9 Days Bhutan Tour

9 days in Bhutan is the threshold: the shortest trip that reaches Bumthang, the spiritual heartland where Guru Rinpoche left his body print in the rock at Kurjey and Bhutan's oldest temple has stood since the seventh century. The journey there is half the point - over Dochula to Punakha, across Pele La past Phobjikha's crane valley, through Trongsa's great fortress - a full west-to-centre transect of the kingdom. Two nights in Bumthang let you explore its four valleys and sacred sites without a watch in your hand. Choose this length if the Bhutan you're seeking is the old, holy one - and you're willing to earn it with some honest mountain driving. The Tiger's Nest hike still waits at the end, when you're strongest.

Tour Highlights

Ta Dzong - National Museum of Bhutan
Rinpung Dzong (Paro Dzong)
Tiger's Nest Monastery hike (2,600m to 3,100m)
Kyichu Lhakhang - 7th century temple
Buddha Dordenma - 51m tall statue
National Library & Folk Heritage Museum
Takin Preserve Center
School of 13 Arts and Crafts
Tashichho Dzong
Dochula Pass - 108 chortens (3,140m)
Chimi Lhakhang - Temple of Fertility
Punakha Dzong - Palace of Great Happiness
Phobjikha Valley - Black-necked Crane habitat
Gangtey Gompa
Trongsa Dzong - Royal ancestral home
Trongsa Museum (Ta Dzong)
Jakar Dzong - Castle of White Bird
Jambay Lhakhang - 7th century temple
Kurjey Lhakhang - Body print of Guru Rinpoche
Tamshing Lhakhang - Founded by Pema Lingpa
Burning Lake (Mebar Tsho)

Duration 9 Days

9 Days Bhutan Trip Cost

9 Days Bhutan Tour — 9 Days Bhutan Trip Cost by group size
Solo Traveler	$2,380
2 Pax	$2,040 per person
3 Pax or more	$1,960 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.

Your 9 days in Bhutan at a glance

Day 1: Arrival in Paro - Valley Exploration

Paro · Altitude 2,280m
Day 2: Paro to Thimphu - City Tour

Paro to Thimphu · 55 km · 1.5 hrs · Altitude 2,350m
Day 3: Thimphu to Punakha via Dochula Pass

Punakha (1,200m) · 77 km · 3 hrs
Day 4: Punakha to Phobjikha to Trongsa

Trongsa (2,180m) · 206 km · 7 hrs
Day 5: Trongsa to Bumthang Valley

Bumthang (2,580m) · 68 km · 2.5 hrs
Day 6: Bumthang Valley Sightseeing

Bumthang (2,580m) · Full day
Day 7: Bumthang to Thimphu

Bumthang to Thimphu · 270 km · 8 hrs · Altitude 2,320m
Day 8: Thimphu to Paro & Tiger's Nest Hike

Thimphu to Paro · 55 km + hike · 5-6 hrs hike · Altitude 3,120m
Day 9: Departure

Paro Airport (2,280m) · 65 km · 2 hrs

9 days Bhutan itinerary, day by day

Day 1: Arrival in Paro - Valley Exploration

Paro · Altitude 2,280m

You will be received by a representative from Byways Tours and Travels at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

After lunch, visit Ta Dzong, an ancient watchtower built in 1656, renovated in 1968, and converted into the National Museum of Bhutan. Then visit Rinpung Dzong (Paro Dzong), built in 1646 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. The Dzong currently houses the administrative offices of Paro District and a monastery. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: Paro to Thimphu - City Tour

Paro to Thimphu · 55 km | 1.5 hrs · Altitude 2,350m

After breakfast, drive from Paro to Thimphu (approximately 1.5 hours), stopping en route at Tamchog Lhakhang, the 15th-century temple of the famed iron-bridge builder Thangtong Gyalpo. On arrival, visit Buddha Dordenma, the tallest Buddha statue in the world at 51 meters. Then visit the National Library, which houses a vast collection of ancient Buddhist manuscripts, followed by the Folk Heritage Museum.

