8 Days Bhutan Cultural Tour with 2-Day Bumdrak Trek
8 Days Bhutan Cultural Tour with 2-Day Bumdrak Trek
This 8-Day trip offers an eye-opening adventure into Bhutan's rich ancient culture & abundance of nature through the hearts of 4 western districts. You will go on nature hikes, appreciate the pristine natural environment, explore rural villages, and gain firsthand experience on its culture and people.On Day 6 of your trip, you will trek to one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites called Bumdrak located on the mountain meadow at an elevation of 3,860m. The trail takes you through green lush forests following ancient trails and enjoy breathtaking views of Paro valley.
Camping will be on a serene mountain meadow adorned with Chortens (sacred Buddhist stupa) and fluttering prayer flags. Your return journey back to Paro will be via the most recognized site in Bhutan, 17th-century Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest), built on an 800-meter rock cliff sacred site founded in the 8th-century.
Book This ExperienceA glimpse of the journey
Your Itinerary
A curated journey through the experience
National Museum of Bhutan འབྲུག་གི་འགྲེམས་སྟོན་ཁང་།
The National Museum of Bhutan is housed in an ancient watchtower called Paro Ta Dzong (Ta Dzong means “watchtower fortress”) built-in 1649. It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artifacts and artworks including traditional costumes, armour, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum preserves a snapshot of the rich cultural traditions of the country. Ta Dzong was converted into the National Museum in 1968. We then drive to the capital city Thimphu.
1 hourThimphu
Thimphu is home to approximately 115,000 residents. This bustling little city is the main center of commerce, religion and government in the country. Arriving in Thimphu, our guide will assist you to check into the hotel so that you can relax for a while and then have your first taste of Bhutanese cuisine for lunch. Lunch will be arranged either at Paro or Thimphu depending on your flight arrival time.
1 hour 30 minutesBuddha Dordenma
The magnificent 169 feet tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha is located on a hilltop overlooking the Thimphu valley. It was built to celebrate the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck and also to usher peace in the world. The giant Buddha statue houses more than 100,000 8-inch-tall Buddha statues of the same type. The construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2015 after almost 10 years.
45 minutesGagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre
Weaving is an integral part of the culture and tradition of Bhutan. You will see both men and women at work weaving some of the most intricate designs and sophisticated patterns of traditional Bhutanese textiles. Not long ago, it was common to see one member of the family weaving for the entire family.
45 minutesChanglimithang Stadium & Archery Ground
Day 2: Hike To Tango Monastery & Sightseeing in Thimphu
30 minutesTango Buddhist Institute
After visiting the monastery and offering prayers, we retrace our steps back to the base and drive to Thimphu town. Lunch will be served at Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant or at a similar one.
4 hoursNational Institute for Zorig Chusum
The National Institute for Zorig Chusum (Zorig Chusum means 13 Traditional Arts & Crafts) is located nearby the Folk Heritage Museum. The National Institute of Zorig Chuzum was established to promote and preserve the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan and to facilitate increased access to learning Zorig skills by Bhutanese youths. Many of these traditional arts and crafts are declining with the advent of modern Visit National Institute for Zorig Chusum: The National Institute for Zorig Chusum (Zorig Chusum means 13 Traditional Arts & Crafts) is located nearby the Folk Heritage Museum. The National Institute of Zorig Chuzum was established to promote and preserve the thirteen traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan and to facilitate increased access to learning Zorig skills by Bhutanese youths. These thirteen arts and crafts are an essential part of Bhutan’s cultural heritage that has been practiced from time immemorial.
45 minutesNational Library and Archives of Bhutan
Day 3: Thimphu / Transfer To Punakha Valley (1200m)
45 minutesDochula Pass
From Dochu La Pass, we will continue driving towards Punakha, passing through some villages, the elevation drops gradually and the road winds through the pine trees. You will feel the drastic change in altitude from 3,150m just an hour and a half ago to a warmer subtropical valley at 1,200m. Just before arriving proper Punakha town, visit the famous 15th century “Temple of Fertility”.
