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Guided walking & holiday packages
Touring: France, Vietnam, Bhutan, Italy &
Turkey
BHUTAN - Inspirational Bhutan
(Springtime Walking and Paro Festival)
We take a varied look, much of it on foot, at this small, strongly
Buddhist, Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan is still a land of mystery which
has managed to retain its culture intact, sandwiched as it is, between
India and China.
Please note that this program is run through Travel
on Q through whom all bookings will go.
Bhutan, which is slightly larger than Switzerland,
has extensive natural borders formed by high mountains to the north,
rising to over 7000m, and virtually impassable jungle to the south
where it borders Assam. It has always been a place of mystery, its
lack of contact with and influence from the outside world resulting
in a unique culture. This culture, and the untouched nature of the
country and its people, give Bhutan its unique appeal. Recently
the country has started to open up, allowing more visitors in.
TOUR OVERVIEW
Our 2011 visit to Bhutan gives participants a great overview of
this scenic and beautiful country. Flying into Paro, we are just
in time to catch the Paro Tsechu (or Festival, probably the biggest
one on their calendar). From there we head east to the capital Thimphu,
and over the next 2 days, check out their wonderful textile museum,
their National Museum, and get our mountain walking legs into gear
with a walk up to the ancient Tango Monastery. We continue over
the Docchu-la Pass, where we should get an extraordinary view up
to the Tibetan border mountains, to Punakha, where we visit a beautiful
riverside Dzong, or fortified monastery, the birthplace of Tibetan
Buddhism in Bhutan.
Next stop is the Phobjikha Valley for a couple of nights, where
we do some lovely valley walking and visit a local school. If we're
lucky, we'll just catch the end of the Black Necked Cranes' visit
to Bhutan, before they fly back north to Tibet for the summer. We
retrace our steps enjoying another mountain walk on the return journey,
before commencing our 3 day Saga-La trek (not too long and not too
high), starting in the Haa Valley and finishing near Paro. On our
last day, we have a full day's walk to and from the very famous
Tiger's Nest or Taktstang Monastery, said to have been originally
built on the spot where Guru Rinpoché, supposedly the father
of Buddhism in Bhutan, arrived on the back of a tigress which had
flown in from Pakistan. Funnily enough, not everyone believes in
the literal truth of this tale.
We will have a local guide throughout, a comfortable minibus, ample
opportunities for looking at and purchasing unique Bhutanese textiles
and other local artefacts, and I will also be on hand to help in
whatever way I can.
Inspirational Bhutan
Dates and costs
17 March - 1 April, 2011
COST: A$4550. Single supplement A$550
Please note: these prices do not include flights from and to your
home country
Best Travels, 82 Bellevue Street, CAMMERAY, NSW
2062
tel (61+) 2 9929 9391 besttravels@ozemail.com.au
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