Own transfer: On arrival at Bangkok Airport you will pass through immigration and then follow signs in the terminal for the Novotel Hotel. The walk will take around 10 minutes and on arrival you will check in and relax for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel (Superior Room)

Own transfer: Early this morning, you will make your own way to the international terminal in time to check in for the Drukair flight to Paro in Bhutan.

Flight: KB131 Bangkok - Paro 06.50 - 10.00

Meet & Greet: On arrival at Paro International Airport, you will be welcomed to Bhutan by your guide and you will then transfer to your hotel.

Private transfer to Thimphu with sightseeing: Paro is situated in a beautiful valley at a height of 2280 metres and is a fitting introduction to this charming kingdom. Your guide and driver will meet you and take you on a short one hour drive along the Paro and Thimphu river valleys to Thimphu which is Bhutan’s capital. On the way you can make a stop to take in the magnificent Tamchhog Lhakhang, the hereditary place of worship for Bhutan’s iron bridge builder. On arrival in Thimphu you will check into your hotel and lunch will be served in a local restaurant.

Guided tour of Thimphu: This afternoon, walk around the town and soak up the atmosphere of this magical capital with its busy shops and bazaars and photogenic citizens in national dress.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hotel Jumolhari (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Morning visit to Thimphu Tsechu: After breakfast you can spend the morning at Thimphu Tsechu (festival), where you will see locals dressed in their finest clothes who have walked from miles around to attend the festivities. They come to watch masked dances, to pray, and to feast. While the underlying purpose of the festival is spiritual, dances are more often like plays, telling stories where good triumphs over evil, or depicting significant historical events, especially surrounding the life of Bhutan's patron saint, Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche). The main action takes place in the Dzong itself but there is inevitably a great deal of socialising outside the dzong, and in the town, as well. The occasion of a tsechu provides an opportunity for people to relax and forget the daily routine, and to dress up in their finest clothes and jewellery, but it is also an occasion for prayer and blessings.

Afternoon guided tour of Thimphu: This afternoon visit Simtokha Dzong, one of the oldest fortresses in Bhutan dating from 1629 AD, which is located just outside Thimphu. Afterwards return to town to visit the revered Memorial Chorten, the Folk Heritage Museum and also Tashicho (Trashi Chhoe) Dzong, built in 1641, which housed the original National Assembly and is now home to Government offices, the throne room & offices of the King. Late afternoon is a good time to look at the temporary stalls that line the main streets selling food, trinkets and clothes or offering festival entertainment such as darts or other games.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Hotel Jumolhari (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Private road journey to Gangtey with sightseeing: This morning, drive from Thimphu to Gangtey, via Wangdue Phodrang (also known as Wangdi) once considered to be Bhutan’s second capital due to its commanding central position. You will drive over the Dochu La Pass at 3,050m, where you will stop for a hot drink and enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the Eastern Himalaya ranges (clouds permitting). You will notice the change of climate and vegetation as you approach low-lying Wangdi at 1,240m after a drive of 3 hours. Sadly the impressive Wangdi Dzong that dominated the area was gutted by fire in June 2012, destroying in a few hours not only a magnificent building that had stood proudly for hundreds of years, but also the painstaking work that had been in progress for many months to rebuild recent earthquake damage using traditional construction methods. There is now little to see in Wangdi and you will continue driving for a further 2 hours until you reach Gangtey (2900m) where you can enjoy views of the immense, and remote, Phobjikha valley and the black mountain range.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Dewachen Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided walk around the Phobjikha Valley: Today you can do a day’s walk around the beautiful Phobjikha Valley. Start your walk at the Dewachen Hotel and walk from here to the Black-Necked Crane Information Centre, which has lots of information on the valley and its famous migrating birds (Please note the information centre is currently being refurbished and is due to open in February). From here you can walk to Beta Village where there is a small school which you are welcome to visit if you are interested. Afterwards walk along the Gangtey Nature Trail, past Semchubara village, through forests of blue pine trees covered with lichen (known as old man’s beard) and where you can hopefully see some birds. Continue on from the end of the nature trail to Kingathang village where you can visit a temple built by the Queen Mother. From Kingathang, you can walk via Yusa village back to your hotel. All being well you should be able to see some of the famous black-necked cranes which visit in their hundreds in November (until February) each year, after spending the summer in Tibet.

Please note: Today’s walk will be around 8 miles and will take around 6-7 hours. It may be cold in the valley so please bring some sturdy walking shoes and warm clothing that can be worn in layers.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Dewachen Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided visit to Gangtey Festival: Today you can spend the whole day at Gangtey Tsechu (festival) with local villagers. The festival takes place in the courtyard of the monastery (Gangtey Goempa), which has recently been extensively renovated. You will see locals dressed in their finest clothes who have walked from miles around to attend the festivities. They come to watch masked dances, to pray, and to feast. While the underlying purpose of the festival is spiritual, dances are more often like plays, telling stories where good triumphs over evil, or depicting significant historical events, especially surrounding the life of Bhutan's patron saint, Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche).