Continue to the Takin Preserve Center to see Bhutan's national animal, the Takin. Visit Zhulikha Nunnery and the School of 13 Arts and Crafts (Zorig Chusum), famous for traditional carving and freehand art. Here you will find students whose aptitude is more artistic than academic. Lunch will be served at a tourist restaurant in the city center.

After lunch, visit the authentic Bhutanese Craft Market and the Weekend Market. You may also visit an archery ground to watch archery matches if interested. In the evening, visit Tashichho Dzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion), built in 1641 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and reconstructed in 1961 by the Third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, known as the Father of Modern Bhutan. Enjoy an evening stroll around Thimphu City. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: Thimphu to Punakha via Dochula Pass

Thimphu to Punakha · 77 km | 3 hrs · Altitude 1,200m

After breakfast, drive to Punakha Valley via Dochula Pass (3,140m). We stop at the pass to admire the 108 memorial chortens, and if the weather is clear, you will enjoy spectacular views of the Himalayan ranges.

Upon reaching Punakha Valley, visit Chimi Lhakhang, also known as the Temple of Fertility, built by Lama Drukpa Kuenley (the Divine Madman) in the 15th century. Then visit Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, beautifully situated at the confluence of the Pho Chu (Male River) and Mo Chu (Female River). For many years until the reign of the second king, it served as Bhutan's capital. The construction was foretold by Guru Rinpoche, who predicted that a person named Namgyal would arrive at a hill resembling a sleeping elephant. The Zhabdrung ordered his architect, Zowe Palep, to sleep before a Buddha statue; in his dreams, the Zhabdrung took him to Zangtopelri (Paradise) and showed him Guru Rinpoche's palace. From this vision, the architect conceived the design, never committing it to paper. The Dzong was named Druk Pungthang Dechen Phodrang, meaning Palace of Great Happiness. Punakha remains the winter residence of the Chief Abbot (Je Khenpo), and King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk convened the first National Assembly here in 1952. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: Punakha to Phobjikha to Trongsa

Punakha to Phobjikha to Trongsa · 206 km | 7 hrs · Altitude 2,180m

After breakfast, drive to Trongsa via Phobjikha Valley. Along the way, stop to photograph the reconstruction of Wangduephodrang Dzong, which was destroyed by fire in 2012.

In Phobjikha, visit Gangtey Gompa, founded in 1613 by Gyaltse Pema Thinley, the grandson and mind reincarnation of Pema Lingpa. Then visit the Black-Necked Crane Center, where you can observe these rare migratory birds through telescopes. Black-necked cranes winter in Bhutan and return to the Tibetan Plateau in summer.

After lunch, continue driving to Trongsa. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 5: Trongsa to Bumthang Valley

Trongsa to Bumthang · 68 km | 2.5 hrs · Altitude 2,580m

After breakfast, visit Trongsa Dzong, built in 1643 by Chogyel Minjur Tempa, an official sent by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to unify eastern Bhutan. It was enlarged at the end of the 17th century by Desi Tenzin Rabgye. The official name is Chhoekhor Raptentse Dzong, also known as Choetse Dzong. Trongsa Dzong is the ancestral home of Bhutan's royal family—the first two hereditary kings ruled from here, and tradition dictates that the crown prince serve as Trongsa Penlop before ascending to the throne. The current king became Trongsa Penlop in 2004.

Then visit Ta Dzong (Trongsa Museum), an ancient watchtower converted into a museum. After lunch, drive to Bumthang Valley. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Bumthang Valley Sightseeing

Bumthang (2,580m) · Full day

After breakfast, visit Jakar Dzong (Castle of White Bird). Legend has it that when lamas assembled in 1549 to select a monastery site, a large white bird rose and settled on a hill spur—an important omen. The current structure was built in 1667 with a circumference of over 1,500 meters. Its official name is Yuelay Namgyal Dzong.

Visit Jambay Lhakhang, believed to have been built in 659 AD by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, the same day as Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro. Continue to Kurjey Lhakhang, named after the body print of Guru Rinpoche (Kur means body, Jey means print).

