Trongsa, situated along a gorge in the heart of the kingdom has a rich history dating back to 16th century. During the year 1541, a saint known as Lam Ngagi Wangchuk built a small retreat house, which was soon followed by many other retreat houses built by his disciples. The surrounding villagers seeing the area turning into a small village, started naming the place as Trongsar meaning, new village. Since then the place was known as Trongsa. It was in 1644 that Chhogyel Minjur Tenpa under the command of Shubdrung Nawang Namgyal built the fortress in its present form. About 300 years later Ugyen Wangchuk was unanimously elected as the hereditary king of Bhutan, during which Trongsa served as the capital of the nation until the 3rd King moved it to Thimphu. Since then Bhutan have enjoyed peace, stability and economic growth. 

The local people in this valley celebrate their annual five-day festival after the harvest during the winter. This festival held in the courtyard of the fortress is one of the popular festivals in Bhutan. The festival begins with mask dances and ends with unfurling of huge ancient old Thangkha (Buddhist Religious Scroll) that is hung from a 3-story building. We will spend couple of nights in Trongsa learning the history, meeting people and joining them in their festive mood.
One can truly appreciate the beauty of Bhutan in winter. There aren’t many tourists in the main areas, the crops are in, village rooftops are bright red with the colors of drying chilies, and the pace of life in the villages is slow as villagers spend most of their time basking in the winter sun. The sky is crystal clear as far as the eye can see with snowcapped mountains forming a backdrop of brilliant white against the azure skies.

This trip allows the travelers to enjoy the daily lives of friendly Bhutanese people by visiting villages, temples, monasteries, and gigantic fortresses. It gives you a chance to meet people, enjoy the pristine forest with rare glimpse of wildlife and observe the ancient old traditions of arts and crafts. We would be traveling through the less frequented areas of Bhutan. Our journey starts from Paro Valley where our flight from Bangkok will land and continue by road through the lush valley of Thimphu and to Punakha.  Continue our overland journey to the enchanting valleys of Trongsa and Bumthang, which played a key role in influencing Bhutanese history, culture and religion.  And then to Phobjikha valley, a winter habitat to the rare black-necked cranes that migrate from Tibetan plateaus in winter. This route will take us through the temperate zone with great biodiversity, ranging from lush forest of conifer, rhododendron and magnolia to orchid draped oaks, banana trees and cactus plants. During clear weather, the high passes we cross, provides spectacular views of high snow capped peaks that go up to 25,000 feet.  There will be ample opportunities to interact with the friendly people of Bhutan and learn their philosophy of “GROSS NATIONAL HAPINESS”.

DAY  01          DEC 27^th   ARRIVE PARO & DRIVE TO THIMPHU
FLIGHT  TIME 2:20 hrs
PARO ALTITUDE 7,600 feet / 2,280 meters
THIMPHU ALTITUDE 7,730 feet / 2,320 meters
DISTANCE PARO – THIMPHU = 54 kilometers / 33.75 miles time taken 2
Fly from Bangkok to Paro on Druk Air. From a left window seat on clear days you can experience a spectacular view of Himalayan peaks as you approach Paro. On arrival you will be received by our representative and then start our two hours drive to Thimphu, the road winds along with the Paro River, until you arrive at the confluence of Paro and Thimphu River. From here we start north along the Thimphu River passing through paddy fields, villages and Apple orchards until we see the Capital City from a distance. We check in to our hotel, if time permits we will have sightseeing around Thimphu Valley. This will solely depend on the arrival time of the Druk Air. Overnight at Wangchuk Resort, Hotel Pedling or similar.

DAY  02          DEC 28^th    THIMPHU SIGHTSEEING
Visit King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk Memorial Chorten, Dupthop Lhakhang ( Monastery for the nuns), National Library, the Painting School where traditional art is still kept alive through instructions in the art of painting Thangkhas ( sacred Buddhist religious scrolls), and the Medicine Institute where traditional medicines are prepared according to ancient practices. After lunch you will visit Lungtenzampa to observe the traditional silver smiths plying at their crafts and tour the Bhutanese traditional paper factory. Return back to town to visit the handicraft stores and stroll around the tiny capital city. Overnight at Hotel. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. (B/L/D)

