. As we gently ascend through sub-tropical forests to the temperate and alpine belts, we reach our highest point at Pelela pass (3,140m) from where we see the Black Mountain range. From there, the gradual descent takes us to Chendebji Stupa where we will stop for lunch. After lunch, we will drive to the massive Trongsa Trong. This castle-fortress is the biggest, built without a single nail, and contains some 30 temples.The drive into Bumthang takes you into Chumey Valley known for its Yathra production. Overnight at Bumthang.

Bumthang valley is a blend of the abstract and the concrete with innumerable legends surrounding the region. Our first trip will be to Kurje Lhakhang where Guru Padsambhava subdued a local demon and left his body imprint on a rock. Then we see Jamphellhakhang (7th century) built by SongtsenGoembo, the Tibetan Buddhist King, and the 17th century Jakar Dzong (the Castle of the White Bird). Other places to see include Tamshing Lhakhang built in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa who is renowned as one of the five king tertons (religious treasure discoverers), and Kenchosum Lhakhang. We also take a short hike to Mebartsho – the Burning Lake – where legend has it that Pema Lingpa took a dive into the depth of the lake with a butter lamp placed on his head and retrieved a religious treasure hidden by Guru Padmasambhava.

On the way back you will visit the Yathra weaving factory in Chumey. Yathra is a hand-woven fabric made from wool of yak and sheep. It is made in vibrant colours giving it a special and attractive look. The ride back will be long and tiring, so it is recommended that we travel directly to Thimphu. Overnight stay in Thimphu.

Today, after an early breakfast, you will drive back to Paro. On the way to Paro, you will visit the Wangsisna Heritage Home, a traditional Bhutanese house home to the 19th Druk Desi (Deb Raja) Druk Tenzin built before the 17th century. In Paro, you will hike up to Taktsang Monastery. This monastery edifice is precariously built on a sheer wall of granite cliff some 1,000 metres above the valley floor. Some say, it was built with the help of celestial nymphs in the 17th century for, otherwise, it is beyond human feat. Overnight stay at Paro.

Farewell Bhutan, farewell Happy Kingdom. We take a short drive to the airport for our next destination