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A World Away Travels adventure travel's complete experience… Phone 1-888-438-3612 ~ email [email protected] www.aworldawaytravels.com Bhutan Walking Tour We are often asked by guests to create custom trips that include day hikes visiting rural villages without an overnight trek. Our Bhutan Walking Tour is a collection of our favorite day walks in Bhutan that include viewing its dramatic scenery. In addition to visiting Bhutan's highlighted sites, each day you leave the beaten path to explore some of Bhutan's less visited places. And each night you return to a charming hotel or local inn. Guests experience a rare side of Bhutan while still maintaining a high level of comfort. Each day you will hit the trail visiting unique temples and monasteries (including Takstang and Chimi Lhakhang), exploring colorful villages. There you will meet locals while enjoying stunning ridge tops and valleys with extraordinary views. Shorter and longer itineraries are available and can be arranged. Private departures are our specialty. Day 1-2 Travel To Bangkok Day 3 Arrive in Bhutan In the morning you will fly to Bhutan. Paro is located in a flat valley awash with rice fields that lie above a narrow gorge. This fertile valley was the seat of power in Western Bhutan during the nineteenth century. In the afternoon, you will have a chance to visit the valley's largest Dzong, Paro Dzong, correctly known as Richen Pung Dzong. A dzong is a fortress that holds offices for civil officials and quarters for monastic authorities. All Dzongs were built in harmony with the land that they protect. They often rise directly out of the ridges upon which they were built. Walking through this ancient walled fortress is like taking a step back in time, a time when Bhutan had to protect itself from its neighbor, Tibet. Paro Dzong is truly a spectacular site. Within the Dzong there are many temples as well as several smaller chambers where monks gather. Accommodations: Gangtey Palace or similar Lunch, Dinner Upgrades to Paro’s Luxury Resorts Available- Please Ask. Day 4 Paro-Thimphu In the morning, you will drive along Bhutan’s scenic roads passing white-washed traditional Bhutanese homes, yellow roofed temples and forested hillsides as you make your way to the country’s capital, Thimphu. You will arrive in the early afternoon for a colorful tour of the city. Your tour includes trips to the national library, memorial stupa, Bhutan's Arts & Crafts School, and Bhutan's largest monastic school, Simtokha Dzong. It is the oldest surviving Dzong in the country, built in the 1600's and is now a training center for individuals learning to teach Dzongkha, the national language. Other possible stops may include the Textile & Folk Heritage Museum and the textile weavers at Changzamtok, where you can see the weavers at work. Accommodations: Jhomolhari Hotel or similar Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Note you may visit some of these sites the following day or on your second visit to Thimphu. Upgrades to Thimphu’s Luxury Hotel’s Available- Please Ask. Day 5 Thimphu After breakfast, you will drive north of the town for a short hike (about an hour) to the 17th century Cheri monastery. It serves as a school of higher learning for graduate monks and where they practice inner meditation. It is, also, an important pilgrimage site for Bhutanese Buddhists. After the visit to the monastery, the return walk to the town will be along the ancient route taken by Shabdrung on his journey to Thimphu. Traveling through the countryside, you will enjoy Bhutanese villages and spectacular scenery. The route is dotted with Bhutanese-Tibetan settlements and paddy fields. A highlight of the hike is visiting the school for the thirteen Bhutanese arts and crafts which is run by a private entrepreneur. A picnic lunch will be served beside a small stream that runs through the village. You will, also, encounter ancient ruins before you finally come to the road-head at Pangrizampa. Our walk ends at Lama Lhakhang and Shabdrung Lhakhang. Both temples were built in the 17th century by Shabdrung. Legend has it that on his arrival at the site, Shabdrung was greeted by the local deity of Thimphu. The two temples were constructed at this spot which was considered holy ground. On the drive back to the town, you may stop to view the Dechencholing Palace which is the residence of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. You will, also, catch a glimpse of the King’s Palace hidden in the pine forest from the road. Accommodations: Jhomolhari Hotel or similar Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6 Thimphu -Punakha Leaving Thimphu, you will take a scenic drive across the Dochu La (10,200 feet) to Punakha and Wangdiphodrang. Crossing the