Thimphu Tshechu & the Masked Dances of the Capital
Destination: Thimphu Valley
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: Jul 2027 — Aug 2027
Six days in late summer for Thimphu's tshechu, the capital's own festival, with the archery match, the mask market and a night at the dances.
Highlights
Thimphu Tshechu cham dances and the thongdrel
National archery match at Changlimithang ground
Mask makers and carvers of the Thimphu craft quarter
Walk to the Tango Chorten above the capital
What is included
Licensed guide throughout
Private vehicle and driver for all six days
Five nights in a Thimphu boutique hotel
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
All permits, SDF and entry fees
Reserved viewing at the cham dances and thongdrel
Archery match tickets and a mask workshop
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Arrival in the capital Paro to Thimphu, two hours, and an afternoon in the city in the last of the light. The Tashichho Dzong is the obvious first look, lit from below against the hillside. Then the weekend market, which in late summer is at its best — fruit, chilli, cheese, and the local beer, all of it sold out of the…
Day 2 — Mask market and the archery ground A full day on the two things that make Thimphu's tshechu different from every other festival in Bhutan. The mask market on the open ground above the city is where the wooden masks are carved, and during a tshechu week the carvers are working — you can watch a mask being cut and painted and buy unfi…
Day 3 — Thimphu Tshechu — first day The first day of the tshechu proper, held on the open parade ground in the capital, where the cham dances run through the morning and again in the early afternoon. Thimphu's is the smallest of the four great tshechus and the one most embedded in a working city — families with children on their shou…
Day 4 — Thimphu Tshechu — second day The second day brings the great maskers and the most spectacular dancing of the three, including the dances that only appear on the middle day. The crowd is at its largest and the ground is at its most crowded, so arrive early if you want a clear line of sight. Evening free, with the mask market a…
Day 5 — Thimphu Tshechu — third day The final day, and the one with the parade — the procession of the maskers through the streets below the parade ground, which is the best thing about Thimphu's tshechu and has no equivalent at the other three. The afternoon is the burning of the ceremonial structure at the close of the dances, afte…
Day 6 — Departure A free morning in Thimphu if the flight allows it — the National Museum, the craft quarter, or the walk up to the Buddha Dordenma — then the drive back to Paro, two hours, in time for the flight.