Bhutan by Air: Thimphu & Paro with a Day in Punakha, 4 Nights

You are met on arrival at Paro, Bhutan's only international airport, and driven to Thimphu, the capital, about 65 kilometres and up to two hours away. After checking in, the evening is free for a first walk around the town. Meals included today: dinner.

After breakfast you leave Thimphu for the Dochula Pass, at about 3,100 metres, where 108 chortens stand on the crest and, on a clear day, the eastern Himalaya lines the horizon; in winter the pass is often under snow. The road then drops to the Punakha valley and Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet. It was the seat of government for many years, the first National Assembly met here in 1952, and it is still the winter residence of the Je Khenpo, the head of Bhutan's monastic body. From there a short excursion takes you to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of fertility associated with Lama Drukpa Kunley, known as the Divine Madman, reached by a short walk. You return to Thimphu for the night; the drive is about 77 kilometres and up to three hours each way, so this is a full day. Meals included today: breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast you see Thimphu: the Folk Heritage Museum, set in a three-storey nineteenth-century house of rammed earth and timber; the Motithang Takin Preserve, home of Bhutan's national animal; the Buddha Dordenma, the great gilded Buddha on the hill above the town, which holds 125,000 smaller Buddha figures; the Institute for Zorig Chusum, where students learn traditional painting, carving and other crafts; the Bhutan Postal Museum, where you can have your own photograph printed on a stamp; the Sangaygang viewpoint over the whole valley; the viewpoint that looks down on the Thimphu fortress and the parliament; and Simply Bhutan, an interactive introduction to Bhutanese culture. You then drive to Paro, about 65 kilometres, stopping on the way at Tamchog Lhakhang, a hilltop temple founded by Thangtong Gyalpo, the builder of iron bridges, and reached across a traditional bridge. You check in at your hotel in Paro on arrival. Meals included today: breakfast and dinner.

Today there is a choice. The first option is Paro's sights with your vehicle and guide: Ta Dzong, the old watchtower that is now the National Museum, with its costumes, armour and household objects; Rinpung Dzong, also called Paro Dzong, built in 1644; Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, founded in the seventh century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo; and the viewpoint over Paro airport. The second is the walk to Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest monastery, which clings to a cliff about 900 metres above the valley floor, some ten kilometres north of the town. The climb takes two to three hours through pine forest, and you do it on your own, at your own pace, in place of the sightseeing. Meals included today: breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast you check out and are driven to Paro airport, where the package services end. Meals included today: breakfast.