Punakha Domchoe Tour

Package Overview

Main Highlights of Punakha Domchoe : Punakha festival consists of typical masked dances which are very colourful and interesting, the events and enactments are different on each day. Punakha Dromchoe is a five day long festival dedicated to the goddess Mahakala. The religious aspects are performed in the same manner as in early times. On the last day, a play of warriors going off to war is enacted.
Date of this festival : Falls in February - March every year (ref festival calendar of Bhutan).

Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrive Paro

  Arrive at Paro : You will be received by your tour guide from Bhutan Aries Tours & Treks at the Paro International Airport.
  
  After the refreshment, visit the Ta Dzong rated as one of the finest natural Museum in the South Asia, and is filled with antique thanka paintings, textiles, weapons and Armour. Then visit the Rinpung Dzong (in the same location) built in 1645 to defend the valley against Tibetan invaders. The Dzong is now used as an administration center and school for monks. Then walk down to Rimpung Dzong Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Bhutan.
  
  In the evening, travel to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Dinner and Overnight at hotel in Thimphu.

  • Hotspots Rinpung Dzong
• Day 2 : Thimphu Sightseeing

  In the morning visit :
  

  • National Textile Museum which is a good place to see the art of traditional weaving being kept alive and preserved through exhibition and has a good collection of old Bhutanese textiles which are rich in colors and designs. You will also see people weaving with intricate designs.
  • The National Institute of Traditional Medicine (outside only), where medicinal herbs are compounded and dispensed, and traditional medical practitioners trained.
  • The folk heritage museum, an outdoor museum that gives an insight into rural life.
  • The School of Traditional Painting of Arts and Crafts where students undertake a six - year course on the 13th traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan which includes painting, embroidery works, wood carving etc.
  • Drive to see the Takin Preserve, which houses the national animal the Takin that is only found in Bhutan. This is an extremely rare member of the goat family. Found in herds in the very high altitudes (13,125 ft and over). They live on a diet of grass and bamboo. It can weigh as much as 550 pounds.
  
  
  After lunch, visit
  
  
  • Tashichhodzong, the fortress of the glorious religion". This is the centre of government and religion, site of the monarch's throne room and seat of the Je Khenpho or Chief Abbot. Built in 1641 by the political and religious unifier of Bhutan, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, it was reconstructed in the 1960s in traditional Bhutanese manner, without nails or architectural plans.
  • National Memorial Chorten, continuously circumambulated by the faithful, murmuring mantras and spinning their prayer wheels. Construction of this landmark was the idea of Bhutan's third king, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuk (The father of modern Bhutan) who had wished to erect a monument to world peace and prosperity. Completed in 1974 after his untimely death, it serves both as a memorial to the Late King and as a monument to peace.
  • The government - run Handicrafts Emporium and local crafts shops, to browse through examples of Bhutan's fine traditional arts. Here you can buy hand-woven textiles, thangkha paintings, masks, ceramics, slate and wood carvings, jewelry, and other interesting items made from local materials.
  
  
  Overnight at the hotel in Thimphu.
• Day 3 : Thimphu - Punakha

  Driving about 2.5 hours, leaving Thimphu road climbs steeply through a forest of pine and cedar, festooned with hanging lichen high up near Dochula pass (3,050 m). This pass offers panoramic views of the Himalayan mountain ranges on a clear day. You will see Rhododendrons, Magnolias, Junipers and pine forests with chirping sounds of the many rare species of birds found in Bhutan. We then drive onto Lobesa where you take a short hike to Chimi Lhakhang Temple. This temple is on a hill top and it is dedicated to the great Yogi known as Drukpa Kuenley or popularly known as Divine madam of the 14th century. It is believed that this temple blesses women who seek fertility.
  
  Overnight at hotel.
• Day 4 : Punakha Festivals

  Witness Punakha Festival. Venue - which is held at the courtyard of the Punakha Dzong.
  
  Overnight at hotel at Punakha.
• Day 5 : Punakha Domchoe and Sightseeing

  Morning hike to Khamsum Yulay Namgyal. A temple built by the queen mother of Bhutan for peace and harmony best exemplifies the representation of Bhutan's unique arts, crafts & architecture. This afternoon enjoy the festival of Punakha Domchoe.
  
  Overnight at hotel.
• Day 6 : Wangdue - Thimphu

  Morning visit Wangdue Dzong and drive back to Thimphu, visiting Simtokha Dzong en route. This Dzong, built in 1627, is the oldest in Bhutan. It now houses the Institute for Language and Culture Studies.
  
  Language and Culture Studies.
  In the evening, drive to see the Takin Zoo, which houses the national animal the Takin that is only found in Bhutan. Drive further up to Sangaygang to get a bird's eye view of the Thimphu valley in the evening. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Thimphu.
• Day 7 : Thimphu - Paro

  After breakfast, drive to Paro. Visit Kichu temple, one of the 108 temples built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. The story goes that a giant demon lay across the whole area of Tibet and the Himalayas and was preventing the spread of Buddhism. To overcome her, King Songtsen Gampo decided to build 108 temples, which would be placed on all the points of her body, of these 108 temples, 12 were built in accordance with precise plans. Thus, it happened that in about a year AD 638 the temple of Jokhang in Lhasa was built over the very heart of the demons.
  
  After lunch, drive up the valley to view the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, 18 km from Paro town on the north side of the valley. It was from here that the Bhutanese repelled several invading Tibetan armies during the 17th century. Evening at leisure to visit local shops.
  
  Overnight at the hotel in Paro.
• Day 8 : Paro - Short hike

  After breakfast, drive up to the base camp of Taktsang and then hike up to the most famous Monastery in the entire kingdom of Bhutan perched on the edge of a steep cliff, about 900 meters above Paro Valley. The hike to the view point will take about an hour and it will take 2 hours to the monastery. Lunch at the viewpoint. Overnight at hotel in Paro.
• Day 9 : Depart Paro

  In the morning, your guide from Bhutan Aries Tour & Treks will see you off at the Paro Airport for your onward journey.

Package Start From

• Paro, Bhutan, Asia

Terms & Conditions

This Tour is Offered by

• Post Box # 238, Semtokha, Thimphu, Bhutan - 975
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