Day 1| Arrival in Paro
Your flight to Paro from the left side of the plane will offer you beautiful mountain views. On this flight the views of the Everest, Kanchen Junga and other Himalayan peaks, including the sacred Jumolhari and Jichu Drakey in Bhutan are awesome. On arrival in Paro our guide will receive you and check-in your hotel. After lunch we will see the rich history of Bhutan exhibited in the 17th century National Museum. The Paro Dzong, a massive fortress built in the 17th century now houses the monastic body. A tour of this beautiful Dzong will introduce us to the unique aspects of Bhutanese Buddhism. A lovely stroll downhill from the Dzong over an old cantilever bridge wraps up an eventful first day in this magical kingdom.
Overnight in Paro | Altitude: 2200m
Day 2| Paro sightseeing
Taktsang or the tiger’s nest temple is the most revered temple to the Buddhist. This magical temple clings to a vertical granite cliff 800m above the valley. Legend has it that in the 8th century, Guru Rimpochey, a tantric master flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave around which the temple is built. A hike to this temple will take up most of our morning. In the afternoon, we will host a special Buddhist prayer ceremony at the beautiful 1200-year-old Kyichu Lhakhang Temple, to bring us good luck for the rest of the journey.
Overnight in Paro | Altitude: 2200m
|Start of the Jumolhari Trek|
Day 3|Paro to Thangthangkha
Distance: 21k
Walking time: 8h
Sleeping altitude: 3630m
The trail from Shana to Thangthangkha is a very rocky series of small ups and downs along the Paro Chu and can be very muddy if it rains. About 2 ½ hours into the trek, you will come at a junction where a trail branch to go to Tibet.
Day 4| Thangthangkha to Jangothang
Distance: 16k
Walking time: 6h
Sleeping altitude: 4090m
Today you will come across small sparse settlements, and herds of yaks. You will also be crossing the tree line (4000m). Our camp at Jangothang will bring us face to face with the majestic Jumolhari. Jangothang means the land of ruins; you will see ruins of some old settlements, which no one seems to know much about.
Day 5| Jangothang Halt
Acclimatization and rest day. A good optional hike is to climb to the Tshophu Lake at 4300m, which is about 2h from Jangothang.
Day 6| Jangothang to Yaksa
Distance: 17k
Walking time: 7h
Pass to cross: Bongtey La, 4820m
Sleeping altitude: 3800m
2 hours from Jangothang is the Tshophu Lake, which you probably visited yesterday. From the lake, it’s another 2 hours to the pass. Climbing up to the pass, we will be rewarded with stunning views of the Jumolhari and Jichu Drakey. From the pass, it’s all the way downhill until our camp at Yaksa.
Day 7| Yaksa to Thombu
Distance: 14k
Walking time: 5h
Pass to cross: Thombu La, 4550m
Sleeping altitude: 4150m
Climbing out of Yaksa, you will see the few houses that make up the Yaksa village across the valley, and the pass you came over yesterday. About 2 hours of gradual climbing and you will cross the tree line, entering another valley. The pass is 1 hours climb from here. From the pass, you can see the yak herders grazing grounds of Thombu, our camp. On a clear day, you can even see some houses in Tibet.
Day 8| Thombu to Gunitsawa - Paro
Distance: 27k
Walking time: 7h
Sleeping altitude: 2200 M
A short steep climb will take us out of the Thombu basin, traversing along a trail cut into a rocky cliff with a dizzying drop. 4 hours of steep and dusty descent (1 ½ k of vertical descent) will bring us to the army check post that we crossed on the first day of our trek. Our camp is a further 2 hours downstream from the army camp where our car will be waiting then drive to Paro after bidding farewell to our Trekking Staffs. In the evening we will walk around the town for shopping.
Overnight in Paro
Day 9| Departure
After breakfast, our guide and driver will transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
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