2 hours 30 minutesChimi Lhakhang Temple
Chimi Lhakhang is located on a gentle hilltop near the village of Sopsokha. To reach the temple, you have to walk 20 – 30 minutes through beautiful terraced paddy fields and traditional farmhouses. The history of Chimi Lhakhang is associated with 16th century Lama Drukpa Kunley who was affectionately known as “Divine Madman” for his obscene behavior and outrageous ways of cleansing people from religious dogmatism and egoistic self-possession by exhibiting his strong desire for sex. He would often use phallus as a tool to subdue malevolent spirits. Using the phallus was also intended to free up the social inhibitions enforced by the socially established values. Today, one of the relics of Chime Lhakhang is a phallus. The blessing of the phallus is considered sacred particularly to couples who are unable to have children as it brings fertility giving them the ability to bear offspring. Because of this belief, people like to call Chimi Lhakhang as “Temple of Fertility”.
1 hourPunakha Dzong
After lunch, drive to Punakha town to visit the 17th-century Punakha Dzong. The historic Punakha Dzong was originally known as Pungthang Dewa Chenpoi Phodrang, meaning the “Palace of Great Bliss”. It was built in 1637 AD by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (Tibetan Buddhist master who came to Bhutan in 1616 and founded the nation-state of Bhutan) on a small stretch of land where the rivers Phochu and Mochu converge. Punakha Dzong is the second oldest and second-largest Dzong in Bhutan. The sacred wall paintings and main artifacts inside the dzong, the intricate woodworks and the architectural structure of the dzong display fine examples of Bhutanese arts and craftsmanship which continues to influence Bhutanese architecture even today.
1 hourPunakha Suspension Bridge
After visiting Punakha Dzong, walk to the longest suspension bride in Bhutan that runs over the Phochu river. Punakha Dzong is flanked by the two glacial-fed rivers Phochu (male) and Mochu (female).
1 hourNamgay Zam home stay,Yusakha
Day 4: Sightseeing In Punakha /Transfer To Phobjikha Valley (3000m)
30 minutesKhamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
It takes only about 20 minutes drive from the main town of Punakha to the nearest road head. From there you cross a suspension bridge over the Punakha Mochu (female river) and the trail takes you through paddy fields and a short uphill climb before reaching the beautiful site.
2 hoursPhobjikha Valley
Phobjikha is a vast U-shaped glacial valley at an elevation of about 3,000m/9,840ft and it is the winter home for endangered Black-necked Crane from November to March and migrates back to Tibetan Plateau by the beginning of the spring season. Every year on the 11th of November, Black Necked Crane Festival is held in this valley to celebrate the arrival of this endangered and majestic bird which becomes an inseparable part in the lives of the local people during the winter months. As part of the conservation effort, Phobjikha valley has been declared a protected area.
3 minutesGangtey Monastery
Day 5: Gangtey Nature Hike / Transfer Back To Paro Valley (2200m)
45 minutesGangtey nature trail
The trail is about 5km and takes approximately 3 hours through the woods surrounded by splendid nature all around, wonderful meadows, beautiful traditional village houses, farmlands and crystalline streams. This short nature trail gives you a great feeling of the valley and an understanding of the livelihood of the people living there. Lots of opportunities to take beautiful pictures!
3 hoursKyichu Lhakhang
Day 6: Paro / Trek To Bumdrak Monastery (3860m)
30 minutesBumdrak CampSite
Trekking Time: 4-5 hours, Bumdrak Campsite Altitude: 3,860m/12,665ft
5 hoursBumdrak Monastery འབུམ་བྲག་ལྷ་ཁང་།
Day 7: Bumdrak / Descend Back To Paro Valley Via Taktsang Monastery (3120m)
45 minutesBumdrak CampSite
After breakfast, you can hang around for a while appreciating the pristine environment or taking pictures before we begin our return journey via Taktsang monastery. The downhill descent is steep but we will walk at our own pace and explore the flora along the ancient trails used by monks and pilgrims.
