Eastern Bhutan Tour
Fifteen days the length of the country, out to Trashigang and back
The full east-west traverse, as far as Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse, the part of Bhutan almost nobody sees.
Very few visitors get past Bumthang. This trip keeps going: over Thrumshingla at 3,750 m, down a cliff road that loses two and a half thousand metres, and out to Mongar and Trashigang in the far east.
The east is warmer, lower and less visited. The weaving is different, the language is different (Tshanglakha rather than Dzongkha), and the villages are more spread out. Trashi Yangtse, north of Trashigang, has Chorten Kora, modelled on Boudhanath in Kathmandu.
This is a long trip with a lot of driving, and it retraces its own route on the way back. What you get for that is the part of the country that has not been shaped around visitors.
What stands out
- The drive over Thrumshingla and down the cliff road into the east
- Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse and Chorten Kora
- Bumthang's seventh and eighth century temples on the way through
- Weaving in the eastern villages, which is quite unlike the west
The itinerary
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Day 1 7,610 ft
Arrive Paro, drive to Thimphu
Met at the airport and driven to the capital.
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Day 2 7,610 ft
Thimphu
The dzong, the museums and the market.
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Day 3 4,100 ft
Thimphu to Punakha
Over Dochula and down into the warm valley.
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Day 4 7,220 ft
Punakha to Trongsa
Over Pele La and on to Trongsa.
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Day 5 8,530 ft
Trongsa to Bumthang
Through the Chhume valley to Jakar.
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Day 6 8,530 ft
Bumthang
The old temples along the valley floor.
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Day 7 5,250 ft
Bumthang to Mongar
The big day: over Thrumshingla at 3,750 m, then a long descent on a cliff road cut into the mountainside.
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Day 8 3,510 ft
Mongar to Trashigang
Over Kori La and down to the Drangme Chhu. Trashigang is warm and low.
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Day 9 5,900 ft
Trashigang: excursion to Trashi Yangtse
North to Chorten Kora, which is modelled on Boudhanath in Kathmandu, and the paper-making and wood-turning workshops on the way.
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Day 10 5,250 ft
Trashigang to Mongar
Back west, with stops at the villages along the way.
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Day 11 8,530 ft
Mongar to Bumthang
Back over Thrumshingla.
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Day 12 9,840 ft
Bumthang to Phobjikha
West again, into the glacial valley.
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Day 13 7,480 ft
Phobjikha to Paro
Gangtey in the morning, then the long drive west.
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Day 14 10,150 ft
Paro: the walk up to Taktsang
The climb to the Tiger's Nest.
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Day 15 7,480 ft
Departure
Morning transfer to the airport.
What is covered
- All internal transport with a private vehicle and driver
- A licensed English-speaking Bhutanese guide throughout
- Accommodation in government-approved three-star hotels, or better on request
- All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- All entry fees to monuments, dzongs and museums
- Bhutan visa processing and the visa fee
- The Sustainable Development Fee
- All internal taxes and the government royalty
- International flights to and from Bhutan
- Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to arrange
- Drinks, laundry, telephone and other personal expenses
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything not listed as included
This is a driving trip. Several days are six hours or more on the road, and the eastern highway is narrow with long drops. It is worth it, but go in knowing that.
Hotels in the east are simpler than in the west. They are clean and comfortable, but the standard is not the same.
On this trip
Other trips
Cultural Tours
Glimpse of Bhutan
The short introduction to Bhutan: Thimphu, the drive over Dochula to Punakha, and the climb to Taktsang on…
Cultural Tours
Central Bhutan Tour
West to east as far as Bumthang, the religious heart of the country, returning through Phobjikha, where the…
Festival Tours
Paro Tshechu
Two full days at the Paro festival, with the western valleys and Taktsang around them.