Bhutan Slow Travel: Paro, Haa and Punakha

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 Haa — a 65 km, two-and-a-half-hour drive over the Chele La pass at 3,988 m. The valley that only opened to visitors in 2002, reached over the highest motorable pass in Bhutan. Check in on arrival and, as the day allows, the Chele La pass at 3,988 m and its prayer flags. Overnight in Haa.

Breakfast at the hotel. A full day in Haa — the Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo, the white and black temples; the Haa valley walk and a farmhouse lunch; and the Chele La pass at 3,988 m and its prayer flags. The evening is free for dinner and a walk on your own. Overnight in Haa.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Leave for Thimphu — a 115 km, four-hour drive east. 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 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. 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.

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Time for any last shopping in Punakha before the drive west over the Dochu La pass, with its 108 chortens and, in clear weather, the Himalayan skyline. Continue through Thimphu and down the valley to Paro International Airport for the onward flight. The tour ends here, and we hope it is not your last visit to Bhutan.