After lunch, visit Tamshing Lhakhang, established in 1501 by the great saint Pema Lingpa, who was born in Tang Valley of Bumthang. Also known as Tamshing Lhendup Chholing (Temple of Good Message), it is one of the most important Nyingma monasteries in the kingdom. Finally, visit the Burning Lake (Mebar Tsho). Stroll around the small town of Bumthang in the evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: Bumthang to Thimphu

Bumthang to Thimphu · 270 km | 8 hrs · Altitude 2,320m

Today is a long drive of approximately 8-9 hours. Have an early breakfast and depart for Thimphu. Lunch will be served en route. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: Thimphu to Paro & Tiger's Nest Hike

Thimphu to Paro · 55 km + hike | 5-6 hrs hike · Altitude 3,120m

After an early breakfast, drive from Thimphu back to Paro (approximately 1.5 hours). Then embark on an excursion to Tiger's Nest Monastery (Taktsang). The total distance is 7.4 km (4.5 miles) round trip and takes a minimum of 5 hours. The elevation at the starting point is 2,600m, and the monastery sits at 3,100m above sea level.

A 25-minute drive from the main town of Paro takes you to Satsam Chorten, where the trail begins. The path climbs through beautiful pine forests, with many trees festooned with Spanish moss and occasional groves of fluttering prayer flags. We stop for rest and refreshments at Taktsang Cafeteria, then continue until we see Tiger's Nest Monastery clearly within reach. The history dates back to the 8th century when Guru Rinpoche, a tantric master, flew to this place on the back of a flying tigress—said to be his Tibetan consort Yeshe Tsogyal—and meditated in a cave nearby. The temple was built in the 17th century by Penlop Gyaltse Tenzin Rabgye. This incredible monastery clings to the edge of a sheer cliff that plunges 600 meters into the valley below.

After lunch, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest Buddhist temples, built in 659 AD by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. In the evening, celebrate the journey with a farewell dinner in Paro. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 9: Departure

Thimphu to Paro Airport · 65 km | 2 hrs · Altitude 2,280m

Early morning, drive to Paro International Airport for your departure. Bid farewell to the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Tashi Delek!

What's Included & Excluded

Accommodation in 3* Hotels on twin sharing basis
All Three Meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner). Lunch will be served in a local Tourist Restaurant.
Daily Tariff.
Visa Fee.
Royalty and Government Taxes.
SDF (Sustainable Development Fee) of USD 100 per night per person, which directly goes towards free education, Free Healthcare and infrastructure development.
Transportation from receive till drop.
Museum and Monument fee.
Bottle Water in Car.
Sightseeing.
Guide.
Driver.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time of year to do the 9 day Bhutan tour?

Spring and autumn are the two windows most travellers choose. March to May brings the rhododendrons into bloom; October to December gives the clearest Himalayan views. Both carry the big tshechu festivals — Paro in March or April, Thimphu in September or October. Winter is quieter and colder but the valleys stay open, and the monsoon months are green and uncrowded. Our month-by-month guide breaks it down in detail.

How much does the 9 days Bhutan tour cost?

From US$1,960 per person for three or more travellers, US$2,040 each for two, and US$2,380 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. Nothing further is payable on arrival.

Is the Tiger's Nest hike included in the 9 days Bhutan tour?

Yes. The hike to Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) sits on your last full day, once you have had 8 nights to acclimatise. The round trip is about 7.4 km and takes roughly five hours including the tea-house stop.

Which places does the 8 nights / 9 days Bhutan tour cover?

Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjikha, Trongsa and Bumthang.

Can I visit Ura on a 9 days Bhutan tour?

Not in 9 days. Ura is reached on our 10 Days Bhutan Tour, the shortest itinerary that gets there.

Is the tour private or will I join a group?

Private. You travel with your own guide and driver, and your group is never merged with another.

Refund Terms and Conditions

More than 30 days before arrival: Full refund minus processing fees
15-30 days before arrival: 50% refund minus processing fees
7-14 days before arrival: 25% refund minus processing fees
Less than 7 days before arrival: No refund
No-shows: No refund
All cancellations must be made in writing via email

Note: We recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment against unforeseen circumstances.

Send Inquiry

Tell us your travel dates and we take care of the rest — visa, SDF, hotels, guide, transportation and permits.