Most prominent places to visit in Bhutan include Paro, Punakha, Phobjikha, Thimphu
Phuentsholing
The border town for immigration and breaking the long journey from Bagdogra. It has a few monasteries
Where we stayed: Alem Hotel & Resort. Comfortable stay for a night before entering fully into Bhutan
Thimphu
The capital city about 4 hours from Phentsholing. You can see towns of Gedu, Chukha, and Chuzom
Within the city, we saw Memorial Chorten on the way to Buddha Dordemna statue. The Buddha statue is visible from almost everywhere in the city
We then headed to Simply Bhutan, a museum like place that showcases traditional Bhutanese ways like building houses, cooking, storing vegetable, archery. We were offered tea, rice flakes and rice wine. We had heard mixed reviews about the place, but ended up liking it
Takin is the national animal of Bhutan which you can see at the Mothithang zoo- Takin Preserve. It looks like a mix of goat and bison and found rarely in the wild
We ended the day with the flag ceremony at Tashichho Dzong at 5 PM. Our guide suggested skipping the dzong visit from inside since most dzongs are similar in architecture and Punakha Dzong is the best one to see
We skipped other museums like craft museum, car museum, postal museums which you can go to if you have time
Where we stayed: Mantra Home– Homestay with small rooms, but sufficient to move around. Hot water took some time. Home to a lot of dogs and cats as well!
Punakha
The old capital and home to a magnificent dzong
Dochu-La pass
A beautiful stop point on the way between Thimphu and Punakaha with 108 chortens on top of a hilly region. On clear days, you can see snow capped mountains all around at a distance, including the tallest mountain in Bhutan Gangkar Puensum.
If you climb ahead post the chortens, you can see different caves with unique designs used for meditation
Lampelri Botanical Garden
Close to Dochu La Pass. It was a small park with a pond and some trees. You can skip this in the interest of other sights
Punakha Dzong
Story goes that Ngawang Namgyal, the one who built the dzong saw the dzong in his dream and built it exactly that way
The bridge over the river offers a grand welcome into the dzong. It has three main courtyards for all the ceremonies that happen with the royalty even today
The dzong is a true testament of Bhutanese architecture and a must visit. Jacardanda trees make it even beautiful during spring times
You can go rafting on the the Pho and Mo rivers. The water was too cold in December and we didn’t dare enter! The going rates were around INR 10k ($120) per raft
Suspension bridge
More a photo stop. You can walk across the bridge. I came back midway as it got shaky and my fear of heights kicked in!
Chimi Lakhang: Temple of fertility
It is a 30 minute hike from the car stopping point. The path crosses fields and fruit tree plantations. Don’t hesistate going to the temple- It is like any other temple and does not feel awkward at any point. You can see people coming with babies when their wishes are fulfilled
Where we stayed: Hotel Lobesa– Has a view of fields on one side which are spectacular in harvest season. Rooms were large enough for us. The café area has skins of yellow throated martens, a native animal
Phobjikha
The land of black necked cranes
Black necked cranes migrate from Tibet during winter months. Phobjikha hosts a festival early November to welcome them. They circle around Gangtey Gompa while entering and settle down in the region
We strongly recommend staying a night here specially to see the cranes. They forage in the morning and return in large numbers during the night. We saw hundreds of them in the large open fields
You can see two of them, Karma a male crane and Pema is female crane very closely at the Black necked crane visitor centre. The injured birds are cared for at the centre. There is a small documentary about them which you can watch
Gangtey Gompa is a beautiful temple from where the Gangtey trail starts. You can walk between large tall tress of the forest and get a very good vie of the region. We walked for an hour and took the exit towards a homestay for lunch
There are many homes that open up for tourists during lunch time. We had an old day prepare traditional Bhutanese food for us including a soup, greens, rice. The meal was healthy and filling, although a bit bland outside the chilies in Datshi
Where we stayed: Hotel Odiyana– Homestay with about 10-15 rooms with home cooked food. It had a nice view of the fields from the balcony to see cranes in the evening. The family had invited some spiritual gurus and were courteous to treat us like family and extend the invitation to us. We had other plans, unfortunately couldn’t make it
Paro
You can see flight landings from any place at height. You can check arrival schedules to film a brave landing amidst the hills
Paro National Museum: A circular building worth visiting to see the building itself. It is a watch tower converted into a museum that houses ancient artefacts, weapons, coins, information about flora and fauna of Bhutan
Tiger’s Nest
We took an entire day to complete the hike from 8 AM to 6 PM. Ensure you take the sticks at the entrance on rent, they ease up the trek quite a bit. While the distance is not much (~6 km round trip), the elevation and 1000+ steps make it a little tough. We took enough rest stops to recover and cover it at our own pace. There is a waterfall at the base of the temple which gives a sigh of relief of reaching the destination when you manage to see it. There are seven temples with some bit of climbing at each level. Gather enough strength to visit all of them, they are quite nice and spiritual. Many people are so exhausted by the time they reach, they end up skipping some of them
Although I was exhausted by the end, surprisingly I was completely fine the next day with no aches at all. My parents were faster than me while covering the trek, but had body ache post return for a couple of days. The key is to forget about being fast, keep your own pace and not think about distance left. Enjoy the surroundings, the flowers, the forest, the birds and you will be okay!
Chele La Pass
We added this to our plans specifically to see Mt. Jomolhari. It is a delight to see the mountain basking in sun rays. The route to the top is through a forest full of trees giving you a feeling a travelling in paradise. It is worth a stop over if you have 4-5 hours to spare near Paro
Where we stayed: Rema Resort- Has a nice vibe with wooden décor, apple trees and good breakfast spread