3 night 4 days Paro Tshechu(Festival) Tour

3 night 4 days Paro Tshechu(Festival) Tour

• This Paro festival tour package is for 3 nights and 4 days. Paro Festival (Tshechu) is one of the popular and most visited  festival by the tourists according to the recent survey done by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB).This tour package also contains sightseeing  and visiting some historical sites in Thimphu, which is the capital city of Bhutan. Moreover, you will be taken for a hike to Paro Taktshang (Tiger Nest) on third day. Hike to this beautiful monastery  is very popular among the  tourists.The walk of approximately 2 hours uphill will take you almost a kilometer above the Paro valley(we will arrange a horse if you cannot hike). The Taktshang Monastery is built on a sheer cliff which is 900 meters above the valley from where you will have a spectacular sight of the valley floor beneath. The Monastery is an important pilgrim site for the Buddhists. . 

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Paro International Airport and drive to Thimphu (1 hour drive)

Stop At: Thimphu Chorten (Memorial Chorten), Thimphu Bhutan
This beautiful stupa is one of the most beautiful located in the heart of Thimphu town. This temple was built in memory of our third Druk Gyapo of Bhutan.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Tashichho Dzong (Thimpu Dzong), Chhagchhen Lam, Thimphu Bhutan
This marvelous fortress was built by Lama Gyalwa Lhanapa. The Dzong(fortress) houses the office of the King, the cabinet secretariat, ministry of home affairs and finance and also other government departments.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Buddha Dordenma, Kuensel Phodrang Viewing Point, Thimphu 11001 Bhutan
It is a massive Shakyamuni statue built on the hill top of Kuenselphodrang which is 51.5 meters in height and is made up of bronze and gold. It is one of the largest statue in the world. This great statue also houses over one hundred thousand small Buddha statues. I bet that you will be startled to gaze at this gigantic statue right in front of you.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Bhutan Post Office Headquarters, Thimphu 0001, Bhutan Chang Lam, Thimphu Bhutan
Bhutan post office museum is located in the heart of Thimphu city. This is one exciting place to visit as there is unique collection of Bhutanese stamps and you will get to explore about Bhutan’s history from these stamps as well.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: National Folk Heritage Museum, Pedzoe Lam, Thimphu 11001 Bhutan
The museum gives you a glimpse of the traditional Bhutanese lifestyle, in addition to artifacts from rural households; it also displays an impressive collection of typical household objects, tools and equipment. The museum also organizes regular demonstrations of rural traditions, skills, habits and customs as well as hosting educational programs for children.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation at your hotel in Thimphu

Day 2: Travel to Paro at attend Paro Tshechu (1 hour drive)

Stop At: Paro, Paro, Paro District
Paro Tshechu is one of the most prevalent religious festival of Bhutan. Tshechu means the 10th day of the month of the lunar calendar (Buddhist calendar). The festival is annually held in every dzongkhags (districts) on the 10th day of different months. The mask dances were being performed by Guru Rinpoche in order to recover the health of the King Sindhu Raja. Hence, the mask dances became the heart core of the festival. The festival is being observed for five days i.e. from 4-8 April 2020. Paro Tshechu was instigated by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and Ponpo Rigzin Nyingpo in 1644 along with the sanctification of the Dzong which is known as fortress. Since then, the festival is being held annually in order to show our homage to Guru Rinpoche, for introducing Buddhism to Bhutan.
People from all walks of life come together in their best Bhutanese attires and scintillating jewelleries. Men are dressed in their finest gho while women in extravagant hand woven Kiras. It is an occasion wherein one can see families walking towards the fortress with lunch baskets filled with delicious Bhutanese cuisines starting from red rice, varieties of vegetables and meat is a must dish in every person’s plate, if one is a non-vegetarian. They make sure to appear best and eat best on that special day. People sit together and enjoy the meal during the lunch break with their families and friends. The offices will be closed since the government will declare holiday so that the people can be a part of this grand celebration and be blessed at the end of the day. During the Tshechu, Mask dances and folk dances are being performed by the monks and laymen wherein you will find them magnificently dressed in grand silk robes and skilfully crafted masks. It is believed that by watching the mask dances, one gains merits. Moreover, you will get to witness the unfurling ceremony of the sacred ‘throgdroel’ scroll on the final day of the festival towards the dawn and obtain blessings. Hence, people make it to witness this grand event with a hope of paving the road to the next life.

Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation at your hotel in Paro

Day 3: Hike to Paro Taktshang(Tigers Nest)

Stop At: Paro Taktsang, Taktsang Trail BT, Paro Bhutan
 After the breakfast, there will be a hike to Taktshang Monastery. Paro Taktshang is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of the country and your trip would be tedious without visiting this most important Buddhist temple. Taktshang which mean “Tiger’s nest” was built around 1692 on a cliff which is about 3120 meters above the sea level. It is located 10 km away from Paro town and will take at least 2-4 hours for trekkers to reach the spot. You can even have an exhilarating uphill ride on a rented horse. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche (Buddhist saint) came riding on a tigress to this site and meditated in the cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours so as to subdue evil spirits dwelling in that region. He was indeed victorious which is why Taktshang was built to signify the victory over the evil spirit. There is a Taktshang cafeteria which serves tea, lunch, snacks and fruit drinks at a reasonable price as well.

 In the evening, we will accompany you to a farm house in Paro for a hot stone bath. This traditional bath uses fresh water from the river mixed with Artemisia leaves. The water is then heated by dipping hot stones in the water tub. This hot stone bath is a traditional method of healing diseases. In additional, you would feel relax while taking hot stone bath. So, if you are tired, a hot stone bath is all you need!

Explore Paro town in the evening.

Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Accommodation at your hotel in Paro

Day 4: Departure from Paro International airport

Stop At: Paro District, Paro District
After the breakfast, we will drop you to the Paro International Airport from where you will fly back home
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.