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Dewachen Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Private road journey to Bumthang with sightseeing: In the morning drive approximately 2 hours to Trongsa, the gateway to central Bhutan at 2180 metres. Set amidst spectacular scenery, Trongsa Dzong, the ancestral home of Bhutan’s royal family, commands the eye from miles away. You can also visit Ta Dzong, the newly opened museum in the watchtower dedicated to the Wangchuk dynasty, which tells the stories of the Dzong and the valley it has watched over for centuries and which also features personal belongings of the Kings and Queens of Bhutan. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant. Afterwards continue on a further 2 ½ hours through some of Bhutan’s most beautiful landscapes to Bumthang, an area of high valleys at 2580 to 3100 metres.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gongkhar Guest House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided visit to Tangbi Mani Festival: Today you can visit the festival in Tangbi Mani Monastery along with lots of villagers from around the valley. An amazing sight will unfold as monks set fire to haystacks in the field and devotees run through the flames to cleanse themselves of their sins and ensure good luck for the coming year - something to watch with wonder but perhaps not to try! Look out for the Atsara, a unique clown / dancer that mimics the other dancers and entertains onlookers sometimes with rude jokes. The festival deities are invoked through benediction and luck is increased and misfortune banished. An unforgettable experience as the third of the festivals you will see.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gongkhar Guest House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided sightseeing in and around Bumthang: This morning you will explore the spiritual heartland of Bhutan, with its many legendary monasteries, temples and palaces. Bumthang is the collective name for an area of 4 valleys - Chokhor, Tang, Ura and Chhume. Your guide will take you on a fascinating tour of a variety of sacred sites including Jamba Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang and Tamshing Lhakhang. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant. This afternoon you can also visit Bhutan’s largest Dzong (Jakar), with its picturesque location overlooking the Chokhor Valley. You may be interested to see Bumthang’s famous Swiss cheese factory and dairy farm and there may be an opportunity to catch an archery match – the national sport played across the country.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gongkhar Guest House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided sightseeing in the Tang Valley: This morning drive to the Tang Valley, the most remote of Bumthang's four valleys. The road climbs past the trail to Membar Tsho (the ‘Burning Lake’), which is one of Bhutan’s most important pilgrimage sites. Then dive on to Drangchel, Pema Lingpa's birthplace. You will also see some picturesque villages and temples and if you are feeling fit you can walk up to visit Ugyenchholing Palace, which is now a museum and gives an interesting insight into life in an aristocratic family in the last century. After the sightseeing return to Bumthang.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gongkhar Guest House (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Private road journey to Punakha with sightseeing: In the morning set off on the long journey west (approximately 6 hours) to the old capital of Punakha. On the way stop to visit Chendebji Chorten, which is modelled on the Swayambhunath Chorten in Kathmandu and built in the 19th Century by Lama Shida. You will have lunch in a local restaurant nearby. Afterwards continue the drive and on arrival in Punakha check into your hotel.

Guided tour of Punakha: This afternoon take a pleasant walk for an hour or so across terraced fields to Chimi Lhakhang (Temple of Fertility) which was built in the 15th century by the ‘Divine Madman’ (Lama Drukpa Kuenley). After the walk return to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Drubchhu Resort (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided tour of Punakha: This morning visit the imposing Punakha Dzong or “Palace of Great Happiness”. Built in 1637, it is strategically placed at the confluence of two rivers, the Po Chu and the Mo Chu. Here you have an opportunity, if interested, to view an exhibition of traditional Bhutanese cantilever bridges (known as bazams) in the tower of the Puna Mo Chu Bazam.

Private road journey to Paro: After the sightseeing you will set off on the 4 hour drive to Paro which will take you over the Dochu La Pass again and if the weather was not clear on the way out, hopefully you will get to see the amazing views on the way back. After checking into your hotel there will be time for a quick orientation tour around this small town.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gangtey Palace Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided tour of Paro: This morning you will visit the impressive Paro Rinpung Dzong, one of the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture, and the nearby National Museum which was previously housed in the Ta Dzong (watch tower). This was built on top of the hill above Rinpung Dzong to defend the dzong, and the Paro Valley, during times of war. It was constructed in an unusual circular shape that resembles a conch shell. Unfortunately an earthquake in September 2011 damaged the Ta Dzong and the contents of the museum were moved to a neighbouring building. However you can still see a magnificent collection of Bhutanese artefacts – costumes, religious paintings, arms, textiles and a fascinating collection of Bhutan stamps. The National Museum is due to reopen in the Ta Dzong in 2018. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant. In the afternoon there will be time to have a visit to the ruined Drukgyel Dzong (fortress of victory), which was built to commemorate victory over the Tibetan invaders in 1644, but destroyed by a butter lamp fire in 1951. Nearby you can also visit the 7th century Kyichu Lhakhang, a temple of historical significance and one of the most sacred shrines in Bhutan.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gangtey Palace Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Guided tour of Paro and surrounds: Today round off your tours with a walk to the ‘Tiger's Nest’, the sacred Taktshang Monastery which clings to the rock face 900 metres above the valley floor and is one of the most famous images of Bhutan. Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown to the site riding on a tigress. He subsequently meditated here for three months. It is one of Bhutan’s most holy sites and draws pilgrims not only from Bhutan but also from neighbouring Buddhist countries. You can have lunch at the Taktshang cafeteria from where you get a spectacular view of the monastery. This afternoon, on the way back to Paro, you will visit Dumtse Lhakhang, a temple built by Thangtong Gyalpo, the iron bridge builder. Afterwards return to your hotel for your last night in Bhutan.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Gangtey Palace Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Private transfer: This morning, you will be transferred to the airport in time to check in for your international departure with Drukair.

Flight: KB130 Paro - Bangkok 11.00 - 16.00

On arrival in Bangkok, you will check in for the Thai Airways flight back to London

Meals: Breakfast