Central Bhutan

15 Days | 14 Nights | Central Bhutan

Tour Overview

This 15-day immersive Bhutan journey is designed for travelers seeking a deep cultural, spiritual, and scenic experience across the central and western regions of Bhutan. The tour takes you through Bhutan’s most sacred valleys including Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey, Trongsa, and Bumthang. From ancient monasteries and majestic dzongs to scenic mountain passes, glacial valleys, nature hikes, and spiritual teachings, this journey offers a profound insight into Bhutanese life and Buddhism. Highlights include multiple monastery hikes, sacred pilgrimage sites, and the iconic Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

Tour Map & Highlights

Tour Highlights

Spectacular mountain flight into Paro
Cultural immersion in Paro and Thimphu valleys
Hikes to Tango Monastery, Khamsum Yulley Chorten, Chumphu Lhakhang, and Tiger’s Nest
Visit Dochula Pass with panoramic Himalayan views
Explore Punakha Dzong and the former capital of Bhutan
Discover the glacial Phobjikha (Gangtey) Valley
Visit Trongsa Dzong, Bhutan’s largest dzong
Spiritual exploration of Bumthang, the heartland of Bhutanese Buddhism
Visit sacred sites including Burning Lake and Kurje Lhakhang
Teaching session with a Buddhist Master & experience Bhutanese culture, traditions, and way of life

Day to Day Itinerary

Arrive at Paro International Airport, one of the world’s most scenic mountain airports. Meet your guide and drive to Thimphu through beautiful river valleys. After hotel check-in, visit Dechen Phodrang Monastery, an important monastic school. Evening briefing and dinner at the hotel.

Accommodation: Overnight in Thimphu

After breakfast, drive to the trailhead and hike to Tango Monastery, a historic center of Buddhist learning surrounded by forests and rich biodiversity. Enjoy lunch at the monastery before returning to Thimphu.

Accommodation: Overnight in Thimphu

Drive to Punakha via Dochula Pass (3,100m), offering breathtaking Himalayan views and 108 Druk Wangyal stupas. After lunch in Lobesa, visit Sangchhen Lhuendrup Nunnery, a Buddhist college for nuns.

Accommodation: Overnight in Punakha

Hike through rice fields to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, built for peace and harmony. Enjoy a picnic lunch by the riverside and later visit the magnificent Punakha Dzong at the confluence of two rivers.

Accommodation: Overnight in Punakha

Drive through Wangdue to the beautiful Phobjikha (Gangtey) Valley, one of Bhutan’s glacial valleys. Visit Gangtey Goempa, an important Nyingma monastery overlooking the valley.

Accommodation: Overnight in Gangtey

Enjoy a scenic nature hike through villages, forests, and open valleys. After a picnic lunch, drive to Trongsa, crossing high mountain passes and forested landscapes.

Accommodation: Overnight in Trongsa

Visit Trongsa Dzong, the largest dzong in Bhutan, dramatically located above a gorge. Continue your drive to Bumthang, the spiritual heart of the kingdom.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bumthang

Explore sacred temples including Jambay Lhakhang (7th century) and Kurje Lhakhang, where Guru Rinpoche meditated and left body imprints in the rock.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bumthang

Visit the sacred Burning Lake (Mebar Tsho), associated with Terton Pema Lingpa. Later, explore Ugyen Choling Palace Museum in Tang Valley, a restored ancestral home and cultural treasure.

Accommodation: Overnight in Bumthang

After breakfast, take a scenic domestic flight back to Paro. Visit Dumtse Lhakhang, a unique three-storied temple built to subdue negative forces.