Arrive in Bangkok in the late afternoon on suggested flights and transfer to the airport hotel (included in tour price). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel) and accommodation before or after the tour.

At 19:00, join your tour leader Alex McKay and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing at the hotel.

Depart Bangkok in the early morning on a Bhutan Airlines flight to Paro, Bhutan (flight included in tour price).

Upon arrival in Paro, visit the majestic fortress-monastery of Rinpung Dzong, built in 1646 under Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unifier of Bhutan. Continue to the National Museum of Bhutan, Ta Dzong, which served as a watchtower to protect the Rinpung Dzong. The museum showcases a diverse collection of Bhutanese artefacts, including religious items, historical documents and examples of traditional arts and crafts.

After lunch, travel to Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, a vibrant city with an exciting blend of tradition and modernity. En route, visit the Memorial Chorten, considered the most sacred of religious landmarks in Bhutan.

Tonight, dinner is at the hotel’s restaurant.

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This morning, travel to Dechenphu monastery to experience the Dechenphu Tshechu, Buthan’s sacred annual festival to honour the guardian deity Gay Ngyen Jakpa Melen. The festival features traditional cham dances and sacred rituals, and is the only day of the year when foreign visitors are permitted into the temple’s courtyard.

Return to the hotel for lunch before visiting the Royal Textile Academy, which showcases Bhutan’s achievements in fabric arts.

In the evening, join Alex for a talk, followed by dinner at the hotel.

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Today, gain insight into Bhutan’s unique blend of spiritual and secular life and visit a monk’s assembly, or monastic body, in Taba. It’s a cornerstone of Bhutanese society and deeply intertwined with the nation’s governance and spiritual life.

Then, visit the Choki School of Traditional Arts, a unique institution dedicated to preserving and promoting the country’s intricate techniques and timeless traditions of Bhutanese artistry.

In the evening, attend a talk at the hotel, followed by dinner.

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After breakfast, visit the faculty of traditional medicine, the only training institute that offers education in ‘Sowa Rigpa’, the traditional Bhutanese medicine. Then, depart Thimphu on a remarkable drive over the high mountain pass of Dochu La, located at an altitude of 3,100 metres. On the prolific hillside at the top of the pass is a congregation of 108 memorial chortens around a temple. Weather permitting, enjoy panoramic views of the eastern Himalayas, including Bhutan’s highest mountain, Gangkhar Puensum (7,570 metres).

The road then drops down through lush forest, finally emerging into the highly-cultivated Punakha Valley, the old winter capital of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan until 1955 when the seat of government was moved to Thimphu under the modernising reforms of the third Dragon King. On arrival, explore Punakha Dzong, considered to be the most beautiful and historically important Dzong in Bhutan.

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Depart Punakha and cross the Black Mountains range that divides western from central Bhutan, then descend the Pele La pass, marked by prayer flags. Stop at the beautiful 18th century Nepali-style Chendebji Chorten. Continue through hillsides of dwarf bamboos, lush pasturelands and evergreen forests.

Upon arrival in Trongsa, stop at Ta-Dzong, a watchtower and defensive fortress once pivotal in defending Bhutan, now a museum of Buddhism and Bhutan’s Wangchuk dynasty.

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In the morning, visit Trongsa Dzong, the ancestral home of Bhutan’s monarch, where novice monks are often found reciting mantras or practising on sacred red horns, flutes or drums. Admire the solidity and strength of the Dzong’s traditional architecture and its superb wall-paintings.

Travel over the picturesque Yotong La pass and down into the Chumey Valley, home of Bhutan’s famous Yatra weaving and traditional textiles.

Visit Jambay Lhakhang, or the ‘Temple of the Maitreya’, said to be one of the 108 temples built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE on a single day, to pin down the body of a demoness who lay across the Himalayas.

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Spend the day at the Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival, a religious celebration honouring the completion of the temple in Bumthang in the 7th century. Witness the most spectacular part of the festival, a fire blessing ceremony, where a structure is set alight and through which the local people run in order to wash away their sins.

Return to the hotel in the late-afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

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Today, drive through the stunningly beautiful Tang Valley, the most remote of Bumthang’s regions. This seldom-visited valley has some off-the-beaten-track lhakhangs (temples) and monasteries. Visit the museum at Ogyen Choling Palace, an aristocratic mansion that has been transformed into a folk museum with a fascinating collection of domestic and defensive artefacts. This is the ancestral home of Kunzang Choden, one of Bhutan’s most celebrated writers and intellectuals.

Stop at Membar Tsho, a small freshwater lake and sacred pilgrimage site also known as Burning Lake.

This evening, after a talk by Alex, enjoy dinner at the hotel.

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Depart Bumthang on an included early-morning domestic flight to Paro, Bhutan’s second largest city.

On arrival, visit the small Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang, an unusual Buddhist temple in the form of a chorten. Dating to the 14th century and attributed to Chaksampa, the “Iron bridge builder”, it features an outstanding range of wall-paintings of early Indian Buddhist “magicians”.

Then visit the auspicious Kyichu Lhakhang, a sacred monument said to pin down the left foot of a treacherous demoness and another of the 108 temples built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in 659 CE.

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Today, take the opportunity to hike up to one of Bhutan’s most revered monuments, Taktsang, more commonly referred to as the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, one of the great Himalayan architectural masterpieces. Built on the side of a mountain overlooking the Paro Valley, it is an ancient site connected to great Buddhist masters such as Milarepa and Guru Rinpoche. This optional four-hour trek offers spectacular views of this sacred monastery perched on a cliff face 900 metres above the valley floor.

Please note: this is a strenuous activity and should only be undertaken if you are confident about your physical ability to do this.

The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to explore Paro at your own pace. Consider visiting Ka Ja Throm, the farmers’ market gifted by His Majesty the King to the people of Paro.

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Today, return to Thimphu for a few hours to see a different side of the city. Visit

the Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory to see how the paper traditionally used for scriptures, lampshades and other handicrafts is created.

Explore Norzin Lam Street, where Bhutanese come from all over to shop for handcrafted wares. Back in Paro, visit the market with its bustling stalls selling everything from fresh produce to textiles and souvenirs.

Tonight, celebrate the conclusion of the tour with a special farewell dinner with Alex and fellow travellers.

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After an early breakfast, transfer to Paro Airport for a Bhutan Airlines flight to Bangkok (flight included in tour price). Tour arrangements conclude upon arrival at Bangkok airport.

Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

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Note: Festival programs
The Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival program will be released a few weeks prior to the events. Therefore, while we undertake to operate the visits to sites and events as published, the order of the visits is subject to change.