Thimphu Tshechu honors Padma Sambhawa as all tshechu festivals honors. The masked dances in the festival are performed by monks wearing clothes in colorful brocade apparels and infuse by chants and reading of Buddhist scripts. The culmination of festival constitutes the unfolding of a huge cloth thongdrel, a sacred scroll, depicting Padma Smabhawa and imagery from Buddhist pantheon.
- Folk Heritage Museum:
The folk heritage museum in Thimphu offers an impeccable insight into the lifestyle of a Bhutanese citizen. It is through this 17th-century farmhouse converted to a museum embracing all Bhutanese elements in its territory such as flour mill, mud stove, prayer wheels, cowshed in the ground floor and granary in the attic, the story is thus told by a house and the story only repeats in all parts of the country. - Rinpung Dzong:
Touring the 17th-century religious fortress, translated as ‘heap of jewels’ is a magnificent architecture wonder listed as a tentative site in Bhutan’s Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
The corridors of the fortress long and shallow occasionally lit by light passing through the bay windows, a spot once canons were fired echoes bloodshed to shield against invasions. As the talk draws on, the heroic deeds of the ancestors and governors travel across all the nooks and crannies of the country and in narrating the tales, you have heard everything about Bhutan.
In understanding the iconographies as explanations are offered to you that are painted on every possible wall of the fortress, you are being told about Bhutan’s beliefs, history, culture and tradition, and myth and legends. - Buddha Dordema:
The 169 feet statue of Buddha is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. Built to oversee the wellbeing of the world, it also unfurls a panoramic north-east view of Thimphu. Apart from commuting in a car, there are numerous hiking trails to the site. If you love mountain biking thrills, there is a trail just for the sport of mountain biking.
Local pilgrims throng to the site on every other occasion of a religious event.
- Day 1 Paro-Thimphu: Fly to Bhutan amid gentle terrains of the Greater Himalayas. For the first-timers, the descent of the plane amid the wedges of the mountains will have their heart skip heartbeat sweaty palms clutched firm on the armrest, feet almost digging into the plane's floor and feeling the stark pull of gravity- Bhutan's airport is considered as one of the dangerous airports in the world. After a brief reception ceremony, your guide will immediately whisk you to your SUV. Your tour begins in Bhutan. At halfway, a halt takes you to a temple across an iron bridge as a welcoming gesture. Inhaling the atmosphere, you will start grouping the jigsaw of your life, admitting to your conscience that you have indeed touched and sensed everything that life has to offer. So have you, you are in a country that is carbon-negative and developing through happiness as a nation-state.
- Day 2 Thimphu: A short drive from your hotel takes you to Tashichhodzong, the venue for the Thimphu festival. At the venue, you will meet locals in all colors of attire yet jovial and spiritual mood. Here you can witness a series of masked dances- all the masked dances paves way to rebirth by gaining positive merits and the dances depicts the life of Guru Padmasambhava. The festival is a spectacular moment for photography and to socialize with the locals.
- Day 3 Thimphu: The capital city of Bhutan is a rendezvous of culture, customs, and traditions. As we venture out sightseeing in Thimphu, the itinerary takes you to all the touristic spots that by little or completely touches everything about Bhutan. By large, Thimphu offers a clear picture of any part of Bhutan. The presence of various attractions be it cultural, religious or political- the capital city alone resemblances Bhutan. For sightseeing, the important attractions are takin preserve, memorial stupa, Buddha Dordema, folk heritage museum, textile museum, the academy of art and craft, Simtokha Dzong and Tashichhodzong. After visiting all the attractions in Thimphu, refresh once in your room and come out to take a stroll in the streets of the capital city of Bhutan. Dotted by various entertainments, the nightlife of Thimphu is very lively.
- Day 4 Thimphu-Punakha: To head to the western districts even deeper, we start early. We traverse into the depths of the Western territories. The destination- Punakha and Wangduephodrang is in the cocoon of a medieval setting. It takes two-hours from Thimphu to the destination of the day. The western districts stood witness at scores of historical transition of the country, even to the unification of the country. Onto destination bound, the drive is one of the most scenic of the tour. Additionally, the stopover at the mountain pass- Do Chula at 3100 meters offers the panoramic vista of perennial snowcapped mountains to the North. On a clear weather, one can count 10 mountain peaks, the peaks are collectively known as ‘Jigme Singye Wangchuck Mountain Range’ after the name of Fourth King of Bhutan. It is on this journey that touts the fauna of the country. For photographers, down the mountain pass- Do Chula to the floor of the valley, it’s a photographer’s paradise. Before reaching our destination, we drive to the ‘temple of fertility’ renowned for blessing infertile couples with children.
- Day 5 Punakha-Thimphu-Paro: Before heading back to Paro via Thimphu, we will go for a short hike of about 30-minute to Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten, built by Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuk. Nestled on a gentle knoll, it was built to confer prayers for the wellbeing and happiness of the whole world. We will have lunch at Thimphu and visit the botanical park and afterwards, we head straight to Paro.
- Day 6 Paro: After touring valleys and vales, getting acclimatized for the switchback hike to the cultural icon of the country- Taktshang Monastery, we start early to truly experience the marvels of Nature. On a cliff 1000 meters above the floor of the valley, the popular Tiger's Nest is situated at a precarious location. Owing to the sacredness of the temple as the Second Buddha of the Vajrayana Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava meditated in the caves of the temple complex after subduing a tiger flying to the location on the back of a tigress, it is a must visit for the Buddhist pilgrims once in their lifetime. The temple is thronged by thousands of devotees every year and the visit increases by the day. If possible, along with the 'alpinely' forested trail- we can wrap a picnic lunch and eat on our way down from the temple. For a relaxing evening, you can opt for a trekker's foot massage or simply stay immersed in hot stone bathing tub stirred with local medicinal herbs.
- Day 7 Paro: Bid goodbye to Bhutan but to come back again and in all times to come, wax memories about your experience in Bhutan.
