Gangtey Short Trek

Once you arrive at Paro airport, you will be received by one of our representatives who will take you to Thimphu in a private car that will take about an hour long drive. After arrival, you will check into your hotel and take rest and freshen up. Then in the afternoon, a visit to Memorial Chorten built in the memory of late 3rd king and drive to Buddha viewpoint for visiting the largest Buddha statue in the world will be arranged. You can either choose to relax at your hotel room or explore the city in the evening.

Taking a scenic drive via Dochu La Pass (3,050m) we come to Punakha taking one break at the last town on the highway before entering into central Bhutan. We will visit the nunnery and walk down to the hotel in the afternoon.

After breakfast, we go for a visit to the most beautiful fortress, Punakha Dzong which showcases the finest examples of arts and architecture of Bhutan. In the afternoon, we will go on a hike to Khamsum Yulay from the foot of the Dzong through old palace of the third king of Bhutan. The hike takes about three hours. If interested, a white river rafting could also be organized for the group.

We will take a drive to valley of black necked cranes via Wangdue and on our way, we will make a stop to visit Rinchengang village. We will also be visiting Gangey Gonpa and to learn more about the endangered bird, we will take a visit to Black Necked Crane Center. The bird migrates from Tibetan plateau to Phobjikha every winter. In the evening, a visit to typical Bhutanese farm house shall be arranged if interested or you could also stay at farm house offered in Phobjikha.

This day marks the start of our Gangtey trek. We follow the trail climbing through meadows and fields and then ascend to Tselela Pass from where we descend gradually down through the forests of juniper, bamboo, magnolia and rhododendrons until we arrive at our camp on the outskirts of Gogona village.

We climb the trail going gently up above Gogona village and climb through the forests of fir, oak, spruce, rhododendron, cypress and juniper. A long and gradual climb will take us to Shobjula Pass from where we descend down to a wide valley of Khotokha, the summer settlement of people of Sha region of Wangduephodrang district.

We ascend to Tashila Pass from Khotokha from the pass we then walk downhill through dense rhododendron, magnolias, ferns and dwarf bamboos forests. This stretch of trek is considered as one of the finest bird watching areas in Bhutan with the opportunity of catching the glimpse of rare birds such as Great Pied Horn Bill. We will stay the night at a hotel in Wangdue.

We drive back to Paro via Dochula and Thimphu after breakfast. Upon our arrival in Paro, we will visit the National Museum of Bhutan and Paro Dzong during the afternoon. In the evening, we will explore the town and market area of Paro.

We will start the day with a visit to the National Museum which is housed in the Ta Dzong (watchtower) where we will observe the collection of artifacts that offers the information about the rich culture and heritage of Bhutan. A short walk downhill will take us to the Paro Dzong, however, if we have already visited these places the day earlier, we will move on to the exploration of other areas. Crossing a traditional cantilever bridge, Nyamai Zampa, we drive to the town where we can either visit a traditional farmhouse for lunch or have our lunch at the picnic spots available. We will then hike to one of the most revered monuments of Bhutan, the Takshang Gomba which is commonly referred to as the “Tiger’s Nest”. This four hour trek is rewarded with the picturesque views of the monastery perched on a cliff face at the height of 900m above the valley floor.

On this day, you will be escorted to the airport by one of our representatives after bidding farewell to your trekking and tour crew members and friends.