Dramatic landscapes from valleys to high mountains, enchanting Buddhist monasteries, prayer bells, and a sense of space, calmness, and spirituality are some of the things that come to mind when one dream about Bhutan! The “Last Shangrila” as it’s known, is a magical and enchanting Buddhist Kingdom, completely land-locked and located on the eastern edge of the Himalayas. Bhutan is an all-year destination. While the festival season in Spring through early Fall are the most popular seasons, we liked the fact that December to early January was a low season with comfortable cool weather (50 to ’60s) and little to no snow,

In this 5-Day itinerary, do the “Essential Bhutan” - discovering Paro Valley, your home base, and the capital city of Thimphu. If you are flying from Delhi, your experience starts on your DrukAir flight itself with some incredible views of Mt Everest and the exhilarating plane landing in Paro - which is considered to be the most dangerous maneuver in the world!

Start your trip by settling in your beautiful riverside Le Meridian Hotel and stroll along the riverside absorbing the vastness of Paro Valley! Grab a coffee or a cocktail before enjoying a bespoke dinner prepared by the chef. Next day, make it a cultural trip and enjoy the calm and serenity of the Buddhist monasteries. Wrap up the day with a spa and dinner at the hotel. On Day 3, get ready to hike to the famous and incredible cliffside monastery - “Paro Taktsang” (a.k.a Tigers Nest). Day 4, hit the road for a day trip to Thimphu visit the towering buddha statue overlooking the valley and enjoy the local food markets and views of the royal palace. Wrap up your trip on the final day with some artifacts shopping in Paro Town and also experience wearing traditional Bhutanese clothes for photo ops - trust me you will love it!

Trip Highlights

Duration - 5 Days 4 nights

Places - Paro, Tigers Nest, Thimphu

Best for - Family Adventure Vacation

Travel Pace - Active

Season - Winter (Dec 26th - 30th)

Experiences - Half Day Culture trip visiting Paro Monasteries, Hiking to Tigers Nest, Day trip to Thimphu, Shopping in Paro Town, Spa and Bespoke dinners at the Le Meridien Resort, Paro.

Trip Cost - $800-900/day/person including airfare. Cost includes a massive studio at a 4-star resort (we had 2 nights on loyalty points); Tour guide, visa, transportation and entrance fees to most major monasteries.

Trip Route

Itinerary

DAY 1 ARRIVE IN PARO - WELCOME (TASHI DELEK!)

After an exhilarating landing at Paro International Airport, you will be greeted by your local tour guide with the traditional white cloth garland ceremony. A short 15-minute drive from the airport to your hotel will give you the first glimpse of the beautiful Paro Valley.

Most flights arrive mid-morning or early afternoon (we landed around 1 PM from Delhi), giving you a few hours of daylight before the winter sunsets around 4/4:30 PM! Check in to the beautiful Le Meridien Paro Riverfront Hotel and use the afternoon to simply explore the resorts riverside garden, and enjoy a game of chess in the lobby bar before grabbing dinner and getting a good night’s sleep in the gorgeous Bhutanese-styled super large rooms! (Read my review on TripAdvisor)

Tip: There is a beautiful dedicated Meditation Room in the hotel. Ask the front desk. For your wellness, spend 15minutes to unwind here daily! 

Duration: Flight time 1 hour (from Delhi). If coming from Singapore or Bangkok it could be over 5 hours

Good To Know: Ask the front desk to show you different room choices. December is low season, so lots of options!

How to get there: A tour guide will take you in a chauffeur-driven car - likely an SUV from the airport to the hotel

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

DAY 2 CULTURE TRIP - EXPLORE BUDDHIST MONASTERIES + SPA EVENING

Start your day with an amazing choice of delicious breakfast at the hotel. From freshly baked pastries and made-to-order omelets to both Indian and Bhutanese-themed cuisines, while enjoying amazing views of the Himalayas and Paro River.

Your tour guide will promptly pick you up at the designated time. Today slowly acclimatize to the high altitude and go easy by spending the day doing walking tours of 3-4 of Paro’s ancient and beautiful Buddhist monasteries. Start with Drukgyel Dzong on the northern outskirts of Paro and make your way to Rinpung Dzong and wrap up the cultural trip at the National Museum of Bhutan. Head back to the hotel for an evening at the Explore Spa and then enjoy a bespoke dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Yes, the Chef literally came to our table and asked what we wanted even though there were plenty of choices on the buffet! Wind down with a brief visit to the meditation room. For us, it became a nice daily ritual.

Tip:  Some monasteries like the Rinpung Dzong are beautifully lit at night, so if possible do a quick drive by. The town is very small, so if you miss some monasteries, you can always come back on Day 3 or 4 (before your departure flight)

Duration: Half Day (4-5 hours)

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: Most monasteries are free and open from 9-5 PM.

