Thimphu Tshechu festival trip in 6 nights

Day by day

The timetable

1. Day1

   Fly into Paro, on to Thimphu

   ≈ 50 km · 1–1.5 hThimphuDinnerThimphu guide

   Land at Paro and meet your guide outside arrivals. Indians show a passport or original Voter ID for the Entry Permit if it was not issued online. Drive to Thimphu along the river, past the three chortens at Chhuzom. Festival days are local holidays in Thimphu, so your operator files the Route Permit for Punakha before you arrive. In the afternoon walk the Memorial Chorten, built in 1974 for the Third King, and see the tailors and shops near Clock Tower Square, busy that week with families buying new gho and kira. Your guide can help you buy one.

2. Day2

   The Thimphu Tshechu

   ≈ 10 km in townThimphuBreakfast, dinnerThimphu guide

   Spend the day at the festival at Tashichho Dzong, rebuilt by the Third King and completed in 1968, which houses the throne room and the king's offices. Arrive by mid-morning with a cushion, water and a hat for outside the dzong. The cham dances are performed by monks and laymen in painted masks and silk, each with its own meaning: the Black Hat dance, the dance of the stags and hounds, the dances of the lords of the cremation grounds. Your guide explains them as they come. Never walk across the dance ground, and use no flash.

3. Day3

   Festival morning, Buddha in the afternoon

   ≈ 30 km in townThimphuBreakfast, dinnerThimphu guide

   A second morning at the dances, when you will start to recognise the atsaras, the masked clowns who keep the crowd laughing and collect offerings. After lunch drive up to Buddha Dordenma, about 51.5 m high, completed in 2015 and holding 125,000 smaller statues, then the Motithang Takin Preserve; legend says Drukpa Kunley made the first takin from a goat's head and a cow's bones. Entry fees Nu 300 or so each, indicative 2026. Early dinner and early night: tomorrow begins around 4 am.

4. Day4

   Thongdrel at dawn, then Punakha

   ≈ 75 km · 3–3.5 hPunakhaBreakfast, dinnerPunakha guide

   Walk to the dzong in the dark for the thongdrel, a great appliqué thangka unrolled before dawn on the final day and rolled away before sunlight falls on it. People queue to touch it for blessing. After breakfast, drive 22 km to Dochula at 3,100 m; October often brings clear views of the eastern Himalaya behind the 108 chortens. Descend to Punakha at about 1,250 m for lunch. In the afternoon, cross into Punakha Dzong, built in 1637–38 between the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, where the first king was crowned in 1907. Entry Nu 500, indicative 2026.

5. Day5

   Chimi Lhakhang and on to Paro

   ≈ 130 km · 4–4.5 hParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   Start with a 20–30 minute walk through rice fields, golden at harvest in October, to Chimi Lhakhang. It was built in 1499 by Ngawang Chogyal, cousin of Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman who taught through outrageous humour. Then drive back over Dochula, through Thimphu and down to Chhuzom, and up the Paro valley. In the late afternoon walk up to Rinpung Dzong, consecrated in 1646, and to the National Museum in the Ta Dzong watchtower above. Early night before the hike.

6. Day6

   The Tiger's Nest hike

   ≈ 30 km round tripParoBreakfast, dinnerParo guide

   October is peak season on the Tiger's Nest trail, so we start at the car park, about 2,600 m, by 7 am. The path climbs about 500 m to Paro Taktsang at about 3,120 m; allow 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 dates from 1692 and was restored after a fire in 1998. Entry Nu 1,000, indicative 2026. On the way back, Kyichu Lhakhang, then a farmhouse hot stone bath for ₹1,500–3,000.

7. Day7

   Fly out of Paro

   ≈ 10 km · 15 minBreakfastParo guide

   October is the busiest month at Paro airport, so reach it 2 to 2.5 hours before departure with your ID and Entry Permit. Most flights leave in the morning, when the valley is calm. Autumn weather is usually good, but keep a few hours' buffer before onward connections in Bagdogra, Kolkata or Delhi. If you fly later, Paro's main street has textile and handicraft shops, and grocery shops sell Paro red rice to take home. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines change schedules by season; check current status before you travel.