Travel: Paro to Thimphu, 55 km (about 1.5 hrs)  |  Altitude: Paro 2,200 m, Thimphu 2,320 m  |  Overnight: Thimphu

The flight into Paro is one of the most scenic in the world, and on clear days you may see Everest and Kangchenjunga. Your guide meets you at the airport and drives you along the Paro and Wang Chhu rivers to Thimphu, stopping at Tachog Lhakhang's iron chain bridge. In the late afternoon, visit Tashichho Dzong, the seat of government, when it opens to visitors after office hours.

Main experience: Tashichho Dzong, the whitewashed fortress that houses the throne room and government offices. On weekdays it opens to visitors in the late afternoon, after office hours.
Lighter moment: A walk around Thimphu's Clock Tower Square and the main street.
Local meal: Your first plate of ema datshi (chillies in cheese sauce) with red rice.
Insider tip: Keep the first evening easy. A short walk and an early night help your body adjust to the altitude.

About Tashichho Dzong

Tashichho Dzong, on the banks of the Wang Chhu in Thimphu, is Bhutan's seat of government. It houses the throne room and offices of the King and the summer residence of the Je Khenpo (chief abbot). It was rebuilt in its present form in the 1960s in traditional style, without nails or written plans.

What to see:

The grand whitewashed courtyards and golden roofs
The central utse tower
Evening flag-lowering ceremony
Views of the dzong lit up at night

Travel: Thimphu to Paro, 55 km (about 1.5 hrs) | Overnight: Paro
Start the day at Buddha Dordenma, the giant gilded Buddha on a hill above the valley. Then watch students paint and carve at the Institute of Zorig Chusum and meet the takins at the Motithang preserve. After lunch at the Folk Heritage Museum, drive back to Paro for the night.
Main experience: Buddha Dordenma, the giant gilded Buddha looking out over the whole valley.
Lighter moment: Watch students paint thangkas and carve wood at the Institute of Zorig Chusum (weekdays), then see the takin at the Motithang Takin Preserve.
Local meal: A traditional set lunch at the Folk Heritage Museum restaurant.
Insider tip: From Friday to Sunday, stop at the Centenary Farmers' Market to see dried yak cheese, local chillies and handicrafts. Drive to Paro in the late afternoon.
About Buddha Dordenma (Kuensel Phodrang)
Buddha Dordenma is one of the largest seated Buddha statues in the world: a 51.5 m gilded bronze figure of Shakyamuni on a hilltop at Kuensel Phodrang, overlooking the southern end of Thimphu valley. Inside are 125,000 smaller gilded Buddha statues.

What to see:
The giant gilded Buddha
The meditation hall filled with small Buddhas
A panoramic view over Thimphu valley
About Institute of Zorig Chusum
The Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu teaches Bhutan's 13 traditional arts and crafts, including thangka painting, wood carving, embroidery, statue-making and calligraphy, to young Bhutanese students.

What to see:
Students painting thangkas and carving wood
Embroidery and weaving classes
A shop selling student work
About Folk Heritage Museum
The Folk Heritage Museum is a restored 19th-century three-storey farmhouse that shows traditional rural life in Bhutan, with its kitchens, tools, granary and household objects. Its restaurant serves traditional Bhutanese meals.
What to see:
The traditional farmhouse rooms
Old farming tools and utensils
Traditional lunch at the museum restaurant

About Motithang Takin Preserve
The takin, Bhutan's national animal, looks like a cross between a goat and a cow. According to legend it was created by the saint Drukpa Kunley, "The Divine Madman." The Motithang preserve lets you see takins up close in a forested setting above Thimphu.
What to see:
Takins grazing in the forest
Views over Thimphu
The legend of Drukpa Kunley

Hike: About 5–6 hrs round trip, 900 m up and down | Altitude: Tiger's Nest 3,120 m | Overnight: Paro
This is the big day. Start early for the hike through blue pine forest and prayer flags to Tiger's Nest, perched on a cliff 900 m above the valley. Explore its temples and Guru Rinpoche's meditation cave, then walk back down. If you prefer not to hike, drive up to Chele La Pass for views of Mt Jomolhari instead. In the evening, stroll around Paro town.
Main experience: The hike to Paro Taktsang, a monastery built into a sheer cliff where, according to legend, Guru Rinpoche landed on the back of a flying tigress. For a shorter walk, go only as far as the cafeteria viewpoint (about 1 hr up). If you'd rather not hike, drive to Chele La Pass (3,988 m) for views of Mt Jomolhari.
Lighter moment: Paro town in the evening, with its painted wooden shopfronts and small craft stores.
Local meal: A farewell dinner of momos and jasha maru (spicy minced chicken).
Insider tip: Start at around 7:30 am to hike in the cool morning, before the crowds. Treat yourself to a traditional hot stone bath in the evening.

About Tiger's Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang)
Paro Taktsang is Bhutan's most famous landmark, a monastery built into a sheer granite cliff about 900 m above the Paro Valley, at 3,120 m. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), who brought Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century, flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave for three years, three months, three days and three hours. The present monastery was built in 1692 and carefully restored after a fire in 1998.

What to see:
The hike through blue pine forest and prayer flags (about 5–6 hrs round trip)
The cafeteria viewpoint halfway up, with a classic view of the monastery
The temples and Guru Rinpoche's meditation cave inside
The waterfall and bridge just below the monastery

If you cannot walk up to the monastery, then you can hike up to cafeteria which takes about 50 minutes from the base. Then take photo of Taktsang monastery, have a cup of coffee and return to the base.

About Chele La Pass
Chele La (3,988 m) is the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, on the road between Paro and Haa. It is hung with thousands of prayer flags, and on clear days there are views of Mt Jomolhari (7,326 m) and Jichu Drake.
What to see:
Views of Jomolhari and the Haa Valley
Fields of colourful prayer flags
Short ridge walks among rhododendrons

About Paro Valley & Rinpung Dzong
Paro (2,200 m) is a wide, fertile valley of rice fields and traditional farmhouses, and home to Bhutan's only international airport. Rinpung Dzong, the "Fortress on a Heap of Jewels," was built in 1646 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who unified Bhutan. It still serves as the district's administrative and monastic centre. The dzong is reached by the covered wooden Nyamai Zam cantilever bridge, and it hosts the famous Paro Tshechu festival each spring.
What to see:
The courtyards, towers and painted woodwork of Rinpung Dzong
The traditional Nyamai Zam cantilever bridge
Paro town's painted wooden shopfronts and craft shops
Views of the valley and the airport runway from the road above

Travel: Hotel to Paro Airport, about 15 min

After breakfast, your guide takes you to Paro airport for your onward flight. Tashi Delek!