10 days/ 9 nights · Private tour
Tour highlights
About this tour
This Bumthang tour carries you over the mountains to the spiritual heart of Bhutan, where the oldest temples in the country sit among buckwheat fields and pine forest. Along the way, you see the highlights of the west: Thimphu, Punakha and Tiger’s Nest. Also, your private guide and driver stay with you for all ten days.
In fact, few visitors travel this far east. As a result, Bumthang feels calm and unhurried, and the monks, farmers and weavers you meet still live much as their grandparents did. If you have already seen the west, or simply want more than the classic loop, this is your trip.
Buddhism first took root in Bhutan here. For example, Jambay Lhakhang dates from the 7th century, and Kurjey Lhakhang guards a rock that holds the body print of Guru Rinpoche. Meanwhile, Tamshing Monastery still keeps paintings from its founding in 1501.
Beyond the temples, Bumthang is a valley of farms. You taste buckwheat pancakes, local cheese and honey, and you can watch women weave the bright woollen cloth called yathra. Altogether, it is the most complete picture of old Bhutan you can find.
Bumthang sits in central Bhutan, so two days of this trip are long drives of seven to eight hours. However, the road is one of the most beautiful in the Himalaya, and we break it with tea stops, village walks and a visit to Trongsa Dzong. By contrast, every other day is short and relaxed.
Short on time? Our 7-day Bhutan itinerary covers the western valleys only. For an even deeper journey, the Eastern Bhutan tour continues past Bumthang to the far east.
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, bring the clearest skies. In addition, Bumthang hosts some of the country’s most loved festivals, including Jambay Lhakhang Drup in autumn. Although winter is cold at about 2,600 metres, the valley is sunny and peaceful. For weather, visas and packing, read our Bhutan travel information guide.
Your Bumthang tour starts from US$3,000 per person, and group discounts are available. The price covers the Sustainable Development Fee, hotels, all meals, a private vehicle and driver, a licensed English-speaking guide, taxes and every entry fee. Flights, insurance and drinks are extra.
The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per night right now, half the standard rate set by Bhutan’s official tourism site. However, this lower rate is confirmed only until 31 August 2027. We have been licensed since 2012 and have welcomed more than 2,000 travellers.
Yes. It holds the oldest temples in Bhutan and far fewer visitors than the west. Indeed, most of our guests call it the highlight of their trip.
Sometimes. There is a small domestic airport in Bumthang, but flights are limited and change often. Just ask, and we will check the schedule for your dates.
Yes. The walks are easy, and children love the farms and the Burning Lake. Only the Tiger’s Nest hike needs moderate fitness, and you set the pace.
Day by day
This itinerary shows one way to enjoy this trip. We can change any day, add or remove places, change the pace or the hotels, and add a festival. Every journey we run is curated around you.
Paro to Thimphu · 55 km · about 1.5 hours · 2,300 m Your flight lands in the Paro Valley between steep forested ridges, and your guide greets you at arrivals with a white scarf. From the airport, you follow the river to its meeting point with the Wang Chhu, where three small stupas mark the confluence. By afternoon you reach Thimphu, the only capital in the world without a traffic light. In the evening, you stroll the main street, find your feet and rest well before the journey east. Overnight: Thimphu
Thimphu · full day · 2,300 m You start at Buddha Dordenma, a giant golden Buddha that watches over the whole valley. Next, you visit the Memorial Chorten, where elders turn prayer wheels from dawn. After lunch, you watch young artists learn painting and carving at the Institute for Zorig Chusum, then explore the National Textile Museum. In the evening, you walk into Tashichho Dzong, the seat of government, as the light turns gold. Overnight: Thimphu
Thimphu to Punakha · 72 km · about 3 hours · Dochula Pass 3,100 m You climb to Dochula Pass, where 108 chortens stand against the Himalaya, and on clear days a line of snow peaks fills the horizon. From there, the road drops into the warm Punakha Valley. After lunch, you cross a wooden bridge into Punakha Dzong, set where two rivers meet. Later, you walk the long suspension bridge, with prayer flags snapping in the wind above the river. Overnight: Punakha
Punakha to Bumthang · about 210 km · 7 to 8 hours with stops · Pele La 3,420 m Today you cross into central Bhutan. The road climbs through forest to Pele La, a high pass where yaks graze in the dwarf bamboo. Next, you stop at Trongsa Dzong, the largest fortress in the country and the ancestral seat of the royal family. After lunch, you cross one more pass and drop into the wide Bumthang valley. By evening, the smell of pine smoke drifts across Jakar town. Overnight: Bumthang
Bumthang · easy walks · 2,600 m This is the heart of your Bumthang tour. You begin at Jambay Lhakhang, built in the 7th century and one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. A short walk leads to Kurjey Lhakhang, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated and left his body print in the rock. After lunch, you cross a footbridge to Tamshing Monastery, founded in 1501, with its original wall paintings. In the evening, you can visit Jakar Dzong above the valley. Overnight: Bumthang
Bumthang · short drive and walks · 2,600 to 2,800 m You drive into the quiet Tang valley to Membartsho, the Burning Lake, a deep pool in the river gorge where the saint Pema Lingpa is said to have found sacred treasures. Prayer flags and butter lamps line the rocks. Next, you visit a farming family, taste buckwheat pancakes and local cheese, and see how the household works. In the afternoon, you can watch yathra weaving or simply rest in the valley. Overnight: Bumthang
Bumthang to Punakha · about 210 km · 7 to 8 hours with stops You leave Bumthang after breakfast and retrace the mountain road west. This time the light falls differently on the passes, and you stop wherever the views or the villages call you. Along the way, you can try fresh peaches or oranges in season at roadside stalls. By late afternoon, the air grows warm again as you drop into the Punakha Valley, where a quiet evening by the river awaits. Overnight: Punakha
Punakha to Paro · 125 km · about 4.5 hours with stops · 2,200 m In the morning, you can walk through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the Divine Madman. Then you cross Dochula Pass once more and continue west to Paro. In the afternoon, you visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, with orange trees in its courtyard. Later, you walk down from Rinpung Dzong across a covered wooden bridge into Paro town. Overnight: Paro
Tiger's Nest hike · about 500 m climb · 4 to 6 hours return · 3,100 m You set off early through pine forest hung with prayer flags, climbing steadily to the viewpoint opposite the monastery. From there, steps lead down past a waterfall and up to Taktsang itself, clinging to the cliff high above the valley. Your guide tells the story of Guru Rinpoche, who is said to have flown here on a tigress, and links it back to the temples you saw in Bumthang. In the evening, you can enjoy an optional hot stone bath in a farmhouse. Overnight: Paro
Paro airport · short transfer After breakfast, your guide and driver take you to Paro airport and see you off with a farewell scarf. As your plane climbs out of the valley, look back for one last view of the mountains you crossed. Bumthang does not impress loudly. Instead, its calm stays with you and returns when you least expect it. We hope to welcome you back for a festival, a trek or the far east of the country.
Package does not include insurance of any kinds, and that you are required to obtain separate coverage from your home country or any insurance company of your choice.
Tell us your dates, and we will shape this trip around you.
