Bhutan & Nepal: Heart of the Himalaya

Day 1: Arrive Bangkok, Thailand

Accommodation: Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel

Arrive in Bangkok, where you are met and transferred to your airport hotel.

Day 2: Paro, Bhutan/Thimphu | Welcome to Bhutan

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Taj Tashi

Fly to Paro and receive a tashi khadda (traditional welcome). Transfer to Thimphu and visit the National Memorial Chorten. Later, see the Tashichhodzong Fortress, a 13th-century Buddhist monastery and fort, and then gather for your welcome dinner.

Day 3: Thimphu | Fine Weavers at Work

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Taj Tashi

Visit the Folk Heritage and National Textile museums and view Buddhist literature at the National Library.

Day 4: Punakha | The Divine Madman

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Taj Tashi

Drive over the Dochula Pass, seeing the colorful prayer flags en route to Punakha. Stop at Punakha Dzong, continuing to the Chimi Lhakhang (Temple of the Divine Madman). Return to Thimphu for dinner.

Day 5: Paro | Monasteries, Rivers & Relics

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Zhiwa Ling Hotel

Journey overland to Paro, stopping en route in Chuzom. Continue to Paro and view the religious thankga (scroll) paintings and the natural history collection at the National Museum. Continue to Rinpung Dzong, a monastery and fortress along a mountain river. Then, visit local farmers at their farmhouse to better understand their traditional way of life.

Day 6: Paro | Ascent to the Tiger’s Nest

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Zhiwa Ling Hotel

This morning, you may choose to attempt the climb to Taktsang Monastery (“Tiger’s Nest”). This hike is intentionally difficult, intended as an arduous pilgrimage for Buddhist devotees. Later, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan’s most sacred shrines.

Day 7: Kathmandu, Nepal | Historic Durbar Square

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Dwarika's Hotel, Kathmandu

Fly to Kathmandu. Ride by rickshaw to Kathmandu Durbar Square and Teleju Temple, see the House of the Living Goddess (Kumari) and stroll through the bazaar and old city. Enjoy a lecture by a Mount Everest summiter in the evening.

Day 8: Kathmandu | Lesson in Nepalese Cuisine

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Dwarika's Hotel, Kathmandu

This morning, travel to Kirtipur and visit the temple of Adinath, the Chilamcho Stupa and the temple of Bagh Bhairav. Attend a Nepalese cooking class in a local home. Then, visit Patan City, the Golden Temple and Krishna Mandir. In the evening, visit Kopan Nunnery to witness a spirited debate among nuns.

Day 9: Kathmandu | Hindu Temples & Buddhist Stupas

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Dwarika's Hotel, Kathmandu

This morning, proceed to Bhaktapur, a ninth-century town in the Kathmandu Valley. Then, visit Pashupatinath Temple, a cremation site for the Hindus. Continue to Boudhanath, home to one the world's largest Buddhist shrines. Tonight, gather for your farewell dinner and toast your unforgettable time in the Himalaya.

Days 10-11: Depart Bangkok

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel

On Day 10, either fly to Lhasa to begin your post-tour extension or fly to Bangkok, where you enjoy the use of a superior room, available through Day 11, when you depart on your international flight home.