Arriving in Kathmandu you will be met outside the arrivals hall by a local KE representative who will arrange the transfer to the group hotel in the heart of the city; they will also supply you with a copy of your Bhutanese Visa, your ticket to Paro and details of the timings and where to meet the group the for the transfer back to the airport the following morning. The hotel is only a short walk from Thamel and flight time allowing you may have time for some independent sightseeing. We have also arranged for dinner in the hotel tonight, which you can take at your own leisure. KE Land Only package services begin with the airport transfer.

After taking breakfast in the hotel, the group will meet in the lobby at a designated time and transfer together back to the airport in Kathmandu to check in for our flight to Paro, Bhutan. This is one of the most spectacular of all mountain flights. From the left side of the plane Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga, three of the world's highest mountains, are clearly visible. The total flying time is only 45 minutes and soon we are descending into the Paro Valley, enjoying views over forests, small monasteries, temples and flat-roofed farmhouses as we come in to land. On leaving the airport we will receive a warm welcome from our Bhutanese guides, who will most likely greet us in full traditional dress, before transferring the short distance to our hotel. There should be plenty of time this afternoon to take a stroll around Paro with our guide to help us acclimatise to the thinner air and to take care of any formalities, like obtaining local currency. Over dinner our guide will brief us on what to expect in the days ahead.

This morning we make the stunning hike up to one of the most important religious site in the entire Himalaya, the Tiger's Nest. The monastery has a most stunning location, perched on the ledge of a cliff 900m above the Paro Valley. Not just a cultural experience, this hike up to over 3000m will provide some excellent acclimatisation ahead of our trek. Around half way up the trail there is a classic viewpoint for Taktsang, looking across the gorge to the monastic buildings clinging to the cliff wall opposite. There is a small teahouse located here where we can stop for a rest and a drink with a truly unforgettable view. The final approach to the monastery takes us down to a sacred waterfall, surrounded by a thousand fluttering prayer flags, where every crack in the rock is crammed with tsa-tsas (small caskets containing the ashes of the dead), before climbing back up towards the monastery. Leaving our bags and cameras at the gate we should hopefully be allowed to take a look around inside. As we explore amongst the chambers and altar rooms our guide will be on hand to explain all about the Buddhist rituals and iconography. We return to Paro in the afternoon.

We take the short drive to the airport and board the domestic flight to Bumthang. It's a spectacular flight with views of the highest mountains in Bhutan to the north. The landscape changes dramatically as we fly eastward to land in a wide, forested alpine valley. We drive into town and to our hotel before setting off on a walking tour of the Bumthang Valley, recognized as one of the most beautiful and sacred in Bhutan. The Bumthang Valley has a history hallowed by the frequent visits of Guru Rimpochey - the Patron saint of Bhutan when he was bringing the Buddha's message to Bhutan. He meditated in many local caves which now have temples and shrines associated with them. The valley is wide, filled with fields and villagers busy with their day's work. We visit the Jambay Lhakhang (Lhakhang means temple), along with Kyichu Lhakhang in the Paro Valley, is one of the two oldest temples in Bhutan. It was built circa in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet as a part of his pledge to build 108 temples to the Buddha during his lifetime. One of the most holy of Bhutan's religious sites, we will have the special permission necessary to visit this sacred temple. We continue to Kurjey, a 17th century temple next to which a spectacular new monastery is being built in traditional style. From Kurjey, we begin our walk through the countryside, crossing a bridge over the rushing Chamkhar Chu (river) and through ripening paddy fields to Tamshing . This temple complex was founded in 1501 by one of Bhutan's most famous saints, Pema Lingpa - the treasure discoverer. It is a monastery with many young monks in training. We continue past Tamshing and end our walk with a visit to the Swiss Project, an industrious complex that produces cheese, beer, apple juice and honey! After the tour we return to the hotel for evening drinks and a traditional Bhutanese dinner.

