Paro Valley The gateway
Your first views of Bhutan on arrival — the setting for the whole trip.
Bhutan AirlinesThailand A private, all-inclusive first taste of Bhutan: Rinpung Dzong, the National Museum and the climb to the Tiger's Nest, at an easy pace and on your own travel dates.
A short, accessible introduction to Bhutan at an easy pace. Two full days in the Paro valley take you from the valley floor to the cliffside monastery above it, with your guide and private driver throughout.
Fly into Paro International Airport — one of the world's most scenic approaches, banking between forested Himalayan ridgelines into a valley at around 2,200 metres. Your guide and private driver meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel. After time to settle in and adjust to the altitude, set out on a gentle afternoon orientation walk along the Paro river, past the towering white walls of Rinpung Dzong and the town's main street, with a first stop for butter tea. It is a relaxed first day designed to ease you into the pace and altitude of the Kingdom.
A full day exploring the valley with your guide. Begin at the National Museum, housed in the round Ta Dzong watchtower above the valley, for an introduction to Bhutanese art, textiles and Buddhist history. Walk down to the 15th-century Rinpung Dzong, a working fortress-monastery of whitewashed walls and gilded roofs that still houses the district's monastic body and administration. In the afternoon, visit Kyichu Lhakhang — one of Bhutan's oldest and most revered temples, said to date from the 7th century, with its famous year-round orange tree in the courtyard. There is time to slow down, watch daily rituals and take in the valley between stops.
The trip's highlight: the hike to Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, clinging to a cliff around 900 metres above the valley floor. The trail climbs steadily through blue-pine forest hung with prayer flags to a viewpoint teahouse, then on to the monastery itself, with rest stops and plenty of photo pauses along the way — most walkers take four to five hours round trip at an unhurried pace, and ponies are available for the first stretch. After the descent and lunch, your driver transfers you to the airport for your onward flight. Timings can be shifted to suit an earlier or later departure.
The landmarks your guide takes you to across these three days, all within the compact, walkable Paro valley.
The day plan above is a guide. Get in touch with the OMG Experience Team and we'll confirm the exact itinerary, hotels, dates and full quotation for your booking.
Add the capital Thimphu, weekend markets and the giant Buddha Dordenma.
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Paro, Thimphu and Punakha with festivals, dzongs and mountain passes.
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