An eight-day winter trek through the Gasa highlands — snowfields, frozen pines and the Chigvji monastery above Laya.
Highlights
Frozen ridge above Chigvji Lhakhang
Snow-loaded pine forest of the Gasa highlands
Black-necked crane country below
Hot stone bath on the final night
What is included
Licensed high-altitude guide with a dedicated porter per four guests
Winter-grade tented camp with sleeping bags and mats
All meals cooked by camp staff
All permits, SDF and park fees
Thermal layers and snowshoes provided
Satellite phone and full emergency evacuation cover
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Into Thimphu Paro to Thimphu, two hours, and a day spent on preparation. This is a winter trek at altitude with snow underfoot from the first morning, and the difference between a good day and a bad one is having the right boots, the right layers and a realistic idea of what the next six days involve. Your guid…
Day 2 — Over Dochula and down to Gasa A full driving day, climbing to the Dochula Pass at 3,010 metres before descending into the Gasa valley, arriving in Ritsha Ha late in the afternoon. You are now in the district the next five days will be walked across, and the trailhead is tomorrow's roadhead. Camp on the terrace above the village…
Day 3 — Winter trails from Ritsha Ha The first walking day, out of Ritsha Ha and up into the snowfields above the village. In December and January the open ground above 3,000 metres holds a continuous cover and the trail follows the ridgelines, which is slower and harder work than it sounds — post-holing through unbroken snow at altit…
Day 4 — Chigvji Laya The long day, and the reason for the trip: a full day's walk to Chigvji monastery, a small complex at roughly 3,950 metres above the Laya valley, reached by a high route through the snow. It is not a large place and not a famous one — a handful of buildings with a view of the Gangkar Puensum massif…
Day 5 — The ridge above Chigvji A day around the high country above the monastery: a walk out along the ridge in whatever direction the weather allows, with the descent back to Chigvji taking an hour. The ridge is the best viewpoint on the trek and there is nothing on it but snow. A clear morning here is one of the best images Bh…
Day 6 — Down to Laya A shorter day, dropping off the high ground into Laya at 3,700 metres — the highest inhabited village in Bhutan, and a roadhead. You will have walked past it on the way up without seeing it. The afternoon is in the village itself, which in winter has perhaps a dozen people in it, and which is genui…
Day 7 — Merry Tangma Pass and down to Thimphu The final walk out, south over the Merry Tangma Pass at 3,715 metres and down into the Thimphu valley. Nine hours on the trail is the expectation, and in deep snow with a camp to strike first it can be longer. The trail rejoins the Dochula road at Jangthang, and the drive down to Thimphu from there…
Day 8 — Departure A free morning in Thimphu for anyone stiff enough to want it, then the drive back to Paro and the flight home.