Black-Necked Crane Festival

Welcome to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon.Touching down at Paro International Airport, you will be greeted by our representatives of Quick Travellers upon exiting the arrival hall. And we will drive towards Thimphu for 1 and half hour. After reaching Thimphu check in to the hotel and let’s have your first taste of Bhutanese cuisine. After your check in you can drive up to the Buddha point and view the tallest statue of Lord Buddha. The view of Thimphu valley from the Buddha point is spectacular and beautiful, especially at night. Heritage Museum – Dedicated to connecting people to the Bhutanese rural past though exhibition of artefacts used in rural households. National Memorial Chorten which was built in honor of the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. Centenary Farmers’ Market – Every Saturday and Sunday most of the Thimphu population congregate on the banks of the river where the weekend market is held. Here villagers from the valley and other nearby places come to sell their agriculture products.Overnight hotel in Thimphu.

After Morning breakfast you can start trekking to Phajoding Monastery is around 3 hours trek up and around 2 hours trek down. But if there is more time then we can trek all the way up to Thuje Dra till you can see the skull mountain. The view from Phajoding Monastery and Thuje Dra of Thimphu is simply breath taking. From the top of Thuje Dra, you can see the Rhododendron bushes stretching all the way. This trek is part of the Druk Path Trek. In late noon we head back to Thimphu.we can also visit Changangkha Monastery which was built in 12th century, Changangkha Lhakhang is oldest temple in Thimphu. It is hovering over a ridge above Thimphu, near Motithang. Lama Phajo Drukgom Zhigpo who came to Bhutan from Ralung in Tibet chose this site to build this lhakhang. The Lhakhang houses Chenrizig: an 11-headed, thousand-armed manifestation of Avolokitesawara as the central statue.overnight hotel in Thimphu. Textile Museum – witnesses the art of traditional weaving. Paper making factory – witnesses the art of paper making.

Drive to Dochula Pass where you can see 108 chortens which was built by the present Queen Mother of Bhutan Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck to commemorate Bhutan’s victory over indian militants and to liberate the souls of the lives lost. Dochu La Nature Hike – Hike through the deep forest of Rhododendrons, Magnolia and Juniper for more than 2 hours to the Botanical Garden at the bottom. Beautiful hike to see the flora that Dochu la has to offer.After that you will drive to Punakha for Lunch and by afternoon visit Punakha Dzong which was built in year 1637, the dzong continues to be the winter home for the clergy, headed by the Chief Abbott, the Je Khenpo. It is a stunning example of Bhutanese architecture, sitting at the fork of two rivers, portraying the image of a medieval city from a distance. The dzong was destroyed by fire and glacial floods over the years but has been carefully restored and is, today, a fine example of Bhutanese craftsmanship.You can also visit Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten built by the third Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck this Chorten is a splendid example of Bhutanese architecture and art and is the only one of its kind in the world. It has been built over eight and a half years in its details have been drawn from religious scriptures. Overnight hotel in Punakha.

Early Morning after breakfast you can drive to Gangtey and visit the Valley of Phobjikha is well known as the winter home of the Black necked crane (Grus Nigricollis). Bhutan is home to around six hundred black necked cranes with Phobjikha being one of the popular places that the birds migrate to in the winter months from the Tibetan plateau. The elegant and shy birds can be observed from early November to end of March. Overlooking the Phobjikha valley is the Gangtey Goempa. This is an old monastery that dates back to 17th century. Black-Necked Crane Information Centre, which has informative displays about the cranes and the valley environment. You can use the centre’s powerful spotting scopes and check what you see against its pamphlet ’Field Guide to Crane Behaviour’. If the weather’s iffy you can browse the library and handicraft shop, and watch videos at 10am and 3pm (Nu 200). This is also the centre of the valley’s fledgling ecotourism initiative and they can arrange mountain-bike hire (Nu 700 per day), a local guide (Nu 300), an overnight stay in a local farmhouse (Nu 500) or lectures on the local ecosystem. Overnight hotel in Gangtey.

In the early morning after breakfast visit Talo Village, the village of Talo, high on hills above Punakha is located at an altitude 2800m. The village is scattered along the hill slopes. Talo Sangnacholing is built on a plateau with a majestic view of surrounding villages. Chhimi Lhakhang is a 20 minutes’ walk across terraced fields through the village of Sopsokha from the roadside to the small temple located on a hillock in the centre of the valley below Metshina. Ngawang Chogyel built the temple in 15th century after the ’divine Madman’ Drukpa Kuenlay built a small chorten there. It is a pilgrim site for barren women.By afternoon we can drive towards Paro and visit Paro Dzong well known as Rinpung Dzong, this 15th century massive fortress/monastery,is also the administrative center of the dzonkhag. Ta Dzong – Built as a watch tower the Ta Dzong, it was converted into the National Museum in 1968. The museum boasts antique Thangka, textiles, weapons and armour, household objects and rich assortment of natural and historic artifacts. Overnight hotel at Paro.

After breakfast drive to the Airport for your onward destination. Our team will bid you farewell from the Airport.