Black Necked Crane Festival 8 Days

After breakfast,you will visit Buddha Point, the radio tower (for a great view of Thimphu Valley and the Thimphu Dzong), and the zoo, which contains the national animal of Bhutan: the takin. From there you will visit the nunnery temple, the National Library (which houses ancient manuscripts), and the School of Arts and Crafts (also known as the painting school). After a relaxing lunch, you will visit the National Institute of Traditional Medicine, a traditional paper factory.  Overnight in Thimphu.

Drive over the Dochu-La pass (3,100 meters), which on a clear day offers an incredible view of Himalayan peaks before descending into balmy Punakha valley (about 3 hrs total driving time). Punakha was the ancient capital of Bhutan. After lunch, visit Punakha Dzong, the “Palace of Great Happiness” built in 1637 by the Shabdrung, the ‘Unifier of Bhutan’ as predicted by the great Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava). And drive for about 12 km and from the road, point takes a walk across the rice fields and a river to reach the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, which is located on a beautiful hillock called Ngezergang. It houses the paintings and statues belonging to the Nyingmapa tradition. Visit Metshina Village and take a 20-minute walk through the rice fields to Chime Lhakhang, which is a fertility temple, where you may receive a special fertility blessing if you wish. overnight in Punakha.

You will begin the day by driving to Gangtey. You’ll pass through dense forests of oak trees and rhododendrons and arrive at Gangtey village, where you’ll visit Gangtey Gompa, the only Nyingmapa monastery in western Bhutan. From Gangtey, you can see the picturesque Black Mountain range as well as Phobjikha Valley, the winter habitat of the black-necked cranes. Overnight Hotel in Gangtey.

Attend the Black-Necked Crane Tshechu festival at Gangtey Monastery. Witness the colorful masked dances and rituals. Explore the Gangtey Nature Trail for crane spotting. Overnight stay in Phobjikha.

Explore the Phobjikha (Bhutan’s most beautiful valley) and also visit the Education Center, which is being looked after by the Royal Society of Protection of Nature (RSPN).  Then start driving to Paro, en-route visit the Wangdi Town and the nearby villages are famous for stone and slate carvings.  Few kilometers from the town you can also view Bhutan’s most unique village, Rinchengang.  Overnight hotel in Paro.

Altitude: 2280 m, Drive Time: 30mins (12kms each way) Hiking Time: 4 to 6 hours - 4 miles/6.5 km After an early breakfast we will visit Kichu Lhakang one of the oldest and most beautiful temples of Bhutan. We then drive north of Paro a short distance to begin our hike to the Tigers Nest, probably Bhutan's most famous landmark. The hike up to the monastery goes through a beautiful pine forest and you can catch several glimpses of the Tigers Nest (almost 900m above you). It's a good hike but well worth the effort and we will stop for lunch half way. The trail takes you directly to this incredible monastery which clings to the edge of a sheer rock cliff that plunges 900 meters into the valley below. The Tiger's Nest was built in 1692 and still functions today despite the daily visits by numerous tourists. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel in Paro.

After breakfast, drive to the airport and farewell.