Bhutan Backpacking Trip

📍 Distance: ~165 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~4.5–5 hrs

• Depart Bagdogra and drive north through the lush tea estates and forested stretches of North Bengal’s Dooars region.
• Arrive at the India–Bhutan border. Our team escorts the group across on foot through the Jaigaon–Phuentsholing gate.
• Check into your hotel in Phuentsholing and settle in.

Evening: Welcome dinner, followed by a karaoke night and a bit of pub-hopping through Phuentsholing’s low-key nightlife scene.

📍 Distance: ~170 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~5–6 hrs

• Morning visit to the immigration office for official entry formalities — our guide handles the paperwork alongside you.
• Begin the climb toward Thimphu, with brief stops at Singye Mijyurling, the Wangkha Dam & Waterfall Viewpoint, and the Gedu Stupas.
• Arrive in Thimphu, the world’s third-highest capital city, and check into your hotel.

Evening: Walk through the Authentic Bhutanese Handicrafts Bazaar for locally made textiles and woodwork, browse the Centenary Farmers Market — a genuine, lively marketplace where farmers from across the valley sell produce, cheese, and spices — and finish at Clock Tower Square, Thimphu’s social hub, ringed by cafés and street food stalls.

📍 Distance: ~135 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~5–6 hrs

• Buddha Point (Kuenselphodrang) to see the Buddha Dordenma — a 51.5 m gilded bronze statue overlooking the entire Thimphu valley, one of the largest sitting Buddha statues in the world.
• Simply Bhutan Museum, right next door — an interactive, hands-on introduction to Bhutanese village life, with costume try-ons and traditional games.
• Drive out of the capital via Wangdue Phodrang, with stops along the way for photographs and refreshments, plus lunch en route.
• Arrive in Phobjikha — a wide, U-shaped glacial valley considered one of Bhutan’s pristine wetland ecosystems.
• Visit the RSPN (Royal Society for Protection of Nature) Information Centre.
• Free time to wander the valley’s quiet country roads.

Evening: Dinner and an early night — Phobjikha has no streetlights, and stargazing here is genuinely excellent.

📍 Distance: ~78 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~3 hrs

• Early breakfast, then a short drive to Gangtey Village.
• Walk through the village and visit the 17th-century Gangtey Monastery, seat of the Nyingma school of Buddhism.
• Set out on the Gangtey Nature Trail — a leisurely, roughly hour-long walk through marshland and blue pine forest with sweeping valley views. Your vehicle meets you at the trail’s end.
• Continue the descent to Punakha, Bhutan’s former capital, and check into your hotel.
• After lunch, visit Punakha Dzong, set at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, followed by a walk across the Punakha Suspension Bridge.

Evening: At leisure by the river as the dzong catches the last light.

📍 Distance: ~125 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~4 hrs

• Optional, payable directly: morning white-water rafting on the Mo Chhu River — a gentle, Class I–II stretch of about 10 km, past rice terraces, prayer flags, and views of Punakha Dzong from the water. No prior experience needed; this needs to be requested and paid for on the ground and isn’t included in the base itinerary.
• Check out and drive to Sopsokha Village to visit the revered Chimi Lhakhang, the Temple of Fertility. There are fascinating stories about this place you might want to ask your guide and the locals.
• Begin the drive to Paro, retracing the route back over Dochula Pass — visit the 108 Druk Wangyal Chorten, Meditation Caves, and the Dochula Viewpoint here — and on toward Chuzom, the confluence of the Thimphu and Paro rivers.
• En route, stop at Tamchog Lhakhang, a 15th-century temple famous for its iron chain-link bridge, built by the Tibetan saint and engineer Thangtong Gyalpo, who constructed over 100 such bridges across Tibet and Bhutan.
• Lunch at Your Café — our favourite stop on this stretch of road, and worth the small detour.
• Arrive in Paro and check into your hotel.

Evening: At leisure — a good window to pick up any last-minute gear ahead of tomorrow’s hike, or just relax before an early night.

📍 Trail Distance: ~4 km one-way | ⏱️ Hike Time: ~4–6 hrs round trip

• Early start — depart the hotel by 7:00 AM to be on the trail by 8:00 AM, ahead of the crowds and the heat.
• The hike to Taktsang (“Tiger’s Nest”) Monastery climbs roughly 500–900 m over uneven, forested switchbacks. Most groups take 2–3 hours up and slightly less coming down; a stop at the Halfway Cafeteria is a Bhutan rite of passage.
• Return to town by early-to-mid afternoon.
• Late lunch, then the rest of the day is yours.
• Optional (payable directly): spa treatment or a traditional Bhutanese hot stone bath — advance booking strongly recommended.

Evening: At leisure — the hotel, or one last wander through Paro’s local markets.

📍 Distance: ~165 km (Paro–Phuentsholing) + ~157 km (Phuentsholing–Siliguri) | Time: ~5–6 hrs + ~4 hrs

• Early check-out and breakfast, then the drive back down to Phuentsholing.
• Visit the immigration office for official exit formalities.
• Lunch at one of the many restaurants on either side of the border.
• Board your vehicle for the final leg to Siliguri, your stop for the night.
• Check in and spend the evening at leisure — Hong Kong Market or Sevoke Road for a last round of shopping and street food, if the group’s up for it.

📍 Distance: ~12 km | ⏱️ Drive Time: ~20–30 min

• Our vehicle drops the group at Bagdogra Airport at a common time convenient for everyone’s onward flights.
• Tour ends.

Keep In Mind: Bagdogra Airport security lines can move slowly during peak weekend hours.
We recommend arriving at least 2.5 hours ahead of departure — for a group of 12, a little extra buffer avoids anyone sprinting for a gate.