A short, deeply spiritual 4-day retreat into the Paro valley — the nest, the temple of fertility and the prayer flags of Khansar.
Highlights
First-light ascent to Taktsang monastery
Blessing at Chimi Lhakhang
Khansar Gompa and the prayer-flag bridge
Riding through Paro valley's rice fields
What is included
Licensed guide and private vehicle throughout
Three nights in a Paro valley heritage lodge
All meals and tea-house stops
All monastery entrance fees and SDF
Prayer-flag blessing ceremony arranged with the local community
Airport transfers in Paro
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Arrival in the Paro valley Paro airport to the valley, and an afternoon that begins where this journey needs to begin: at the Kyichu Lhakhang, the 7th-century temple built on what is said to be the site of a rock that arrived on its own from the sky. It is the oldest surviving building in Bhutan and still the valley's most i…
Day 2 — Taktsang The Tiger's Nest, walked to. The trail climbs 750 vertical metres through oak and pine to a viewpoint at 3,150 metres, with the monastery appearing above the waterfall for the last twenty minutes. Inside, the focus is on the cave of Guru Rinpoche where the statue of the great teacher is kept, and o…
Day 3 — Khansar and Chimi Lhakhang The day's two temples are both pilgrimage sites in the Bhutanese sense, and both are quiet. Khansar Lhakhang, above the river in a forest of prayer-flag poles, is built around three sacred springs that are said to be the source of the Pho Chhu — you walk the flag circuit and strike the prayer wheel…
Day 4 — Departure A morning at your own pace in the valley — the Kyichu Lhakhang again if you want to sit with it, or the walk up to the viewpoint if the weather is clear — and the transfer to Paro airport, ten minutes from most of the valley's hotels.