Punakha Drubchen & Tshechu
Double festival celebrations paired with Punakha’s riverside heritage.
Journey Facts
Duration
8 Days / 7 Nights
Best season
February–March
Difficulty
Easy
Region
Western Bhutan
Group size
2–12 guests
Journey Overview
Curated for immersive Bhutan travel
Witness historical reenactments and sacred dances in Bhutan’s former capital.
Signature Moments
Highlights tailored to this journey
Punakha Drubchen
Punakha Dzong
Dochula Pass
Day by Day
Immersive itinerary flow
8 days of curated experiences
Hover a day to explore
Welcome to the Kingdom
Day 1Paro · 2,250 mTouch down beneath Paro's terraced hillsides and meet your guide with a khadar welcome. Stretch your legs on a gentle walk to 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, where oranges are said to fruit year-round in the temple courtyard.
Across Dochula to the Old Capital
Day 2Punakha · 1,250 mClimb to Dochula Pass, where 108 chortens face a wall of snow peaks, then drop through mossy rhododendron forest into Punakha's warm valley. Arrive at the fortress that crowned Bhutan's kings, standing where the Mother and Father rivers meet.
Drubchen — The Battle Remembered
Day 3Punakha DzongInside Punakha Dzong's courtyards, costumed pazap warriors re-enact the 17th-century defence of Bhutan with war cries, drums, and swirling banners — a spectacle found nowhere else in the kingdom. Your guide narrates the history as it unfolds around you.
Tshechu — Masks in the Fortress
Day 4Punakha DzongThe Drubchen flows into the Tshechu proper: masked cham dances turning the dzong's flagstone courtyard into a living mandala of colour and cymbal-crash. Sit among local families sharing zaw and butter tea as the dances teach compassion, judgement, and liberation.
Rice Terraces & the Longest Bridge
Day 5Punakha ValleyHike through paddies to the hilltop Khamsum Yulley Namgyal chorten, built by the Queen Mothers, for a river-valley panorama. Cross Bhutan's longest suspension bridge — 160 metres of fluttering prayer flags above the Po Chhu — and drift back along the riverbank.
The Divine Madman's Valley
Day 6Punakha ValleyWalk across mustard fields to Chimi Lhakhang, temple of the beloved 'Divine Madman' Drukpa Kunley, where pilgrims still come for fertility blessings. Continue to the hillside village of Talo and the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup nunnery, home to 120 nuns above the valley.
Return West & the Tiger's Nest
Day 7Taktsang · 3,120 mRecross Dochula in morning light and return to Paro for the kingdom's signature pilgrimage: the cliff-path climb to Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, hanging 900 metres above the valley. Toast the journey with a farmhouse hot-stone bath and a farewell dinner.
Departure
Day 8Paro International AirportAfter breakfast, your guide accompanies you to Paro airport with a khadar farewell — and the promise that Bhutan always keeps a valley unexplored for your return.
What’s included
Inclusions
- Festival viewing assistance
- Guide and driver
Not included
- International flights
Know before you go
FAQs
Is this tour family-friendly?
Yes, the pace is relaxed and suitable for families.
Visual story
Gallery
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