DAY  03          DEC 29^th   THIMPHU-PUNAKHA
PUNAKHA : ALTITUDE : 4,162 feet / 1,250 meters
DISTANCE : 71 Kilometers / 44.38 miles
TIME TAKEN ; 2.5 hours driving
ALTITUDE GAIN : 2,730 feet  & ALTITUDE LOSS 6,298 feet
After breakfast we will start our drive to Punakha early before the clouds come in and bloke the views of the Bhutan’s Snowcapped Mountain seen from the Dochula Pass. Leaving Thimphu the road climbs steeply through a forest of pine and cedar, festooned with hanging lichen high up near Dochula pass (10,460 feet / 3,140 m). This pass offers panoramic views of the Himalayan mountain ranges, as we descend along a series of hairpin bends to the fertile valley of Punakha (1,350 meters/ 4,162 feet). Before proceeding further to our hotel we will hike up to the Chimi Lhakhang temple on a small hilltop. This temple is dedicated to the great Yogi in 14th century known as Drukpa Kuenley or popularly known as “Divine madman” to the westerners. It is believed that this temple blesses women who seek fertility; it is about one hour of round trip walk. We proceed to hotel; check in, lunch will be served here. After lunch we will proceed to Punakha town to view the majestic Dzong (fortress), situated between the two rivers Pho Chu and Mochu (male and Female River). This fortress is now used as the winter seat of the Je Khenpo (the Spiritual head of Bhutan). In the past this Dzong was the capital seat of the Kingdom. Return to hotel, Overnight at Kyichu / Meri Puensum, Punatsangchu or similar

DAY  04          DEC 30^th   PUNAKHA – TRONGSA
TRONGSA : ALTITUDE : 7,259 feet / 2,180 meters
DISTANCE : 143 Kilometers / 89.38 miles
TIME TAKEN ; 6 hours driving
We will have a heavy breakfast today as our lunch will be late and simple. The drive to Trongsa takes approximately 6 hours. We start early for the fabulous drive to the central valleys of Bhutan through the breathtaking beauties and serenity of Bhutan’s rich flora and fauna.  As we cross the fertile valley of Punakha and enter into the valley of Wangdue Phodrang, we take an opportunity to photograph the majestic fortress of Wangdue Dzong, which stands on a spur of a hill at the confluence of the Tsang Chu and Dang Chu rivers. We then climb steadily passing through semi-tropical vegetation and then to Pele la Pass (3,300 m/ 10,989 ft.)  With an alpine environment of rhododendrons and dwarf bamboo, the Pass is traditionally considered the boundary between West and East Bhutan. During the clear weather we can view the high snow capped peaks specially the Mount Chomolhari (7,314 m/ 24,355 ft.). From here we continue our drive to Chendebji Chorten, where we will make a brief stop. This Chorten or Stupa was built in 18th century by a Lama known as Shida, in order to nail into the ground a demon that had been terrorizing the inhabitants of this valley and the Ada valley just over the ridge. Continue your drive to Trongsa, as you enter Trongsa valley, the huge fortress of Trongsa makes you wonder if you will ever reach it. Backing on mountain and built on several levels, the Dzong fits narrowly on a spur that sticks out into the gorge of the Mangde River and overlooks the routes south and west. The view from the Dzong extends for many miles and in former times nothing could escape the vigilance of its watchmen. Arrive Trongsa and overnight at Yangkhil Resort, this resort offers a superb view of the soaring mountains and the majestic Trongsa Dzong.

DAY  05          DEC 31^st  TRONGSA – BUMTHANG (JAKAR)
BUMTHANG : ALTITUDE : 8,591feet / 2,580 meters
DISTANCE : 71 Kilometers / 44.38 miles
TIME TAKEN ; 2.5 hours driving
ALTITUDE GAIN : 1,245 meters / 4,145 feet  &
ALTITUDE LOSS 845 meters 2,814 feet
After breakfast we will drive to visit the majestic Trongsa Dzong, built in 1647, by Shubdrung Nawang Namgyal, this Dzong was the source of many important historical events in making of Modern Bhutan. Our car will drop us at the junction of the road to Bazaar and the dzong, you will walk from here to the Dzong. After the visit the car will pick you and drive to Taa Dzong, the ancient watchtower, this tower had served as the watch tower in the ancient time, now it is turned into a beautiful museum dedicated to the Kings of Bhutan. We will then return to hotel for lunch, after lunch we will start our drive to Bumthang, crossing the Yotongla Pass and into the first four valley of Bumthang known as Chumey, we will make a short stop at Tsungney village, where we will observe the weavers weaving the famous Bumthang fabric known as Yathra. Continue our drive for an hour and arrive at the Chokhor Valley, if time permits your car will drop you at the Chamkhar Bazaar, from where you can walk back to the hotel after sightseeing around the market. Overnight at Yu-Gharling Resort

DAY  06          JAN 01^st       BUMTHANG SIGHTSEEING
After breakfast we will start our sightseeing around Chokhor valley. We begin our walk around the valley from our Lodge carrying our day pack towards the Jambay Lhakhang temple through scattered and clustered villages of Jakar. A Tibetan King, Songtsen Gonpo, built this temple in the 7^th century. Your next stop will be Chakar Lhakhang, which was built in the 8^th century. This House was a castle of the King Sindhu Raja who used to rule the Bumthang Valley. Continue your hike to Kurjey monastery, it is here, the great tantric saint Padmasambhava had meditated and subdues a local deity known as Shelging Karpo. Continue your hike north and cross the Chamkhar River over a suspension bridge and we will arrive at Tamshing Lhakhang. Terton Pemalingpa built this temple in 1500s. Overnight at hotel.

