7 nights / 8 days · Kingdom of Bhutan

Bhutan with Gangtey and the Phobjikha Valley

Four valleys in seven nights, including a night at Phobjikha, the glacial valley where the black-necked cranes winter.

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Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Where you stay: Thimphu → Punakha → Phobjikha → Paro
Style: Multi-city

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About this trip

The longest programme, and the only one that reaches Phobjikha. It runs the familiar spine — Thimphu, over Dochula to Punakha, then west to Paro and Taktsang — and inserts a night at Gangtey between the Punakha days and the drive back.

Phobjikha lies on the western side of the Black Mountains and is the winter roost of the black-necked crane. Gangtey Goenpa stands on a hillock rising out of the valley floor, the only Nyingmapa monastery on that side of the range, surrounded by the village of the 140 gomchens who look after it; the annual Black-Necked Crane festival is held in its courtyard, with masked dance and folk song. The nature trail runs from the mani stone wall north of the monastery down to Khewa Lhakhang in around 45 minutes to an hour through pine and dwarf bamboo, and the visitor centre at the wetland edge keeps a telescope and spotting scopes on the roost.

What you go for

A night at Phobjikha and the Gangtey nature trail
The Black-Necked Crane Visitor Centre and its spotting scopes
Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten and the Punakha nunnery
Tashichhodzong in Thimphu, rebuilt without nails or plans

The route

Day by day

Times are the operator's planned schedule. They shift with the season, the light and the traffic on the day.

Day 1
Arrive Paro, transfer to Thimphu
Overnight: Thimphu
Morning
The mountain approach
On a clear day one of the more remarkable arrivals in aviation, along the range from Kathmandu or over the foothills from Kolkata. Our representative meets you after immigration and customs, and the road runs across to Thimphu.
Buddha Point (Kuensel Phodrang)
A short drive from the city centre for the panoramic view down the valley — the Buddha Dordenma statue, Simthokha Dzong, and Thimphu itself below.
Evening
Dinner and rest at the hotel.
Day 2
Thimphu sightseeing
Overnight: Thimphu
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel.
Simply Bhutan
The recently commissioned museum of the Bhutanese architecture modernisation has been eroding, with the older ways of living staged through it.
Memorial Chorten
The stupa raised for Bhutan’s third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who is regarded as the father of the modern country. The paintings and statues inside are the clearest introduction to Buddhist philosophy on this itinerary.
Afternoon
Textile Museum and the Craft Bazaar
After lunch, weaving set out by technique and by the styles of local dress, then the Craft Bazaar and its hand-woven textiles and craft products.
Tashichhodzong
Fortress of the glorious religion — the seat of government, the throne room, and the office of the Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot. Built in 1641 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and rebuilt in the 1960s in the traditional manner, without nails and without architectural plans.
Evening
Dinner and overnight in Thimphu.
Day 3
Over Dochula to Punakha
Overnight: Punakha
Morning
Breakfast, then the drive east over the pass.
Dochula Pass
The 108 Druk Wangyal chortens in tiers at the top of the climb.
Chimi Lhakhang
The temple of fertility on a hillock in the centre of the valley, reached on foot through the village and the fields.
Afternoon
Punakha Dzong, then the bridge
The dzong was built in 1637 at the junction of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, to serve as the religious and administrative centre of the region. The suspension bridge below it runs roughly 520 feet over the Tsang Chu to Shengana, Samdingkha and Wangkha, dressed end to end in prayer flags.
Evening
Check in at your hotel in Punakha. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 4
A full day in Punakha
Overnight: Punakha
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel.
Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten
Two hours on foot for the hike up and back. The chorten stands on the hill above the Punakha valley, built by the Queen Mother to head off negative forces and carry peace and harmony to all living beings, and laid out on principles taken from scripture rather than from an engineering manual. The golden spire and the wall patterns are the detail worth the climb.
Afternoon
Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang
A nunnery on a pine ridge above the Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang valleys, holding a fourteen-foot bronze Avalokiteshvara made by Bhutanese artisans. The complex is also a permanent higher-learning centre for nuns, teaching tailoring, embroidery, statue making and thangka painting alongside religious training, and you can talk to them about the day they keep.
Evening
Dinner and overnight in Punakha.
Day 5
Punakha to Gangtey
Overnight: Phobjikha
Morning
Breakfast, then the drive to Gangtey.
Gangtey Goenpa
A monastery on a small hill rising from the valley floor, the only Nyingmapa monastery on the western side of the Black Mountains, with the village of the 140 gomchens who look after it around it. Its courtyard hosts the annual Black-Necked Crane festival, with masked dance and folk song, when the birds return to winter at Phobjikha.
Afternoon
Gangtey nature trail
Around 45 minutes to an hour on foot, from the mani stone wall north of the monastery down through pine and small bamboo to Khewa Lhakhang, along the crane roosting ground with the lower Phobjikha valley in view. It is the shortest of Bhutan’s nature trails and the most beautiful, and early-arriving cranes can sometimes be picked out on the roost from the path.
Black-Necked Crane Visitor Centre
On the edge of the forest and wetland along the valley road, with an observation room, a high-power telescope and spotting scopes trained on the roost, and displays on the natural and cultural history of the valley. A small shop sells handicrafts made locally.
Evening
Dinner and overnight at Phobjikha.
Day 6
Gangtey to Paro
Overnight: Paro
Morning
Breakfast, then the drive back to Paro, descending from Dochula on the way.
Afternoon
Ta Dzong and Rinpung Dzong
After checking in at Paro, the watchtower that now holds the National Museum, then Rinpung Dzong below it — fortress of the heap of jewels.
Evening
Dinner and overnight in Paro.
Day 7
Hike to the Tiger’s Nest
Overnight: Paro
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel.
Full day
Taktsang Monastery
A full-day excursion to the monastery on the side of a cliff 900 metres above the Paro valley floor, known everywhere as the Tiger’s Nest. Allow five to five and a half hours on foot for the round trip.
Evening
Paro main street
An exploratory walk through the market area and the shops along the main street.
Day 8
Departure
Morning
Early breakfast, then the drive to Paro airport for your onward flight. Our representative runs through the exit formalities.

