Six days across the three great passes between Thimphu and Punakha — Bhutan's most beautiful short trek.
Highlights
Druk Wangyal chortens at Dochula
Jangthang and Yaks Arang La passes
Laya village at 3,150 metres
Descent to the Mo Chhu river valley
What is included
Licensed trekking guide and full porter support
Five nights in teahouses and one in a Punakha hotel
All meals on the trek with vegetarian options
All permits, SDF and Thimphu/Punakha entry fees
Private vehicle transfers at both ends of the trail
Emergency evacuation contingency
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Into Thimphu, and the kit check Paro to Thimphu in two hours, and an afternoon spent on logistics rather than sightseeing: boots fitted, layers checked, rain cover packed, the walk radio tested. The trailhead is only twenty minutes from the city, which is one of the great conveniences of this route — you sleep in a hotel the nigh…
Day 2 — Dochula Pass to Jangthang Drive to the Dochula Pass at 3,010 metres, where 108 memorial chortens face Gangkar Puensum, then begin walking within the hour. The trail drops into the pine forest and climbs the far side to Jangthang, the goat-herding village at about 2,900 metres. Four to five hours, easy underfoot and already…
Day 3 — Timpangangta Pass to Laya The best day of the route. A long climb through open country to Timpangangta Pass at 3,770 metres, which is the highest point on the trek, then a descent that seems to go on considerably longer than the map suggests before Laya appears below. This is where the snow walls appear in season — old aval…
Day 4 — Laya and the Gasa valley A day off the trail at 3,700 metres, which is exactly why it is here. The village sits at the top of the Gasa valley with the Gangkar Puensum massif filling the southern horizon — the unclimbed 7,570-metre peak, visible from only a handful of places on earth. An optional walk down into the Gasa val…
Day 5 — Merry Tangma Pass to Thimphu The long haul south. The climb out of Laya to the Merry Tangma Pass at 3,715 metres takes the morning, and the descent from the pass back into the Thimphu valley takes most of the afternoon — around nine hours on the trail, which is the hardest day and the one that makes the trek memorable. Thimphu…
Day 6 — Departure A free morning in the capital for anyone who wants it — the weekend market, the National Museum, or nothing at all — then the drive back to Paro for the flight.