DAY  07          JAN 02^nd    BUMTHANG SIGHTSEEING
 Our second day in Bumthang will include driving to Ura village situated at 10,000 feet high above the sea. There is about 40-50 closely packed houses alongside cobblestone streets that give the village a medieval atmosphere. The drive to Ura takes about 2 hours, however we will stop at the Serthangla Pass, from where you can get the view of Ura Valley down below. We will start hiking downhill from here till we reach the Ura Temple. We will visit the temple and continue our walk through the clustered village of Ura making frequent stops to converse with the villagers, children and womenfolk that wear a ship skin on their back to protect from loads they carry. Our lunch will be served at a village house, after lunch we will walk towards the school and observe the young students of Ura engrossed in their lesson. We will then say goodbye to this beautiful village and drive back to Chamkhar for overnight. Overnight at Yu-Gharling Resort. 

DAY  08          JAN 03^rd    JAKAR – TRONGSA (Attend Festival)
After an early breakfast we will drive to Trongsa, this will take about 2.5 hours, we will straight away visit the ongoing festival at the Dzong. The festival is celebrated annually by the people of Trongsa district. During the festival various spiritual mask dances are performed and local people with their picnic lunch participate the festival in their finest dress. This is a season when you would like to see and be seen.

DAY  09          JAN 04^th    TRONGSA – PUNAKHA VIA PHOBJIKHA
After breakfast we will start our drive back towards west taking the same lateral highway from where we drove in. From Pele Pass we will take the left hand road to beautiful glacial valley of Phobjikha. This valley is the designated winter home for 100s of endangered black-necked crane that migrate here from the Tibetan plateaus. This valley is also known for produce of best potatoes in Bhutan. From the Phobjikha Pass we will start walking downhill to Gangtey Monastery. If you enjoy the nature then this is a beautiful walk. If lucky you may encounter the precious Red Panda and many bird species. We will visit the magnificent Gangtey Monastery that overlooks the valley. This monastery has recently under gone a major renovation and has been built into a very magnificent Monastery. We willo then resume our drive to Punakha, overnight at hotel.

DAY  10          JAN 05^th     PUNAKHA – THIMPHU
After breakfast we will start our 3 hours drive to Thimphu, we will have several stops en route for pictures and leg stretch. We will have a brief stop at the Dochu La Cafeteria, if weather permits; we will be able to see the northern snowcapped mountains of Bhutan from here. Continue our drive to Thimphu. Rest of the day free for shopping in the capital city, overnight at Hotel Pedling or similar.

DAY  11          JAN 06^th    THIMPHU
Today is a free day for shopping, we will have a short sightseeing in the morning and afternoon day will be given free for you to explore on your own.  

DAY 12           JAN 07^th    PARO SIGHTSEEING
After breakfast we will drive back to Paro, this will take about 2 hours, check into hotel and then we will start our sightseeing of Paro valley by first visiting Drukgyal Dzong built in 1647 by Shubdrung Nawang Namgyal, the Dzong was destroyed by fire and left in ruins as an evocative reminder of the great victories it was built to commemorate. On a clear day you can get a magnificent view of the Mount Chomolhari, alt. 7314 m / 23,990 ft. Go round the fortress, it is a 30 minutes leisurely hike, this is a beautiful walk. Drive south to Satsam Chorten, built in memory of the late Dilgo Khentse Rinpochey, and continue on to Kyichu Lhakhang, built in seventh century by a Tibetan King, Songtsen Gonpo. After lunch visit the National Museum of Bhutan, (Ta Dzong) which contains works of art, handicrafts, costumes, armors and rare stamps. Take a leisurely hike down to Rimpung Dzong. You will walk through a traditional covered bridge across the river to your waiting car and drive to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Dechen Hil Resort, Olathang, Kyichu or similar.

DAY  13          JAN 08^th    EXCURSION TO TAKTSANG MONASTERY.
After breakfast our car will drop us at the starting point of the excursion to view the spectacular Taktsang monastery (Tiger’s lair). The trail to the monastery climbs through beautiful pine forest, many of the trees festooned with Spanish moss, and an occasional grove of fluttering prayer flags. You stop at the cafeteria for a rest and refreshments and continue the hike (if not tired) for short while until you see, clearly and seemingly within reach, the remains of Taktsang monastery. Built in 1600s, this incredible monastery clings to the edge of a sheer rock cliff that plunges 900 meters into the valley below. The history states that Guru Padmasambhava, the Tantric mystic who brought Buddhism to Bhutan, landed here on the back of a flying tiger. Looking at the monastery flying tigers doesn’t seem so impossible after all. Lunch will be served at the cafeteria. After lunch we start our hike back to Paro valley, if time permits we will have some more sightseeing or a free day for more shopping in the small Bazaar. Overnight at Dechen Hill Resort or similar.  

DAY  14          JAN 09^th    DEPART BHUTAN.
After breakfast our car will drop us at the Paro International airport for our flight back to Bangkok