Central Bhutan Tour
Central Bhutan Tour
Central Bhutan Tour

Central Bhutan Tour

Duration9 Days
Trip GradeEasy
CountryNepal
Group Size1-12
StartsThimpu
EndsThimpu
ActivitiesTour
Best TimeMarch to May & Sep to Dec

Central Bhutan Tour Trip highlights

  • Visit the most famous places in Central Bhutan; Thimpu, Punakha/Wangdue, Bumthang & Paro
  • Sightseeing at the most important landmarks, Dzongs & markets
  • Explore ancient Buddhist Monasteries
  • Sightsee at the world-famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Paro
  • An All-Inclusive tour with private transportation (as per itinerary)

Central Bhutan Tour Trip Overview

Discover the best places to visit in Bhutan with Nepal Trekking Routes’ 9-day Central Bhutan Tour. As one of the most popular tours in Bhutan, you’ll be able to explore all over the Central Valley including Bhutan’s capital city Thimpu, and the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery! Possible to book the whole year around, this tour in Bhutan is suitable for young and old. Visit the country of the Thunder Dragon and book today the Central Bhutan tour of 9 days with Nepal Trekking Routes!

Sightseeing in Thimpu, Bhutan

The start of the Central Bhutan tour takes place after a scenic landing at Paro’s international airport. At the arrival section, our Nepal Trekking Routes guide as well as our local Bhutanese guide will be awaiting you. After a short meet & greet, we head to your private vehicle which is included in the Central Bhutan tour package, and prepare for a short drive to Thimpu. As the capital of Bhutan, Thimpu has a lot of sightseeing places. While you must be wary of a journey to Bhutan, we plan to go sightseeing for a full day in Thimpu the next day.

It’s your first morning on the Central Bhutan tour, and we have lots of places to visit! Our team will give an earlier wake-up call and make sure that your breakfast is ready by the time you are ready. For our first stop during the Thimpu sightseeing tour we visit the iconic and possibly most visible landmark the city has to offer, the Memorial Chorten! Followed by a visit to the over-fifty-year-old Zilukha Nunnery and a visit to the Takin Sanctuary. Here you get to see a one-of-a-kind animal and the national animal of Bhutan.

Now approaching midday we head over to the Institute of Medicinal Services and the Cultural Textile and Heritage Museum. After a full half-day of sightseeing at some of Thimpu’s best sightseeing places, you must be hungry! We have a delicious Bhutanese lunch before continuing on the tour of Bhutan’s capital city. In the afternoon we head on to the Traditional School of Arts & Crafts and lastly, we explore the old Tashichho Dzong monastery. What a day! In the evening a delicious Bhutanese dinner awaits us. The next day we depart Thimpu and head on with the Central Bhutan Tour.

Punakha, the old capital and Bumthang

It takes a few hours to drive to the old capital of Bhutan, Punakha. Along the way, we stop at the iconic and scenic Dochu La Mountain Pass. At an elevation of 3,150m/10,335ft, this Pass offers excellent vantage points over the surrounding mountains and valley. Continuing with our journey, we reach Punakha just about lunchtime.
Having checked into your hotel in Punakha and having enjoyed a delicious lunch, we go sightseeing around our second city during the tour around Central Bhutan. First, we visit the second largest and oldest Dzong in Bhutan. Located at the river, which is also used for rafting the Punakha Dzong is one of the most beautiful landmarks in Bhutan! Afterward, we visit the Temple of Fertility or the Chhimi Lhakhang. Depending on your interest we can also visit the evening markets of Wangdue before returning to the hotel in Punakha for dinner and overnight.

We leave Punakha in the morning after breakfast and head for Bumthang. The drive is incredibly scenic and we drive across our second Mountain Pass the Pele La (3,420m/11,221ft). Before reaching Bumthang we stop at Trongsa to visit the Nepal Swayambunath Stupa’s Chendebji Chorten and the Trongsa Dzong, another highlight of the Central Bhutan tour. It’ll be too late to go exploring once we reach Bumthang and after checking into the hotel we take dinner and prepare to overnight. Exploring around the four valleys of Bumthang is incredible! There are three important monasteries or Lhakangs spread around Bumthang. We take the whole day to explore the central valley of Bhutan and visit the Kurje, Jampay, and Tamshing Lhakangs. In the evening we head back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Journey back and sightseeing in Paro

It’ll take two days to reach back at Paro. We drive back the way we came from and make an overnight stop at Thimpu once more. During this day and night, we suggest going exploring around the markets for the last time you might find some nice souvenirs you must. On day 6 of the Central Bhutan tour, we drive back to Paro, after visiting the Tibetan Refugee Village of Honshu. We’’ reach back around lunch and take the rest of the day free for self-exploration or rest.

The next day morning, after breakfast we have another major highlight of the Central Bhutan tour. We go to visit the famous Taktsang Monastery, iconic and one of Bhutan’s most impressive monasteries. The Tiger’s Nest Monastery is located on top of a cave entrance on the side of the mountain! The hike up takes a few hours, and for those less fit, ponies can be hired to head up the ridge to the monastery. After taking our time exploring around this huge and most impressive Buddhist Monastery Complex we head back to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon we go sightseeing at the old ruined fort called the Drukgyel Dzong and visit the Kyichu Monastery.

