Thimphu, Punakha and Paro in 6 nights

Day by day

The timetable

1. Day1

   Land at Paro, drive to Thimphu

   ≈ 50 km · 1–1.5 hThimphuDinnerThimphu guide

   The flight into Paro ends with a visual approach between forested ridges, flown by sight rather than by instruments alone. Your guide meets you outside with the car. Indians show a passport or an original Voter ID for the Entry Permit if it was not issued online. We drive along the Paro river to Chhuzom and up to Thimphu, about an hour and a half with a tea stop. In the afternoon, walk the Memorial Chorten, built in 1974 in memory of the Third King, then the shops around Clock Tower Square. Keep it light on day one.

2. Day2

   Thimphu and the Route Permit day

   ≈ 30 km in townThimphuBreakfast, dinnerThimphu guide

   While your guide's office files the Route Permit for Punakha, you see the capital. Buddha Dordenma, about 51.5 m high, sits on a ridge above the city and holds 125,000 smaller statues. The Motithang Takin Preserve keeps the national animal; legend says Drukpa Kunley made the first takin from a goat's head and a cow's bones. After lunch, Simtokha Dzong of 1629, then Tashichho Dzong, rebuilt by the Third King and completed in 1968, which houses the throne room and the king's offices. The guide times the visit to its opening hours. Entry fees Nu 300–500 each, indicative 2026.

3. Day3

   Over Dochula to Punakha

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

   Dochula is 22 km and about 45 minutes from Thimphu. At 3,100 m, the 108 Druk Wangyal chortens stand around a hillock, built by Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck after the December 2003 operation that cleared insurgent camps from southern Bhutan. On a clear day from October to February the eastern Himalaya lines the horizon. The Royal Botanical Park at Lamperi, a short way down, charges Nu 100. Descend through oak and then pine to Lobesa. After lunch, walk 20–30 minutes through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, built in 1499 by Ngawang Chogyal, cousin of the Divine Madman, where couples come to pray for children.

4. Day4

   Punakha Dzong and the river walk

   ≈ 40 km in the valleyPunakhaBreakfast, dinnerPunakha guide

   Cross the wooden cantilever bridge, rebuilt in 2008, into Punakha Dzong, set at about 1,200 m between the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. The Zhabdrung's embalmed body lies in the Machey Lhakhang inside; visitors do not enter it, but the guide explains why kings visit before taking office. The first king was crowned here in 1907 and the Fifth King married here in 2011. Entry Nu 500, indicative 2026. Later, walk across the long suspension bridge over the Pho Chhu, and if your legs allow, climb through rice terraces to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten for the view down the valley.

5. Day5

   Punakha to Paro

   ≈ 130 km · 4–4.5 hParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Back over Dochula, where the morning is often clearer than the afternoon, through Thimphu and down to Chhuzom, then up the Paro valley. Lunch in Paro. In the afternoon, walk up to Rinpung Dzong, consecrated in 1646 under the Zhabdrung and still the seat of the district's administration and monks. Above it, the round Ta Dzong watchtower houses the National Museum, with masks, thangkas and religious art. Walk down past the cantilever bridge below the dzong to the town. Paro's red rice grows in the fields you pass; ask for it at dinner. Lay out your hiking clothes tonight.

6. Day6

   The Tiger's Nest hike

   ≈ 30 km round tripParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Start at the car park, about 2,600 m, by 7.30 am. The climb is about 500 m to Paro Taktsang at about 3,120 m, 4–6 hours return, with tea at the cafeteria halfway. Legend says Guru Rinpoche flew here on the back of a tigress in the 8th century and meditated in the cave. The temple was built in 1692, burned in 1998 and was restored by 2005. Entry Nu 1,000, indicative 2026, and cameras stay in the locker at the gate. On the way back stop at Kyichu Lhakhang, which tradition dates to the 7th century. Book a farmhouse hot stone bath for ₹1,500–3,000.

7. Day7

   Fly out of Paro

   ≈ 10 km · 15 minBreakfastParo guide

   Most Paro flights leave in the morning, so breakfast may be early or packed. Be at the airport 2 hours before departure with your ID and Entry Permit. If you fly later in the day, walk Paro's main street for textiles, incense and handmade paper, all cheaper in small shops than in hotel boutiques. Paro flights depend on visibility and can be delayed, so leave a few hours before any onward connection in Delhi, Kolkata or Bagdogra. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines change schedules by season; check current status before you travel.