Five days through the valley that gates the road to the east, anchored on the Ta Dzong, Bhutan's only museum.
Highlights
Ta Dzong, the only museum in Bhutan
Trongsa Dzong and its four-storey watchtower
The painted ceiling and carved columns of the Chendebji temple
The ancient Taoist temple, older than Buddhism in Bhutan
What is included
Licensed cultural guide throughout
Private vehicle and driver for all five days
Four nights in heritage lodges and a restored farm house
All breakfasts, lunches and dinners
All permits, SDF and entry fees, including the Ta Dzong
A monk-host afternoon in the Deep Valley
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 — Paro to Thimphu Two hours east across the Chhuzom junction, and an afternoon above the capital at the Buddha Dordenma and the Tashichho Dzong. An early night, because tomorrow is one of the longest drives in the country and it goes up over two passes.
Day 2 — The old road to Trongsa Seven hours north from Thimphu, climbing through the Changlimithang valley to Thongla — where the Drukpa school's memorial chortens stand in ranks on the slope, built after the death of the school's founder — and then down into the Trongsa valley. This road has been the only way into eastern Bhutan…
Day 3 — Ta Dzong and Thongsa Dzong Ta Dzong is the reason to come to Trongsa: built in 1642 as the watchtower over this valley, it is the oldest dzong in Bhutan, and after the 1953 royal abdication it became the country's only museum — a collection of the state, its machinery and its ceremonial objects, kept more or less as it was l…
Day 4 — Over Kuichar to the Golden Thumb North over the Kuichar Pass into the Bumthang valley, the Golden Thumb, which is the most isolated of the four valleys and the one that kept its own traditions longest because the road arrived late. Afternoon at Jakar Dzong and the old wooden bridge across to M Bumthang. If there is time, the walk…
Day 5 — Kurjey and departure The cliff temples of Kurjey in the morning — three separate 13th-century shrines on a rock face 30 metres above the road, built by a Tibetan princess and a lama, and still in use — then the flight from Bathpalathang to Paro to connect with your onward travel. If you would rather extend by a day, th…