| Solo Traveler | $2,480 |
|---|---|
| 2 Pax | $2,090 per person |
| 3 Pax or more | $1,990 per person |
What's included in the cost? What's included in the cost?
Nature of Tour: The tour will be a private tour, with your own guide and a Driver (which means your group will not join any other group).
Free & no obligation — we'll reply within 24 hours.
Paro (2,250m) – Thimphu (2,320m) · 54 km | 1 hr 30 mins
A warm welcome at Paro Airport from a representative of Byways Tours and Travels, then the drive to Thimphu.
After lunch, visit the 51-metre Buddha Dordenma statue, see Bhutan's national animal at the Takin Preserve Centre, explore a nunnery and the School of Traditional Arts, and shop at the local authentic Bhutanese craft market. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.
Thimphu (2,320m) – Punakha (1,242m) · 77 km | approx. 3 hrs incl. Dochula stop
Drive to Punakha over the scenic Dochula Pass (3,100m), which opens onto the Himalaya on a clear day.
Visit Chimi Lhakhang, the Temple of Fertility, and the magnificent Punakha Dzong, set between the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers. If time permits, walk across the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Punakha.
Punakha (1,242m) · two short hikes | approx. 1 hr + 1.5 hrs
After breakfast, a short drive along the Mo Chhu river brings you to the trailhead. Cross the suspension bridge hung with prayer flags and climb gently through rice terraces and pine forest, an easy walk of 45 minutes to an hour, to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, a four-storey monument dedicated to world peace. From its top terrace the whole upper valley opens out below you. Descend by the same route.
After lunch, drive to the Samdingkha area for the Samdingkha Nature Trail, a gentle hike through quiet farming hamlets and forested slopes with clear views over the Pho Chhu valley. It ends near the great suspension bridge, with Punakha Dzong at the confluence of the male and female rivers in front of you. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Punakha.
Punakha (1,242m) – Phobjikha (2,900m) · 78 km | 2.5 – 3 hrs
After breakfast, drive to the glacial Phobjikha Valley via Wangduephodrang, stopping to photograph Wangduephodrang Dzong from outside.
On arrival, visit Gangtey Gompa, the monastery founded in 1613 by Gyaltse Pema Thinley, grandson and mind reincarnation of Pema Lingpa, and later enlarged by his second reincarnation, Tenzin Legpai Dhendup. Then walk the Gangtey Nature Trail, about 5 km and an hour and a half, one of the most beautiful and relaxing walks in the valley: meadows, traditional villages and the mountains all round.
Continue to the Black-Necked Crane Information Centre to learn about the rare cranes that winter here from the Tibetan plateau, and watch them through the telescopes when they are in the valley; two injured cranes live beside the centre year round. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Phobjikha.
Phobjikha (2,900m) – Thimphu (2,320m) · 129 km | 3.5 – 4.5 hrs
After breakfast, return to Thimphu the way you came. Lunch in Thimphu.
In the afternoon, hike to Wangdue Tse Lhakhang: 3.5 km round trip, about two hours and twenty minutes including photographs and the temple visit, an easy trail suited to anyone who enjoys walking. The path climbs through pine forest to a small hilltop temple with wide views over the Thimphu valley, a quiet counterpoint to the town below. If time permits, visit Tashichho Dzong in the evening. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.
Thimphu (2,320m) – Phajoding (3,700m) · 10 – 11 km round trip | 6 – 7 hrs incl. breaks
The big hike of the trip, and a moderate one: mostly uphill to the monastery and a long descent back, starting above the Motithang Takin Preserve or from Sangaygang below the BBS tower.
The trail climbs through forests of blue pine, oak, spruce and rhododendron, with the views over Thimphu widening as you rise and, on a clear day, distant Himalayan peaks beyond. Phajoding Monastery dates from the 13th century and is associated with the Buddhist master Phajo Drugom Zhigpo; its temples, meditation sites and monks' quarters sit high above the valley, and there is time to rest and look around before the walk down. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.
Thimphu (2,320m) – Paro (2,250m) · 54 km | 1 hr 30 mins
After breakfast, visit the National Library, with its collection of ancient Buddhist manuscripts, and the Folk Heritage Museum.
After lunch, drive to Paro and visit Ta Dzong, the watchtower built in 1656, restored in 1968 and now the National Museum of Bhutan, then Rinpung Dzong, built in 1646 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and still home to Paro's district offices and a monastery. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Paro.
Paro (2,250m) – Tiger's Nest (3,120m) · 7.4 km round trip | approx. 5 hours
In the morning, hike to the iconic Tiger's Nest Monastery, 7.4 km round trip and about five hours, depending on your pace and how long you rest.
After lunch, if time permits, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest temples, then enjoy a complimentary hot stone bath in a farmhouse. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Paro.
If you would like, we can arrange your final lunch in a farmhouse.
Paro Airport (2,250m)
According to your flight schedule, drive to the airport for your departure and bid farewell to the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Tashi Delek!
Five of the six are easy: Khamsum Yulley is 45 minutes to an hour uphill, Samdingkha and the Gangtey Nature Trail are gentle valley walks, and Wangdue Tse is 3.5 km round trip. Phajoding is the one moderate day, 10 to 11 km with about 1,400 metres of climbing and a long descent, six to seven hours with breaks. Tiger's Nest on day eight is 7.4 km round trip in about five hours. Anyone comfortable walking uphill for a few hours manages all of them at their own pace, and every hike can be shortened or skipped on the day.
The nine-day Bhutan hiking tour costs US$1,990 per person for three or more travellers, US$2,090 each for two, and US$2,480 travelling solo. Those are all-inclusive figures: the Sustainable Development Fee of US$100 per person per night, US$800 across your eight nights, and the one-off US$40 visa fee are already inside them, along with 3-star hotels, all meals, a guide, driver and private transport. The hikes carry no extra charge. Nothing further is payable on arrival.
The 9 Days Bhutan Tour spends its extra days driving east to Trongsa and Bumthang. This itinerary stays in the four western valleys and spends them on foot instead: two hikes in Punakha, the Gangtey trail, Wangdue Tse and a full day to Phajoding, with less time in the car overall.
October to December for the clearest skies and views from Phajoding and Dochula, and March to May for rhododendrons along the forest trails. Winter is cold but dry, with the black-necked cranes in Phobjikha from November to February. The monsoon months, June to August, bring rain and leeches on the trails and are the ones to avoid for this itinerary. Our month-by-month guide has the detail.
Yes, on day eight, once you have had seven nights to acclimatise and five easier walks to warm up on. The round trip is about 7.4 km and takes roughly five hours including the tea-house stop.
Private. You travel with your own guide and driver, and your group is never merged with another.
Note: We recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment against unforeseen circumstances.
Tell us your travel dates and we take care of the rest — visa, SDF, hotels, guide, transportation and permits.
| Solo Traveler | $2,480 |
|---|---|
| 2 Pax | $2,090 per person |
| 3 Pax or more | $1,990 per person |
What's included in the cost? What's included in the cost?
Nature of Tour: The tour will be a private tour, with your own guide and a Driver (which means your group will not join any other group).
Free & no obligation — we'll reply within 24 hours.
Note: We recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment against unforeseen circumstances.