Our hike today is along a rarely visited trail normally used only by local farmers crossing with their livestock to the Tang Valley. We cross the Phephe La (3530m) on an ancient trail used by the villagers of Tang and Chokor which continues beyond to Eastern Bhutan. In earlier days, before Bhutanese currency was introduced in the 1950s, it was used to trade goods and labor between farms and households. It's a short drive to the starting point of our walk and our vehicle will drop us at the Ngang Lhakhang to see the ruins of the Dapham Dzong where archeological works are currently being conducted by the swiss government. Our climb to the pass will take us through beautiful natural forest and could take as long as three hours to reach the Phephe La with a few rest stops on the way but there is no hurry. We take a picnic lunch at the pass before descending into the beautiful valley of Tang famous for its sheep and growing buckwheat. As we reach the road head, the villagers will be surprised to see foreigners and will offer a warm welcome to their visitors. A highlight of this holiday will by our night spent at the family owned Ogyen Choling Manor, built in 1898, the manor is a historic, cultural site, with its origin going back to the 14th Century. The central tower of the manor was converted to become the first private museum in Bhutan. The guest house is located on the hilltop overlooking the Tang village just outside the Museum, the complex also includes a temple. During our stay we will meet the current owners who are 20th generation descendants of the original owners! We will help the family preparing dinner and participate in cooking Bhutanese cuisines and local delicacies, which we can enjoy eating together in the cosy restaurant whilst listening to stories of the local myths and legends.

After a hearty breakfast, we board the bus to continue our journey to the medieval looking village known as Ura, comprising of around 50 farm houses. We take a short break from the bus when we reach the Serthangla Pass (3590m) to walk downhill to the village on foot. Ura is famous for its wheat, buckwheat and potatoes. After lunch in one of the farmhouses we set off driving again along the switchback road to the Thrimshungla Pass (3780m), the highest road pass in Bhutan and the gateway to the East. We descend from here on long meandering road encountering cliffs and waterfalls before reach Yongkola in the afternoon. Bhutan is a bird watching paradise and this valley has one of the highest concentrations of birdlife in this part of Bhutan. We'll take a stroll in the nearby forest to see if we can spot some rare birds. Afterwards we continue our drive to Mongar.

This morning we drive to the Gomphu Kora Festival. No single event captures the prevailing Bhutanese culture better than the Buddhist festival or Tsechus, which honour the significant accomplishments of Guru Rinpoche, the 8th Century figure widely revered across the Himalayas as the Second Buddha. The festivals consist of a series of prayers and dances. Dancers in spectacular costumes perform to a cacophony of drums, horns and cymbals. Today we will join with the hundreds of locals who come together to celebrate this very social and religious occasion. The Bhutanese will be dressed in their finest, eating, drinking and making merry. The overall atmosphere is a rarified blend of devotion, conviviality and slight bawdiness! There will be time to relax and reflect her before transferring to our hotel in Trashigang.

Today we drive to Chaling to begin our trek. We break our drive with a visit to Rangjung Monastery, founded as recently as 1989 by a few monks and nuns to study Buddha Dharma and to carry out Buddhist activities to help the local community. After lighting several butter lamps, we continue to Chaling, where our camp crew will load the ponies ready to begin our trek. In 2018, less than 40 people completed this trek, so we are unlikely to see other trekkers. It's a steady climb to begin with, through broad leaved forest and later mixed conifer and fir as we gain altitude. After a short while, we turn a corner to find our cook crew waiting for us with a delicious hot lunch served in a beautiful ridge top view point overlooking the dotted houses, terraced farmland and rice paddies along the Trashigang Valley. Unfortunately, we must leave this beautiful spot and follow the last stretch of a new dirt road to reach our camp in Chuthapthrap (3100m). The view opens out even more, both to the highest peaks in the north, including Gangkar Puensum, and towards the mountains of Arnuchal Pradesh and Tawang in India. The locals in Eastern Bhutan have for centuries maintained cordial relations with the villagers just across the border and still today barter farm products for clothes and salt.

After a leisurely breakfast at the camp, we ascend for an hour and half to the Labtsa La (3400m) which is marked by many small stupas and prayer flags. The view opens up even more towards the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, Gangkar Puensum (7570m). We descend into one of the most beautiful valleys of the trek, through Rhododendron and Juniper, into the yak grazing grounds of Merak. Following the Merak river, we pass a large rock face with paintings of the Buddha and a welcome sign from the villagers Merak. We join a section of the new road that is being built to Merak, but we are few years away from seeing a vehicle yet. As we enter the village, it feels like we are stepping back in time, witnessing life as is has been for centuries. We are greeted warmly but with interest and curiosity, children running out to meet their new guests. English is taught in the village school and the children often like to say "hello" but the elders speak in their own Brokpa language, originating in Tibet, which is unique to this part of the world. We camp nearby the local administration office and will be joined in the evening by the locals to be offered some of the local 'Ara', a traditional alcoholic beverage made from rice, maize, millet, or wheat - possibly served from pitchers of buffalo horn.

