The Druk Path and Thimpu Festival
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the group hotel in Kathmandu. Complimentary airport transfers are provided. KE Land Only package services start with the evening meal.
Day 2: We take the spectacular flight along the chain of the Himalaya to Paro where we transfer (1 hour) to the capital, Thimpu. We check into the hotel and make an initial visit to the festival ground.
Day 3: After breakfast we go to the festival site at the Tasichoedzong and spend the day here, watching the masked dances and taking in the sights and sounds of this remarkable event. Return to the Hotel.
Day 4: Today we have an excersion eastwards across the Dochu La to visit Punakha Dzong. After the visit, we stay overnight in a nearby Hotel.
Day 5: This morning we make the return drive to Thimpu. After lunch we have a short transfer to the roadhead to begin our trek on the Druk Path. Today's walk is a gradual ascent of 2-3 hours through a forest of blue pine to Phajoding. Our first night's camp.
Day 6: We climb to our first pass at 4120m, adorned with colourful prayer flags. From the summit we have sensational views of the snow-capped Himalyan peaks. We continue below rocky peaks to a saddle at 4180m and descend to the lake of Janetso. A spectacular day of trekking. Approximately 6-7 hours walking.
Day 7: We pass the lake of Jimilangtso and climb to the summit of our next pass - the Jangchu La (3880m). From here we descend to coniferous forest and follow a trail to our camp in the grazing area of Rawana (3780m). 6 - 7 hours.
Day 8: There are sensational views of Chomolhari and other western peaks today as we follow the ridge past the isolated Jili Dzong (3450m) to our final campsite below the monastery. 5 - 6 hours
Day 9: We begin our last day of trekking with a short climb to cross the Jili La (3490m). From the top we can see the Paro Valley below and we make a gradual descent to the road from where we have a short transfer to our hotel in Paro.
Day 10: We have a day in Paro for sightseeing including the hike up to Taktsang Monastery. Overnight in Paro.
Day 11: We take the morning flight to Kathmandu and transfer to the group hotel. We have a guided sightseeing tour of the city in the afternoon.
Day 12: KE Land Only package services end after lunch. Airport transfers are provided.
Altitude
This holiday involves going to high altitude. During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 3500 metres. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude.
