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Blissful Bhutan - 5N/6D

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Package Code: BHU002
Visit:
Days: 5 Nights 6 Days

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Paro and proceed to Thimphu (70 kms | 2 hours approximately)
Meals: Dinner
In the morning, board your flight for Paro. Thimphu: Capital to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Thimphu is one of the smallest capitals in the world. Thimphu is a gallery of traditional Bhutanese art, architecture, culture, and tradition and above all still so ethnic and pure. For most part of its history, Bhutan has tried consciously to save its culture from the blunt influences of the western world. It is not that modernity has not reached this region, but they are being introduced in a phased and balanced manner that is unheard of at any place in the world. All these make Thimphu and other parts of the country a unique destination. Upon arrival, proceed for check-in at your hotel. Spend rest of the evening at leisure enjoy the warm dinner before you go to bed.

Day 2: Sightseeing at Thimphu
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner.
After breakfast, proceed for Buddha view point, SimtokhaDzong, and Memorial Chorten.
Buddha View Point: Another place from where you can get a good overview of the Thimphu valley is from the Buddha point (KuenselPhodrang). It is again a short drive from the town. You can pay your obeisance and offer prayers to the Buddha, the largest statue in the country and then walk around and take a glimpse of the valley.
SimtokhaDzong: monastery was built in 1627 by ZhabdrungNgawangNamgyal. It houses the Institute for Language and Cultural Studies. The carvings behind the prayer wheel in the courtyard are a major attraction of this temple.
Memorial Chorten: also known as the ThimphuChorten, is a chorten in Thimphu, Bhutan, located on Doeboom Lam in the southern-central part of the city near the main roundabout and Indian military hospital.
National Museum of Paro: Housed inside the revamped Ta-dzong building in Paro, National Museum of Bhutan is a cultural museum that has put on display the antique items gathered from different parts of the country. After lunch, visit Textile Museum and Takin Mini zoo.
Textile Museum: is worth a visit to get to know the living national art of weaving. Exhibitions introduce the major weaving techniques, styles of local dress and textiles made by women and men.
Takin Mini Zoo: The Takin is the national animal of Bhutan, and looks like a cross between a cow and a goat. Legend has it that the animal was created by the great Buddhist yogi, DrupaKunley, and it can be found only in Bhutan and nearby areas. In the evening, return to your hotel and rest overnight after a delicious dinner.

Day 3: Thimphu - Punakha - Thimphu (137 kms | 5 hours approximately)
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
After breakfast today, proceed to Punakha.
Punakha: Punakha used to be the winter capital of Bhutan. There is a fortress called the PunakhaDzong. The Dzong now serves as the residence of the royal family when they visit, the Rimpoche or Head Lama and also of the District Administrator called the Dzongdha. Punakha has one of the best public schools in the country, which used to be adminstered by the Jesuit priests from the Doicese of Darjeeling. Later the Bhutan government threw away all the missionaries and appointed local persons as Heads of all institutions and offices. There are two small rivers called Po Chhu and Mo Chhu that meet at Punakha and then run south. Punakha is a beautiful valley with tropical climate right through the year. This used to be a dead end road town, but now there are many roads and the place has graduated from a one bus a day town to a fairly well connected place. Today you will also visit Dochula view point stop and PunakhaDzong.
Dochula view point stop: The first stop after leaving Thimphu on the journey East is Dochula pass at 3100m. Only about 45 minutes from Thimphu, it offers visitors their first glimpse of the Himalayan range. The road to Punakha branches left and curls its way down to the relatively low lands of the Punakha valley.
PunakhaDzong: Majestically standing on an island between the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, the city's dzong is one of the most photogenic of all Bhutan's ancient fortresses, and you will see pictures of it hanging in hotels and restaurants throughout the country. The dzong is joined to the mainland by an arched wooden bridge, and contains many precious relics from the days when successive kings reigned the kingdom from this valley. The dzong serves as the winter home of the monastic body. In the evening, return to your hotel in Thimphu and

