01Arrival in Paro · Drive to Thimphu
Arrival, welcome and the drive east to the capital. A light first afternoon at the Memorial Chorten and through the town.
OvernightThimphu
Bhutan · 7 Days · Private
Paro Tshechu
Seven days through western Bhutan, built around the Paro Tshechu and the dawn unveiling of the Guru Thongdrel.
Overview
- Duration
- 7 Days
- Route
- Paro · Thimphu · Punakha · Gangtey
- Season
- March – April
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Festival
- Paro Tshechu
- Group
- Private only
Paro Tshechu
Paro Tshechu is the largest festival in western Bhutan, held inside the walls of Rinpung Dzong. Its final morning is the reason many travellers time an entire journey around it: before dawn, a silk applique thangka several storeys high, the Guru Thongdrel, is unrolled against the dzong wall and rolled away again before direct sunlight touches it. Seeing it is said to bring liberation.
The days around the festival move through Thimphu, the Punakha valley and the glacial bowl of Phobjikha, where black-necked cranes winter.
March or April, set by the lunar calendar, confirmed annually
7 Days
The journey, day by day.
Scroll the itinerary the way you would a lookbook, one day, one image, one idea at a time.
01
02Thimphu · Heritage, Art and Daily Life
Buddha Dordenma, Tashichho Dzong and the School of Traditional Arts, where students learn the thirteen crafts, painting, embroidery, wood carving, statue making. It is the clearest window into how Bhutanese craft is actually transmitted.
OvernightThimphu
03Dochula Pass · Punakha Valley
Over Dochula and down into the warm valley. Chimi Lhakhang on foot through farmland, then Punakha Dzong at the meeting of two rivers.
OvernightPunakha
04Into Gangtey · Phobjikha Valley
A glacial valley at 3,000 metres, wide and treeless, where black-necked cranes winter from late October. Gangtey Goenpa looks over the whole bowl. The Gangtey Nature Trail is an easy walk through villages and potato fields.
OvernightGangtey
05Return West to Paro
The long drive back over two passes into the Paro valley. Kyichu Lhakhang in the late afternoon, seventh century, and one of the oldest temples in the country.
OvernightParo
06Paro Tshechu · Rinpung Dzong
A full day at the festival. Cham dances in the dzong courtyard, the atsara clowns moving through the crowd, families picnicking between performances. Your guide reads the sequences as they happen.
OvernightParo
07Departure
Transfer to Paro International Airport and farewell.
OvernightDeparture
Practical
Highlights
- Paro Tshechu at Rinpung Dzong
- The Guru Thongdrel unveiled at dawn
- Phobjikha valley and the crane wintering grounds
- Dochula Pass and Punakha Dzong
- Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest ascent
Included
- Private English-speaking Bhutanese guide
- Private vehicle and driver
- Six nights accommodation
- All meals
- Festival access and coordination
- Sustainable Development Fee
- All entrance fees and permits
- Airport transfers
Not included
- International flights
- Bhutan visa fee
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses and gratuities
Accommodation
Six nights across Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Paro. Paro accommodation during Tshechu is the tightest of the year and is held as soon as dates confirm.
Practical Information
The Thongdrel unveiling happens before sunrise, an early start, and cold. Bring layers. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar and shift each year.
Made Around You
Nothing here is fixed.
Festival mornings are fixed. The Gangtey and Punakha sections can be lengthened, shortened or swapped depending on how much driving you want.
Pace
Add a night where a valley deserves one. Cut a drive that isn’t earning its place.
Interests
Weight the journey toward textiles, birdlife, architecture, food or long walks.
Accommodation
From family-run farmhouses to Bhutan’s finest lodges, or a considered mix.
Length
The route stretches and contracts around the time you have.
The two things we won’t move: festival dates, which follow the lunar calendar, and the altitude a body needs time to meet.
Your Journey
Shall we shape this around you?
Tell us your dates and what matters most. We’ll come back with a considered proposal, not a brochure.
Design This Journey→A boutique travel company creating private journeys through Bhutan, Ladakh and Darjeeling.
© 2026 The Karma Way