This morning we have time to look inside a couple of the homes of the nomadic people of Merak. They are welcoming and will offer you "po cha", Tibetan butter tea which is drank across the Himalaya. The homes are simple, often with only three rooms, the kitchen which combines as the bedroom, an alter room and small storage room for grain. Electricity has recently arrived as part of a development project instigated the king of Bhutan and has improved the health and well-being of the villagers but some of the elders are still very wary of change! The Nyuksang La, the highest pass on our trek, is the agreed boundary of grazing land between the village of Merak and Sakteng. The pass is marked by stone cairn and prayer flags and we may even encounter snow. After photos from the high point, we descend via a holy site marked by an ancient stone stupa where our crew and the horseman will say their prayers and walk around the stupa three times. After lunch in a small meadow, we descend through the forest of fir and mixed conifer to our camp in a meadow (3063m).

We descend to the valley below following the trading route between Merak and Sakteng, accompanied by villagers with yaks carrying goods from Arunachal Pradesh. As the forest changes from conifer and fir to board leaves and maple trees we must ascend again, albeit to a lower pass at 3,105m for our first views of Sakteng (2800m), a relatively prosperous village with around 500 households all depending on cattle and yaks for their living. Crossing a wide river bed (Gamri Chu) used by the yaks for grazing and drinking, we have the feeling of arriving in a special place that is still rarely visited by outsiders - there are still no roads to Sakteng. Lunch is at our camp in the village and in the afternoon, we can walk up to the temple above the village, play dart games with the villagers or simply sit and reflect in this beautiful place. In the evening, we will be welcomed by the locals presenting their traditional folk dances .

The final day of the trek is a three hour walk to the road head at the village of Thakthrik where we will meet our transport be picked up by the vehicle. We say our good byes from the chorten above the village and although the new road is getting closer, there is still a lovely walk through the forest to reach it. When we meet the bus, there are more farewells from the local crew and we set off on the three hour drive back to Trashigang.

Today's flight is from the recently opened Yonphula airport above Trashigang. Depending on the flight timing which changes, todays sight-seeing would include a day hike in the morning in Trashigang or in the afternoon, once at Paro. The flight is truly spectacular crossing ride after ridge with views across all the mountains in northern Bhutan. After arriving into Paro we transfer to the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, and check into our accommodation. This afternoon we have the option to enjoy a walk from Buddha Point to Changangka. Buddha Point is the site of the the Great Buddha Dordenma, the world's largest seated golden Buddha. We wll visit the temple, before setting off on our walk. Our path will take us through pine and rhodedendron forest to Changangkha monastery. We will enjoy some fanastic panoramic views of the Thimphu Valley and back towards Buddha Point.

We spend the day sightseeing in Thimphu. We'll visit the textile museum where we can see some amazing examples of intricately woven costumes from all over Bhutan and watch some of the weavers in action and the takin sanctuary to see Bhutan's national animal. As we pass the archery ground we will look to see if there is an archery competition taking place. Archery is Bhutan's national sport and is taken extremely seriously. The rules of archery in Bhutan are unlike those in other countries. Here arrows must be fired an impressive 140m to hit an extremely small target. Each hit, or miss, is accompanied by dance and celebration or by great teasing and derision respectively. There will also be time for souvenir shopping before we make the drive back to Paro in the afternoon. Tonight we will enjoy our last dinner together in Bhutan.

We have an early transfer to Paro Airport for the morning flight to Kathmandu. The flight takes only 45 minutes and on arrival we transfer to our comfortable hotel. The remainder of the day is free to explore the city or for shopping in the bazaars. An evening meal is included at the hotel, for those that wish to dine together, or you are free to head out into Thamel independently to a restaurant of your choice.

KE Land Only package services end after breakfast. Transfers to Kathmandu airport are provided. There are lots of extensions that can easily be added to your holiday. Why not pre-book a simple full day-tour in the Kathmandu Valley, or a multi-day excursion to wildlife reserve at Chitwan. Contact the KE office for more details.