This is Bhutan’s oldest monastery said to guard various spiritual and cultural masterpieces! In the late afternoon, we head back to the hotel. As per your interest Nepal Trekking Routes does recommend taking the chance and visiting the old markets of Paro as well as it is your last night during the Central Bhutan tour. We have dinner and overnight at your hotel in Paro. The next day we head back to the airport and conclude the Central Bhutan tour of 9 days. See the best of Bhutan and book today with Nepal Trekking Routes!

Itinerary
Trip PlanExpand All
  • Arrival at the international airport in Paro
  • Meet our representative with your local guide
  • Drive via private car around 1hr30min to Thimpu
  • Arrive at Thimpu and hotel check in
  • The rest of the evening is free at leisure
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Thimpu

 

Meals: DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Enjoy an early hotel breakfast
  • Guided sightseeing tour around Thimpu:
  • Visit the Memorial Chorten
  • Visit the Zilukha Nunnery
  • Visit the Takin Sanctuary
  • Visit the Institute of Medicinal Services
  • Lunch
  • Visit the Textile and Heritage Museum
  • Visit the Traditional School of Arts & Crafts
  • Visit the Tashichho Dzong
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Thimpu

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Early hotel breakfast and check out
  • Drive up to famous Dochu La Mountain Pass
  • Stop and check out the incredible views from the Pass
  • Continue the drive to Punakha
  • Hotel check in and lunch
  • Guided sightseeing tour around Punakha
  • Visit the famous Punakha Dzong
  • Visit the Chhimi Lhakhang (The temple of fertility)
  • Drive back to your hotel
  • If you want you can visit the late markets or bazaars of Wangdue
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Punakha/Wangdue

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Hotel breakfast and check out
  • Scenic drive via the Pele La Pass
  • Pass by Rukubji and En villages
  • Stop at the Chendebji Chorten
  • Arrive at Trongsa + visit the Trongsa Dzong
  • Drive on to Bumthang
  • Arrive and hotel check in
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Bumthang

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Hotel breakfast
  • Bunthang village tour
  • Visit the 3 Lhakhangs surrounding Bumthang:
  • Visit the Kurje Lhakhang
  • Visit the Jampay Lhakang
  • Visit the Tamshing Lhakang
  • Drive back to the hotel
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Bumthang

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Hotel breakfast and check out
  • Drive back to Thimpu
  • Cross the Pele La Pass again
  • Continue on back to the Dochu La Pass
  • Drive further back to the capital city Thimpu
  • Hotel check in
  • Enjoy your last evening in the capital at leisure
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Thimpu

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Hotel breakfast and check out
  • Visit the Hontsho Tibetan Refugee Village
  • Drive back to Paro for about 1hrs30min
  • Hotel check in rest of the day is at leisure
  • Explore around the evening markets of Paro at leisure
  • Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Paro

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel
  • Hotel breakfast
  • Visit the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Taktsang) in the morning
  • Guided sightseeing tour around Paro:
  • Visit the Drukgyel Dzong
  • Visit the Kyichu Monastery
  • Explore around old town and the markets of Paro
  • Drop off at hotel
  • Dinner and last overnight at your hotel in Paro

 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerAccommodation: Hotel

Hotel breakfast and check out

Transfer to the international airport

Nepal Trekking Routes hopes you enjoyed the Central Bhutan Tour of 9 days and hopes to see you again for another adventure soon

Meals: Breakfast
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FAQs

In our opinion the best time to book the Central Bhutan tour, would be during spring. Bhutan is known for its iconic green valley’s amidst Rocky Mountains. During the spring season all the wild flowers start to bloom transforming the landscape into a colorful paradise!

Due to the Tourism Royalty Fee also known as the Sustainable Development Fee, tourist from Non-SAARC Countries are required to pay 250$ USD a day to visit Bhutan. While expensive this cost includes all accommodation, 3 meals, a private vehicle and local guide as well as entry fees to sightseeing landmarks.

While a small country, Bhutan is filled with religious, historical, natural and cultural landmarks. One day is not enough to visit them all! So what are the most interesting places to visit in Bhutan?

Thimpu:

Memorial Chorten

Takin Sanctuary

Traditional School of Arts & Crafts

Tashichho Dzong

Punakha:

Dochu La Mountain Pass

Punakha Dzong

Chhimi Lhakhang

Bumthang:

Pele La Pass

Chendebji Chorten

Kurje Lhakhang

Jampay Lhakang

Tamshing Lhakang

Paro:

Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Taktsang)

Drukgyel Dzong

Kyichu Monastery

All of these interesting sightseeing spots are visited during our Central Bhutan tour.

No unfortunately you can’t. Bhutan has strict rules regarding tourism and the only way to get entry is to book via a licensed and authorized agency such as Nepal Trekking Routes. A package in Bhutan covers all expenses as per the itinerary, except for personal expenditures.

All hotels have service charge included into their rates and while you are not required to tip during the Central Bhutan tour, you can always leave some donations at the monasteries or tip your guide and driver for a service well done. Ultimately it is your choice if you wish to tip during the Central Bhutan tour.

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