Royal Highland Festival

Upon arrival in Paro International Airport, please have your visa ready with your passport. After immigration and customs, exit the airport and you will be greeted by your guide and driver.

We will take approximately an hour drive to the Capital, Thimphu. On the way we will pause to cross the beautiful Paro Chhu (Paro river) on a very old but sturdy iron chain bridge near Tachog Lhakhang. 

 Today journey eastwards takes us to the Gasa valley over the most beautiful Dochula pass and as we ascend the mountain of pine forests, we will reach 3,050m above sea level. This is where we will find 108 memorial chortens also known as the Druk Wangyal Chortens. On a clear day, the entire eastern Himalayan range is laid before us. From here, we will continue our drive for 1.5 hours and arrive in Punakha valley.

After breakfast, drive for about 2 hrs drive,

1st Day of The Royal Highland Festival is an annual event held in the town of Laya, which is located in the Gasa district of Bhutan. The festival is a celebration of the unique culture, beauty and wonders of Gasa Dzongkhag and the life of Highlanders in Bhutan. The festival showcases the natural beauty, rich history, and traditional culture of Gasa Dzongkhag, promoting its vision of “Good to Great Gasa” and sharing the authenticity and simplicity of highland life with guests.

Laya Exploration: Explore around Laya village. You can go and visit any of the houses around. Even to a perfect stranger, traditional Bhutanese hospitality is extended and a cup of tea and Chang (local wine) is always offered. The people in this valley are very interesting especially the women. They wear conical bamboo hats decorated with turquoise and silver ornaments.

Overnight – Camp

The trail winds up and down along the river valley of Mo Chhu avoiding natural obstacles and affording breath-taking views of the raging river, feeder streams and waterfalls. Lots of ups and downs will lead you to Kohi Lapcha at 3.300 m. The trek then drops down to the large stream of Koina Chhu, where you will find the campsite of Koina. From Koina we drive is around 2 hrs back to Gasa.

Overnight – Camp

Journey same way back passing by the various villages and settlements on the way. The drive is beautiful through idyllic countryside past agricultural fields and sub tropical forest with waterfalls on the way into Punakha valley.

Overnight Hotel

 Morning: Hike up to Khamsum Yulluey Namgyal Chorten, through a scenic trail that winds through rice fields and past traditional bhutanese farmhouses. The hike takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on one’s pace. Along the way, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the Punakha Valley and the surrounding mountains. The four-story temple that sits on a hill overlooking the Punakha Valley. It is adorned with intricate carvings and paintings that depict various Buddhist deities and symbols. The temple is also home to a large prayer

wheel, which visitors can spin for good luck and blessings. Punakha Dzong: After lunch, we visit the majestic fortress situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Pho Chhu (male river) and Mo Chhu (female river), which adds to its scenic beauty. Punakha Dzong is one of the most iconic landmarks in Bhutan and serves as the administrative center of Punakha district.  The Dzong was built in 1637 on a strategic location to protect Bhutan from Tibetan invasions and served as the seat of government until the mid-20th century under the leadership of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of Bhutan. Today, it is a popular tourist destination and a living example of Bhutanese architecture and culture.

our journey back west to Paro.  The valley also boasts the most charming town, which is adjacent to the famous Paro Dzong (also known as Rinpung Dzong), where some scenes of the film, Little Buddha, were filmed. The journey will take about 4 hours in total with a couple of stops to punctuate the long journey.

The drive continues westwards for about an hour until we arrive at Dochula for a second chance to see the impressive eastern Himalayan range. From here, we descend for around 45 minutes back into Thimphu.

After lunch, we will visit Buddha Dordenma Statue at Buddha Point, one of the largest and tallest Sitting Buddha statues in the world, at 169 feet, located on the remains of Kuensel Phodrang Palace, the 13th Druk Desi’s palace, overlooking the capital city Thimphu.

If time permits, we can also visit the Paper Factory that uses the traditional method of making papers using the daphne Plant.

we will continue for an hour drive to Paro and take a stroll through Paro Town.

With early start this morning, we will drive to the starting point and begin our hike by 07:00hrs. to the Monastery, one of the Bhutan’s most revered monuments. The legend states that Guru Rinpoche flew to the place on a mythical tigress and meditated in a cave before bringing Buddhism to Bhutan. The Taktsang Goemba is built around the cave, which is opened to the public once a year at the 30th of the 5th month of the Bhutanese calendar. The monastery hangs at 900m on the side of a cliff and the hike takes about 4–5 hours roundtrip.

After descending, a typical farm house lunch awaits.

Breakfast at your lodge.
We will drive for about 20 minutes to the airport for your flight to Singapore.