Welcome to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon.Touching down at Paro International Airport, you will be greeted by your guide upon exiting the arrival hall. Today, we will take it easy to acclimatise to the altitude. Drive to Thimphu, check in to the hotel and lets have your first taste of Bhutanese cuisine and some light sight-seeing, like the weekend market, in Thimphu.

Heritage Museum – Dedicated to connecting people to the Bhutanese rural past though exhibition of artefacts used in rural households.
Textile Museum – witnesses the art of traditional weaving.
Simtokha Dzong – Five miles from Thimphu, on a lofty ridge, stands Semtokha Dzong the oldest fortress in the Kingdom.

Wangdue Phodrang – One of the major towns and district capital of Western Bhutan. We will pause to view the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong. Dramatically perched on the spur of a hill, built in 1638, this Dzong overlooks the confluence of the Tsang Chu and Dang Chu rivers. The last town before central Bhutan. The district is famous for its fine bamboo work and its slate and stone carving.

Chendebji Chorten  –  also called Chorten Charo Kasho is a Nepalese style like stupa like Swayambhunath or Bodhnath built in the 19^th century by a Tibetan Lama. It was built on the remains of an evil spirit that was tormenting the people of that region.

The Ura Yackoe will culminate with a rare display of a giant silk applique thangkha (painting) depicting Guru Padmasambava or some other important Buddhist deity this morning.

In the morning, we will hike to the Tamshing Goemba, built in 1501 by the Buddhist saint Pema Lingpa. We will also visit Kurjey Lhakhang (left-bottom), one of the most sacred monasteries in Bhutan. Built by the Guru Rinpoche in 1652, it houses a rock with his body imprint. Legend has it that Guru Rimpoche manifested as a Garuda to defeat the demon Shelging Karpo who had taken the form of a white lion.

We will also visit Jambay Lhakhang, built in 659 by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo to pin down a demoness who was obstructing the spread of Buddhism. Come October, the Jambay Lhakhang Drup is one of the most colourful festivals in Bhutan.

In the afternoon, we will hike up to Thangbi Valley, crossing a suspension bridge to visit the Thangbi Lhakhang built in the 14th century via an unpaved road.

Ura Valley – One of the most tranquil and beautiful valley, Ura is a must visit valley in Bumthang. While in Ura visit the Ura Monastery and simply enjoy the meadows and the beautiful landscapes, the buck wheat and barley fields.

Ura Yakchoe Festival (First Day) : A long time ago, a old woman was visited by a lama. This Lama seemed very mysterious and all he asked from the old lady was a glass of water. The old lady being kind as she was, she went to fetch water and when she returned the Lama was nowhere to be found. But there was a sack outside her door steps. She opened the sack out of curiosity, she found out that there was a statue in the sack. The statue was no ordinary statue, for it was a relic. From that day onwards, the relic has been passed down from one generation to the other and today the same relic is displayed to the public during the festival.

The Valley of Phobjikha is well known as the winter home of the Black necked crane (Grus Nigricollis). Bhutan is home to around six hundred black necked cranes with Phobjikha being one of the popular places that the birds migrate to in the winter months from the Tibetan plateau. The elegant and shy birds can be observed from early November to end of March. Overlooking the Phobjikha valley is the Gangtey Gonpa. This is an old monastery that dates back to 17th century.

Another significant landmark in Phobjikha is the famous Gangtey Gonpa monastery, built in the 17th century. Today we will do some short hikes around the valley of Phobjikha.

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