Day 4: Thimphu - Paro (70 Kms / 2 hours approximately)
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
After breakfast this morning, go for sightseeing to National Library, Painting School.
 National Library: housing an extensive collection of priceless Buddhist manuscripts; the Institute for ZorigChusum (commonly known as the Painting School) where students undergo a 6-year training course in Bhutan 13 traditional arts and crafts. Later during the day, start your drive to Paro.
Paro: Paro is a historic town with many sacred sites and historical buildings scattered through the area. In addition, the Paro Valley is wide and verdant and is recognized a one of the most beautiful in all Bhutan. However, apart from the main street (which is constructed of traditional wooden structures), the bazaar area is a nondescript hodgepodge of concrete buildings that is totally bereft of charm and character. Upon arrival at Paro, check into hotel and have lunch (on direct payment basis). Later, visit Drukgyal Ruin Dzong.
Drukgyal Ruin Dzong: DrukgyalDzong was a fortress and Buddhist monastery, now in ruins, located in the upper part of the Paro valley in Paro District of Bhutan. The Dzong was probably built by Tenzin Drukdra in 1649 at the behest of ShabdrungNgawangNamgyal to commemorate victory over an invasion from Tibet. In the early 1950s DrukgyalDzong was almost completely destroyed by fire. In the evening, return to your hotel and rest overnight after a delicious dinner.

Day 5: Sightseeing at Paro
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Morning after breakfast go on for excursion tour to Chele La Pass.
Chele La Pass: At over 13,000 ft to the west above the Paro Valley is the highest road pass in the country and has amazing views of the Himalaya and most significantly the magnificent Jhomolari, Bhutan's most sacred peak at over 22,000 feet. It is a one and a half hour drive from the valley floor in Paro to the pass. The views from here are absolutely mind boggling as the sweep of the snow clad Himalayas lie before you. On return from Chele La, visit National Museum of Paro and orientation of Tiger Nest Temple.
National Museum of Paro: Housed inside the revamped Ta-dzong building in Paro, National Museum of Bhutan is a cultural museum that has put on display the antique items gathered from different parts of the country.
Tiger Nest Temple: The most famous of Bhutanese monasteries. It is said that Guru Rinpoche arrived here on the back of a tigress and meditated at this monastery hence it is called Tiger Nest. Precariously perched on the edge of 1,200 meter cliff, this monastery creates an impressive sight, and is the unofficial symbol of Bhutan. It is about 2-3 hour, totally up-hill hike from the parking lot to the monastery, though there is a cafe located on ridge across from the Taktsang (about 90 minutes into the walk) that provides a welcome opportunity to take a rest and purchase refreshments and snacks. Taktsang was established as a sacred place for meditation by Guru Rinpoche who visited the site on his second visit to Bhutan in 747 CE, though the first monastery was not constructed until 1694. In 1998 a tragic fire destroyed most of the original buildings, but these have since been painstakingly restored to their former glory.  Return back to hotel in the evening and spend rest of the day at leisure. In the evening, return to your hotel and rest overnight after a deliciou.

Day 6: Departure
Meals: Breakfast

Shimla - Manali

Shimla formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British. It is located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 2,205 metres (7,234ft).

Manali (alt. 1,950 m or 6,398 ft), in the Beas River valley, is an important hill station in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, India, near the north end of the Kullu Valley. It is located about 250 kilometres (155 mi) north of the state capital, Shimla.

How to get there :
By Road : Shimla is well connected by road with Kalka, Chandigarh, Ambala, Delhi, Dehradun, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Jammu and other towns of Punjab and Haryana.

Following are the road distances from Shimla to major cities of India:

	Place	Distance (Km.)
	Kalka	90
	Chandigarh	117
	Delhi	370
	Ludhiana	220
	Dehradun	240
	Kullu	240
	Manali	280
	Kalpa	260
	Narkanda	64
	Mandi	156
	Dharamshala	280
	Nahan	140

By Train: Shimla is connected by a broad gauge line up to Kalka. From Kalka to Shimla, a narrow gauge line covers 96 kilometers. This journey, which takes about six hours, crosses 103 tunnels and is one of the finest ways to enjoy the scenic beauty. There is also another option for a fast train, Shiwalik Express or a delightful ride in the Rail Car which takes about 4 hours. Kalka has direct rail connections with Delhi, Calcutta and Amritsar.

By Air: Nearest airport to Shimla is at Jubberhatti which is 26 km from Shimla. It has connecting flights to Delhi and Kullu. The nearby Chandigarh airport is however, more handy as it is connected to all the major airports in India.

Best time to visit: Shimla has a temperate climate which ranges from 14-27 degrees in the summer and average of 5-16 degrees in the winter. Summers are pleasant while winter is very freezing with snowfall in the month of January. The best time to visit Shimla is between April to July.