Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the hotel in downtown Delhi. Complimentary airport transfers are provided and KE group package services begin with lunch, after which there is a sightseeing tour of the city.
Day 2: Transfer to Delhi Airport and fly to Paro in Bhutan. After lunch, check out the photo potential of this special place, with a hike up to the spectacular cliff-side Taktsang Monastery. Overnight at a hotel in Paro.
Day 3: Drive via Thimpu and the Dochu La to Punakha. Fantastic forest and mountain scenery and the chance to explore one of Bhutan's most impressive fortress monasteries. Overnight in Punakha.
Day 4: A relatively short drive today to the Phobjikha Valley and the beautiful village of Gantey. The afternoon is free to look around the Nyingmapa Buddhist monastery.
Day 5: We spend a day at Gantey, with a chance to see the rare Tibetan black-necked cranes that overwinter here. Lots of other photo opportunities amongst pretty farmland and distinctive architecture.
Day 6: Returning to the Central Highway, we head east once again, climbing to cross several 3000 metre passes en route to Jakar and the district of Bumthang. Late aftrnoon visit to the dzong.
Day 7: Beyond the Thumsing La (3800m) we descend to the heat and sub-tropical vegetation of Mongar. We spend the afternoon at the Mongar Festival.
Day 8: All day at the festival, with the opportunity to see many ritual dances, which are performed on a paved courtyard within the monastery complex. Lots of striking people to photograph, too. Overnight in Mongar.
Day 9: We drive to Tashigang, which sees very few tourists and has limited facilities for foreign travellers. We will spend the afternoon at the Tashigang Festival.
Day 10: At the Tashigan Festival, another event which is well away from the 'tourist trail'. Photography here can be quite challenging, as the dancers move between sunlit and shaded areas of the monastery courtyard.
Day 11: Drive to the Indian border, with a possible visit to the festival at Wamrong (dates not yet certain). Then on to the small frontier town of Samdrup Jongkhar.
Day 12: Drive to Gauhati, the capital of Assam and fly to Delhi. Time to freshen up and for a final dinner at a Delhi restaurant. KE group package services end with a transfer back to the airport.