Where you stay

Hotel options

Pick a line and the whole trip is costed against it, so you can see what the difference actually buys.

3★ Deluxe
- Thimphu — Lhayuel Hotel, 2 nights
- Punakha — White Dragon, 2 nights
- Phobjikha — Phobjikha Resort, 1 night
- Paro — Taktshang Village Lodge, 2 nights
Quoted on enquiry
4★ Deluxe
- Thimphu — SEVA Hotel, 2 nights
- Punakha — Lobesa Boutique, 2 nights
- Phobjikha — Pinewood Resort, 1 night
- Paro — Tashi Namgay Resort, 2 nights
Quoted on enquiry
5★ Deluxe
- Thimphu — Le Meridien, 2 nights
- Punakha — Dhensa Boutique, 2 nights
- Phobjikha — Taj Gangtey Resort & Spa, 1 night
- Paro — Le Meridien, 2 nights
Quoted on enquiry

Per person, twin share. Land only — international flights are not included. Rates move with the season, the number of you travelling and the hotel line you choose, so we confirm the final figure against your dates before anything is booked.

The detail

What is included

Included

Seven nights — two in Thimphu, two in Punakha, one at Phobjikha, two in Paro — on the hotel line you choose above.
Accommodation as set out in the hotel options above.
All transfers and sightseeing as set out in the day-by-day.
An accompanying English-speaking guide throughout.
Meals on a MAP basis: breakfast and dinner daily.
Two 500ml bottles of mineral water per person, per day.
Private vehicle sized to the party — an SUV for two travelling, a Toyota HiRoof for three to six, a Toyota Coaster for seven to fifteen.

Not included

Airfare and airport taxes.
Entrance fees at the sights named in the day-by-day.
Lunch.
Tea and snacks.
Beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Insurance of any kind, and medical expenses.
Expenses of a personal nature — tipping, laundry, telephone and fax calls, camera and video fees.

Meal upgrades

Half board as standard: Every programme is quoted on MAP: breakfast and dinner daily. Full board is not offered on any of the five.
Lunch, tea and snacks: Not included on any of the five programmes, including on the days where the itinerary names a lunch stop. There is no published add-on rate, so we quote them with the package.
Beverages: Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks sit outside the package price on every programme.

Entry rules, tourism taxes and health requirements change without notice and depend on your passport. Everything above is confirmed by our operations desk before your booking is finalised.

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