Bhutan honeymoon in 7 nights

Day by day

The timetable

1. Day1

   Fly into Paro, drive to Thimphu

   ≈ 50 km · 1–1.5 hThimphuDinnerThimphu guide

   Land at Paro after the visual approach between the ridges. Show your passports or original Voter IDs for the Entry Permit if it was not issued online; Aadhaar is not accepted. Your guide meets you outside. Drive about an hour and a half to Thimphu, with a tea stop at Chhuzom where two rivers meet beside three chortens. Check in and rest. In the evening, walk to Clock Tower Square and the shops around it, then dinner. Thimphu has no traffic lights; a policeman directs the main junction by hand, which makes for a slow, quiet capital.

2. Day2

   Thimphu, slowly

   ≈ 30 km in townThimphuBreakfast, dinnerThimphu guide

   A late breakfast, then up to Buddha Dordenma, about 51.5 m high above the city, completed in 2015. Then the Memorial Chorten, built in 1974 for the Third King, where you can join residents walking circuits and turning prayer wheels. After lunch, the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where students learn painting, carving and weaving, and the handicraft shops nearby if you want something made by hand to take home. Late afternoon, Tashichho Dzong, timed by your guide to its visiting hours. Entry fees Nu 300–500 each, indicative 2026. Your operator files the Punakha Route Permit today.

3. Day3

   Over Dochula to Punakha

   ≈ 75 km · 3.5–4 h with stopsPunakhaBreakfast, dinnerPunakha guide

   Stop at Dochula, 22 km from Thimphu at 3,100 m, where 108 chortens stand on a hillock and, on a clear day from October to February, the eastern Himalaya lines the horizon. Many couples hang prayer flags here; your guide can buy them in Thimphu. Descend to Punakha at about 1,250 m, through oak and pine and then rice fields. Check in by lunch. The afternoon is yours. If you want, walk 20–30 minutes to Chimi Lhakhang, built in 1499 and linked to the Divine Madman, Drukpa Kunley, where many couples come to ask for a blessing for children.

4. Day4

   Punakha Dzong and the valley walk

   ≈ 30 km in the valleyPunakhaBreakfast, dinnerPunakha guide

   Cross the cantilever bridge into Punakha Dzong, built in 1637–38 between the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. The first king was crowned here in 1907, and in October 2011 the Fifth King married here. Entry Nu 500 each, indicative 2026. Walk across the long suspension bridge over the Pho Chhu, hung with prayer flags. In the afternoon climb through rice terraces to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, about an hour up, for the view down the valley, or simply rest at your hotel. Dinner with the valley lights below.

5. Day5

   Punakha to Paro

   ≈ 130 km · 4–4.5 hParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Back over Dochula, often clearer in the morning, and through Thimphu for lunch, then down to Chhuzom and up the Paro valley. In the late afternoon walk up to Rinpung Dzong, consecrated in 1646, and across the old cantilever bridge below it, one of the most photographed views in Bhutan. The National Museum sits in the Ta Dzong watchtower above. Paro's main street has small cafes and craft shops for an evening walk. Ask for Paro red rice at dinner; it grows in the fields you passed.

6. Day6

   The Tiger's Nest together

   ≈ 30 km round tripParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Start early, by 7.30 am, from the car park at about 2,600 m. The trail climbs about 500 m to Paro Taktsang at about 3,120 m, 4–6 hours return with tea at the halfway cafeteria. Legend says Guru Rinpoche flew here on the back of a tigress in the 8th century. The temple was built in 1692, burned in 1998 and was restored by 2005. Entry Nu 1,000 each, indicative 2026. Tonight is your hot stone bath at a farmhouse: river stones are heated in a fire and slid into a wooden tub, often with herbs. It costs ₹1,500–3,000 and is included on comfort and premium.

7. Day7

   Chele La and Kyichu Lhakhang

   ≈ 70 km round trip · 3 hParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Drive about 35 km and 1–1.5 hours up from Paro to Chele La at about 3,988 m, on the road to the Haa valley. Thousands of prayer flags cover the ridge, and on a clear morning you can see the snow peaks to the north and both valleys below. Walk a little along the ridge, slowly at this height, then drive down for lunch in Paro. In the afternoon visit Kyichu Lhakhang, which tradition counts among 108 temples built by Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. A quiet last evening; your guide can book a table at a farmhouse or a cafe in town.

8. Day8

   Fly out of Paro

   ≈ 10 km · 15 minBreakfastParo guide

   Most Paro flights leave in the morning. Reach the airport 2 hours before departure with your IDs and Entry Permits. Flights depend on visibility and can be delayed, so leave a buffer of several hours before onward connections in Bagdogra, Kolkata or Delhi. If you fly later, the textile shops on Paro's main street sell kira fabric and woven scarves that make good gifts for family at home. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines change schedules by season; check current status before you travel.