6 nights 7 days Paro Tshechu (Festival) Tour

6 nights 7 days Paro Tshechu (Festival) Tour

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 dance is the  heart core of the festival. People from all walks of life come together in their best Bhutanese attires and scintillating jewelries.Men are dressed in their finest gho (national dress for men) while women in extravagant hand woven Kiras (national dress for women). 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.This tour package also contains sightseeing  and visiting some historical sites in Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha. Moreover, you will be taken for a hike to Paro Taktshang (Tiger Nest).

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at the Paro International Airport

Stop At: Rinpung Dzong, Paro Bhutan
Fortress in Paro
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Drukgyel Dzong, Paro 11001 Bhutan
Drugyal Dzong is one of the oldest Dzongs in the country which was built to commemorate the victory over an invasion from Tibet. This Dzong now lies in ruins and is under renovation.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Kyichu Lhakhang, Lamgong Gewog, Paro 12001 Bhutan
The temple is one of the oldest temple built by a Tibetan Emperor, Songtsan Gampo. It is believed that this temple is filled with various hidden treasures
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Paro Penlop Heritage Home Museum, Carpenters Road, Paro Bhutan
Taa Dzong(Museum) lies on the hill located above the Paro Dzong. It is an ancient watchtower which is now used as the National Museum. The building has a unique design with the shape of a conch shell. The museum has different galleries which provide better display and various categorizations such as anthropology, arms and armor, pre-history, manuscript, paintings, textiles, bronzes, decorative arts, philatelic items, epigraphic items and numismatics


Duration: 1 hour

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

Day 2: Paro- Attend the Paro Tshechu(Festival)

Stop At: Rinpung Dzong, Paro Bhutan
You will attend the Paro Tshechu (festival) in Paro Rinpung Dzong. 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 jewelries. 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 to witness mask dances and spent quality time with their loved ones. Mask dances and folk dances are being performed by the monks and laymen. You will find them magnificently dressed in grand silk robes and skillfully crafted masks. It is believed that by watching the mask dances, one gains merits. Hence, people make it to witness this grand event with a hope of paving the road to the next life. You will get to socialize with the locals and discover about the rich culture of Bhutan on your own. Overnight at your hotel in Paro.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Paro, Paro, Paro District
In the evening we will explore this beautiful paro town.
Duration: 1 hour

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

Day 3: Paro to Thimphu (40 minutes drive)

Stop At: Tashichho Dzong (Thimpu Dzong), Chhagchhen Lam, Thimphu Bhutan
This marvelous fortress was built by Lama Gyalwa Lhanapa. The Dzong 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: Thimphu Chorten (Memorial Chorten), Thimphu Bhutan
Situated in the heart of the city which is a massive Monastery dedicated to the Third King of Bhutan. This prominent landmark in the city has golden spires and bells.
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 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: 30 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: 40 minutes

Stop At: Thimphu’s Weekend Market, Chhogyal Lam, Thimphu Bhutan
In the evening, we will take you to Thimphu market where locally produce goods(vegetables,handicrafts etc) are sold in the market.
Duration: 30 minutes

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

Day 4: Thimphu to Punakha to Paro

Stop At: Dochula Pass, Thimphu Bhutan
On the way to Punakha you will come across the Dochula pass which is placed 3100 meters above the sea level. The place is breath taking with 108 sacred stupas or temples being build out there. The highest peak in Bhutan, Gangkar Puensum stands magnificently right in front of the pass. Hence, you can have a treat for your eyes as well as for your inner being after gazing at that serene mountain.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Punakha Dzong, Punakha 13001 Bhutan
Punakha Dzong, is widely known as the “Palace of Great Happiness”. It was built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. It is the second largest and one of the most exquisite Dzongs in Bhutan. This Dzong lies in between the two rivers, Po Chhu and Mo chhu. In 1907 the coronation of our first king was held in this Dzong.


Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Chimi L'hakhang Temple, Punakha Bhutan
After lunch, you would be visiting Chimi Lhakhang on foot which is about 10-15 minutes walk from the road point. It is a popular Buddhist monastery built around 1499 by Ngawang Chogyal in honor of Lama Drukpa Kuenley who is also known as a “divine madman” after he subdued the demon of the Dochula with his “magic thunderbolt of wisdom”. He is called as a “Divine madman’’ because of his uncommon ways of teaching Buddhism. Moreover, he is also considered a symbol of fertility. Therefore, people visit this temple specially those who are barren with a hope of getting blessed with children.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Wangdue Phodrang District, Wangdue Phodrang District
Towards the evening, we will take you to Wangdue Dzong for a sightseeing. This beautiful Dzong was built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel around 1638 on a high ridge between two rivers i.e. Puna tsang Chhu and dang chhu. The Dzong was built to prevent invasions from the south.

In the evening we will drive back to Paro following the same route.

Duration: 20 minutes

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

Day 5: Paro- Attend Paro festival

Stop At: Rinpung Dzong, Paro Bhutan
Attend Paro Festival in Paro Rinpung dzong till afternoon and visit some local farm house to taste traditional local food and experience the Bhutanese lifestyle.
Duration: 6 hours

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

Day 6: Paro- Hike to Paro Taktshang(Tiger 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!


Duration: 3 hours

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

Day 7: Paro- Departure from Paro International Airport

Stop At: Paro District, Paro District
After 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.