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

DAY 3 HIKING TO TIGERS NEST (Paro Taktsang)

No trip to Bhutan is complete without a day hike to Paro Taktsang, an iconic, scared Buddhist Monastery perched on a cliff-side at 10,000 feet. Popularly known as the “Tigers Nest”, it is known for its legendary meditation caves and awe-inspiring architecture. From the starting point of the trail to the monastery’s main entrance, its dotted with beautiful prayer flags, running streams, waterfalls, and of course the several scenic viewpoints of Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

Start your day with some power breakfast - keep it healthy and light! Take a small bag pack, a water bottle, ginger chews (if you feel dizzy from the climb), and a snack bar. The drive from the hotel is about 20 minutes depending upon the traffic on the single-lane river overbridge crossing! The hike will start from Takstang Trail starting point - near the car park and will take you about 2 hours one way to reach the monastery, depending upon how times you will stop to take pictures! The halfway point has an incredible cafeteria, that serves tea, coffee, and hot food. It’s a great stopping point to rest and admire the monastery from a distance. Upon arriving at your destination, you will get a glimpse of Buddhist Monks clad in saffron robes, the smell of glowing butter candles, serenity, and an incredible feeling of calm and accomplishment

Tip:  1) There is a small fee to enter the monastery 2) You will need to put your bag packs, cameras and shoes in a locker 3) No Photography inside the monastery 3) Okay for young kids though you may need to carry them occasionally!

Duration: Full Day 5-7 Hours. Start around 9 AM.

Activity Level: Moderate

Good To Know: The trail is moderately uphill except towards the final stretch you have to go down a flight of steps and then climb up some steps to the entrance to the monastery. So plan your pace accordingly and use sticks (for purchase at the trail entrance) for assistance. If you have young kids, then plan to carry them in

Morning

DAY 4 DAY TRIP TO THIMPHU

Today is packed with a full-day trip to Thimphu, the Kingdom’s capital city. Home to the Royal Palace and a small yet bustling township.

The day starts with a 1-hour drive to Thimphu. The first stop is the Buddha Dordenma Statue located in the Keunselphodrang Nature Park. It’s hard to miss as your approach Thimphu. It’s the largest Buddha statue, perched on top of a hilltop. There is a lot to see here and highly recommend spending at least 1 hour there. By mid-day, it’s time for an authentic Bhutanese lunch, in a restaurant selected by your guide. Spend some time in town and then wrap up the day back in Paro, shopping for some souvenirs and dressing up in traditional Bhutanese costumes!

Duration: Full Day

Activity Level: Low

Good To Know: If you decide to stay overnight in Thimphu, you will need to make those arrangements with your guide ahead of time.

Morning

Afternoon

DAY 5 DEPARTURE - GOODBYE (Tong Ha Ha!)

Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye to this enchanting Himalayan kingdom. But hopefully, this is not your last trip (I traveled first in 2012 and then again in 2017..and hoping to be back here soon in summer this time!

Your flight back to Delhi (in our case) is likely mid-morning but it’s only a short 15-minute drive from the hotel. So grab some breakfast and say Tong Ha Ha (Goodbye in Bhutanese) to your local guides!

Before You Go

1. Arrange for Visas and entrance fees - As of September 2022, some new rules are in place. Traveling to Bhutan requires visas and a daily SDF (sustainable development fee) of $200 per person per night. Transport, guides, meals, accommodations, taxes, and place interest fees are not included and you must make arrangements yourself or work with a local travel operator to make life simpler. For more details get in touch with a Bhutan travel operator — Click Here

2. Tour operators - Working to arrange your travel with an authorized tour operator will be very helpful. Arranging for treks, transport, and local guides not only adds to the experience but also helps the local economy. I recommend Druk Asia, (Bhutan and Singapore based) it has great options for multi-day treks and tours, arrangements with luxury hotels, and is also a Royal Druk Air representative. Besides them, I have had good experiences with both Happiness Drukyal Holiday and Norbu Travel Pvt Limited.

3. Gear - December is mild winter but can get snow in higher altitudes and even in Paro! Since we stayed only in Paro and Thimphu area, I packed only a micro puff jacket, one fleece, a beanie, hiking shoes, merino wool socks, day use a backpack, and a hydro flask water bottle.

Recommended Alternatives

Here are some helpful alternatives to add /swap on this itinerary. Note: in the Winter months (low season), there is little to know trekking. So the suggestions below are for alternate times of the year.

1. Winter - You can add a day or overnight visit to Punukha Dzong via Dochula pass or Gangtey Monastery. Drive from Thimphu is about 2-3 hours each way. Check out this list of the Top 40 places to visit and things to do in Bhutan (courtesy DrukAsia)

2. Festival/Cultural/Trekking/Luxury/Bespoke - Ideal in spring and summer when you can trek to the high mountains and enjoy the festivals and spring blooms. Druk Asia has a nice list of cultural, luxury, and trekking tour packages, that include great options to stay in 4 to 5-star lodging. Note: these are on my bucket list - I have yet to experience them!
   

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Plan Your Trip

Take this itinerary as is or if you like to make some tweaks you can consider swapping it with the recommendation additions above. If you have less time, then pick and choose from the plan above to personalize your trip. If you have questions about planning your trip or have feedback on this itinerary, leave us a comment below.

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