2 hoursUgyen Tsemo
After descending for less than 2 hours, a view of Yoeselgang Monastery, one of the three monasteries situated above Taktsang monastery, opens up. We’ll walk past Yoeselgang, reach 15th-century Ugyen Tsemo monastery and hiking further down will bring us to the third temple, Zangdogpelri (zangdogpelri means “copper-colored mountain”) which is referred to as Guru Padmasambhava’s abode. From this temple, you can see top-down view of the impressive Taktsang monastery perched precariously on a rocky cliff.
1 hourParo Taktsang སྤ་རོ་སྟག་ཚང་།
Lunch will be served at the Taktsang cafeteria and then we descend down to the base where our driver will be waiting.
2 hoursAum Choden Homestay
Day 8: Transfer to Paro International Airport for Departure
3 hoursParo International Airport
No accommodation included on this day.
Included
- Visa Fee & Processing. You'll receive your e-Visa within 4-5 business days.
- All meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) and light snacks
- 6 nights twin-sharing accommodation at 3-star hotels
- 1 night full-service outdoor camping on a mountain meadow (3860m)
- Experienced English-speaking licensed tour guide.
- All ground transportation including round trip airport transfers
- Trekking permit and entry fee for National Museum
- Medical treatment at a hospital in Bhutan if you sustain injuries while in Bhutan
- All internal taxes for the services listed above
- Accommodation included: 7 nights
- Entry/Admission - Phobjikha Valley
- Entry/Admission - Ugyen Tsemo
- Entry/Admission - Namgay Zam home stay,Yusakha
- Entry/Admission - Gangtey nature trail
- Entry/Admission - Aum Choden Homestay
- Entry/Admission - Tango Buddhist Institute
- Entry/Admission - Punakha Suspension Bridge
- Entry/Admission - Gagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre
- Entry/Admission - Dochula Pass
- Entry/Admission - Bumdrak Monastery འབུམ་བྲག་ལྷ་ཁང་།
- Entry/Admission - Changlimithang Stadium & Archery Ground
- Entry/Admission - Bumdrak CampSite
- Entry/Admission - Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
Not Included
- Travel insurance is highly recommended.
- International flights. Let us know if you need help with arranging flights to and from Bhutan.
- Alcoholic beverages, laundry services, telephone call charges
- Tips to guide and driver
- Emergency evacuation
- Guide speaking other major languages can be arranged for an additional fee.
- Any other expenses of personal nature
- All Entry fees except for National Museum
Good to Know
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This tour can be customized and run on a private basis just for you and your group.
- We highly recommend booking at least a few months before the departure date so that we have enough time to ensure the flights are available. If you already have flight tickets to and from Bhutan, we can take bookings up to a week before the departure date. To process visa, it only takes 4-5 business days.
- There are only two airlines that connect Bhutan with the outside world and so securing air tickets can be difficult especially during the months of high season. Currently, Bhutan is connected with these cities - Bagdogra, Bangkok, Delhi, Dhaka, Guwahati, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Singapore. We recommend you book your international flights a few months in advance especially if you plan to visit during the high season months of March to May and September to November. If you need help in arranging flights to/from Bhutan, please let us know much in advance.
- After you book the tour, kindly send us clear passports copies of all the participants. A biodata page including the machine-readable zone must be seen clearly. Passports should have a minimum of 6 MONTHS validity from the day you depart from Bhutan. You may also want to check the passport requirements by your next destination country after Bhutan. A copy of your e-Visa will be emailed to you once it is approved. It only takes 4-5 business days to get visa approval and it is 100 percent guaranteed as long as we receive clear passport copies of all the participants. The actual visa will be stamped on your passport upon arrival. Send the passport copies to the Local Supplier E-mail address.
- Youth between the ages of 13-18 MUST send us a copy of their valid Student Photo ID Card/Document to keep the discounted price. Without a copy of valid Student Photo ID Card/document, the full adult price will apply.
- Most travelers can participate
- Participants below the age of 18 years old MUST be accompanied by at least one full-paying adult.
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Temperature checks for travelers upon arrival
- Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required for travelers
- COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
- All tourists are required to provide a full COVID-19 vaccine certificate and a negative RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before the date of entry.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Tickets & Cancellation
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.