pass are great views of Bhutan's Eastern Himalayan ranges. Driving through swarms of prayer flags fluttering in the wind, you cross the pass and descend through magnificent pine, magnolia, and rhododendron forests into the sub-tropical Punakha river valley. This route offers some of Bhutan’s most picturesque countryside. Before arriving in Punakha, you will take a short hike through terraced fields of rice to Chimi Lhakhang. The trail leads through the fields to the settlement of Pana. You will continue your walk to the temple. This beautiful temple is known for increasing fertility in woman. In recent years, Bhutanese women have been joined by women from other countries who journey to this temple in hopes of pregnancy. Aside from its significance to women, the temple is located in a wide-open valley making it a beautiful short walk on the way to Punakha. Punakha's importance lies largely in the past, when it was Druk Yul's capitol. The dzong's sheer size and the elaborate art within give hint to Punakha's former days of glory. After exploring the Punakha Valley by foot, you will drive above the valley floor to our hotel. The hotel has dramatic views of the surrounding terraced fields and the snow covered Himalayas to the north. Accommodations: Meri Puensum Hotel or similar Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner The following is an excerpt from a presentation we recently did about Bhutan and Punakha Dzong- Visitors are allowed to explore the Dzong while the royal abbot is in Thimphu. We had a chance to climb the dzong's steep stairs and enter into this ancient fortress. Walking inside any dzong in the afternoon, we were initially struck with its sheer size. The walls were at least 5-10 feet thick and towered into the sky. A central tower dominates the inner courtyard; the white washed walls were ablaze with light. In the courtyard, monks in red robes walked between their quarters and teaching classrooms. At the far end of the Punakha Dzong is a grand temple under construction. Under construction, we were able to enter this temple that is normally off-limits to tourists. Climbing to the second floor balcony, we looked down over the dim light and watched as artists, dangling from bamboo scaffolding constructed 40 foot clay statues that continued past our stance to the ceiling above. Between us and the statues of Buddha and Guru Rimpoche were at least 25 -- 2.5 x2.5 foot wood columns wrapped in copper adorned with intricate patterns. In front of us, it was as if time has stood still and we were looking at artisans hundreds and hundreds of years ago working together to build something of astonishing proportions. It was the answer to my question: how did they build these incredible structures such a long a long time ago? Upgrades to Aman Resort Available – Please Ask. Day 7 Punakha Set in a sub-tropical valley, Punakha is beautiful. The Dzong is located at the confluence of the rivers the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu. Heading up stream on the Mo Chhu, just short of entering the district of Gasa, you will walk across a suspension bridge and hike up a hill for about an hour. This brings us to the Khamsum Yuelley Lhakhang which overlooks the Punakha valley. The temple was recently built in the unique style of a chorten by Bhutan’s Queen. After the visit to the temple, you will walk back along the path on the other side of the valley, going through the villages and paddy fields along the river. This brings us to the road-head at Sonagasa. This four-hour walk through the countryside includes enjoying a picnic lunch along the way. Besides giving you a first hand experience of the life of the villagers of Punakha, it will also introduce you to the natural flora and fauna of the area. You will arrive back for another evening at the Meri Puensum Hotel or similar Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 8 Punakha -Trongsa Shortly after departing you will arrive in Wangdiphodrang where you will visit the Wangdiphodrang Dzong. It is located on a narrow windswept bluff above the junction of the Sankosh and Tsang Chu Rivers. This impressive fortress holds much of Bhutan’s history and in the past was Bhutan’s secondary capitol. Enroute to Trongsa, after crossing the Pele La pass, you will come to the village of Longtey. From there, you will walk two hours along the old trail before reaching the road at the village of Rukubji. It is an opportunity to stretch your legs while interacting with the semi-nomadic people of the higher lands. You will experience a totally different lifestyle from those of the villages visited thus far on your trip. Continuing along the scenic road to Trongsa, you will stop for lunch at a beautiful ancient stupa by the river.

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