Bhutan Monastery Trail

Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Paro — the Taktsang Tiger Nest monastery, a five-hour return climb; the Rinpung Dzong and its cantilever bridge; and the Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Paro.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Thimphu — a 55 km, ninety-minute drive up the Wang Chhu valley. 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.

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.

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.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Trongsa — a 130 km, four-hour drive over the Pele pass. 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.

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.

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.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Time for any last shopping in Chamkhar town, known for yathra woollen weaving and local cheese and honey, before the long drive west across the Yotong La and Pele La passes, through Trongsa and over the Dochu La to Paro International Airport for the onward flight. The tour ends here, and we hope it is not your last visit to Bhutan.