15N/16D Bhutan Grand Tour Fifteen Nights - The Whole Country, West to East

Day by day

Distances and drive times are the ones our own drivers record, not map estimates.

1. 1
   Day 1

   Arrival and transfer to Phuentsholing

   Arrive at Bagdogra Airport, India, with road entry at Jaigaon. Clear immigration and baggage, meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Phuentsholing — a 160 km, four-hour drive east to the border gate. The frontier town on the plain where the permits are issued and the road into Bhutan begins its climb. The rest of the day is free to settle in. Overnight in Phuentsholing.

   Overnight Phuentsholing Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
2. 2
   Day 2

   Phuentsholing to Thimphu

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Thimphu — a 170 km, six-hour climb from the plain into the hills. The capital, and the only one in the world without a traffic light — a valley of dzongs, weaving studios and a very large seated Buddha. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Buddha Dordenma statue over the valley. Overnight in Thimphu.

   Overnight Thimphu Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
3. 3
   Day 3

   Thimphu: Tashichho Dzong, seat of the government and the Je Khenpo

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Thimphu — the Tashichho Dzong, seat of the government and the Je Khenpo; the National Memorial Chorten and its circumambulating crowd; and the Folk Heritage Museum and the National Textile Museum. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Thimphu.

   Overnight Thimphu Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
4. 4
   Day 4

   Thimphu: Takin preserve, the national animal

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Thimphu — the Takin preserve, the national animal; the Simply Bhutan living museum and the weekend market; and the Cheri and Tango monasteries up the valley. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Thimphu.

   Overnight Thimphu Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
5. 5
   Day 5

   Thimphu to Punakha

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Punakha — a 75 km, three-hour drive over the Dochula pass and its 108 chortens. The old winter capital at 1,200 m, warm enough for rice and oranges, with the finest dzong in the country at the meeting of two rivers. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Punakha Dzong at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. Overnight in Punakha.

   Overnight Punakha Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
6. 6
   Day 6

   Punakha: Chimi Lhakhang fertility temple across the rice fields

   Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Punakha — the Chimi Lhakhang fertility temple across the rice fields; the Punakha suspension bridge, one of the longest in Bhutan; and the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten and its valley walk. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Punakha.

   Overnight Punakha Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
7. 7
   Day 7

   Punakha to Phobjikha

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Phobjikha — a 75 km, three-hour drive over the Pele pass. A glacial valley at 3,000 m where the black-necked cranes come down from Tibet to winter, and where the Gangtey monastery looks over the whole bowl. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the black-necked cranes, from late October to mid-February. Overnight in Phobjikha.

   Overnight Phobjikha Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
8. 8
   Day 8

   Phobjikha to Trongsa

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Trongsa — a 120 km, three-hour drive east. The ancestral seat of the royal family, its dzong strung along a ridge above a gorge, commanding the only east-west road in the country. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Trongsa Dzong, the largest fortress in Bhutan. Overnight in Trongsa.

   Overnight Trongsa Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
9. 9
   Day 9

   Trongsa to Bumthang

   Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Bumthang — a 68 km, two-and-a-half-hour drive over the Yotong pass. Four valleys that hold the oldest temples in Bhutan, the country buckwheat and its only brewery. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang. Overnight in Bumthang.

   Overnight Bumthang Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
10. 10
    Day 10

    Bumthang: Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird

    Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Bumthang — the Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird; the Tamshing Lhakhang and the Mebar Tsho burning lake; and the Ura valley drive and a cheese and beer tasting at Swiss Farm. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Bumthang.

    Overnight Bumthang Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
11. 11
    Day 11

    Bumthang: Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang

    Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Bumthang — the Jambay Lhakhang and the Kurjey Lhakhang; the Jakar Dzong, the castle of the white bird; and the Tamshing Lhakhang and the Mebar Tsho burning lake. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Bumthang.

    Overnight Bumthang Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
12. 12
    Day 12

    Bumthang to Mongar

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Mongar — a 190 km, seven-hour drive over the Thrumshingla pass. The first town of the east, on a hillside reached by one of the more spectacular road descents in the Himalaya. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Mongar Dzong, built in the 1930s in the old manner. Overnight in Mongar.

    Overnight Mongar Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
13. 13
    Day 13

    Mongar to Trashigang

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Trashigang — a 90 km, three-hour drive east. The largest town of the east, above the Drangme Chhu, and the junction for Merak, Sakteng and the Indian border. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Trashigang Dzong on its cliff above the river. Overnight in Trashigang.

    Overnight Trashigang Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
14. 14
    Day 14

    Trashigang: Gom Kora temple and its sacred rock

    Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Trashigang — the Gom Kora temple and its sacred rock; the Rangjung monastery and the Radhi weaving village; and the Trashigang Dzong on its cliff above the river. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Trashigang.

    Overnight Trashigang Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
15. 15
    Day 15

    Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Samdrup Jongkhar — a 180 km, six-hour descent to the Assam plain. The south-eastern border town where the eastern road meets the Assam plain. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Samdrup Jongkhar Dzong and the border bazaar. Overnight in Samdrup Jongkhar.

    Overnight Samdrup Jongkhar Meals Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
16. 16
    Day 16

    Samdrup Jongkhar — departure

    Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Time for any last shopping before your transfer to Guwahati Airport, India, with road entry at Darranga for the onward flight. The tour ends here, and we hope it is not your last visit to Bhutan.

    Meals Breakfast

Where you sleep

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The named properties for each grade go out with your quotation, so you can look every one of them up before anything is paid. Ask for the hotel list →

What the price covers

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