BHUTAN: Festivals & Footsteps
(The Paro Festival and Springtime Walking in Bhutan)

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, Tibet 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
In 2012 we again give participants a great overview of scenic and beautiful Bhutan. 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 Wangdue for the next 2 nights, for a walk up to the ancient Chetokha temple, high above the surrounding valleys.

Next stop is the Phobjikha Valley for a couple of nights, where we do some lovely valley walking and visit a local school (any pens and koala bears for kids are very gratefully received). Phobjikha is quite a bit higher than where we've been so far and well worth the effort. We retrace our steps from here to Punakha, where we visit a beautiful riverside Dzong, or fortified monastery, the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism in Bhutan. Next is our our 3 day Gasa Hot Springs Trek heading up the Valley to Damji prior to arriving at Gasa to soak our well-exercised limbs in the local waters.

We return to Paro via Thimphu and on our last day, have a full day's walk to and from the 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.

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Bhutan: Festivals & Footsteps (The Paro Festival and Springtime Walking in Bhutan)
Dates and costs
4-18 April, 2012
COST: A$5180. Single supplement A$555
Please note: these prices do not include flights from and to your home country