The holiday starts at the group hotel in Kathmandu. Transfers from Kathmandu Airport are provided. The rest of the day is free to relax or for independent sightseeing. We have also arranged for dinner in the hotel tonight, which you can take at your own leisure.

The group will meet in the lobby of the hotel. We transfer together back to airport in time to check in for the flight to Paro.

The flight from Kathmandu to Bhutan 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 the splendid views of alpine forests, small monasteries, temples and flat-roofed farmhouses. On arrival we will be met by our Tour Leader who will accompany us to the hotel.

If the flight to Paro is in the morning, there may be time today to visit the National Museum housed in an ancient watchtower, high above the Paro Valley overlooking the Dzong.

This morning we 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 700 metres above the Paro Valley, and is only accessible on foot. Not just a cultural experience, this hike up to over 3000 metres will provide excellent acclimatisation ahead of our trek.

Around half way up the trail there is a classic viewpoint, looking across the gorge to the monastic buildings clinging to the cliff wall opposite. There is a small teahouse here where we can stop for a rest 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. If we are lucky we will be allowed inside to look at some of the chambers and altar rooms.

We return to Paro in the afternoon. Tonight we will want to repack our bags ready for beginning our trek in the morning. You may leave some items you won't need on the trek at the hotel.

From Paro we drive west for (30 mins) to the end of the surfaced road at the ruins of Drugyel Dzong (2530m). From here, we continue following a farm road for around 1 -1.5 hours, passing through small hamlets of houses built in traditional Bhutanese design. Arriving at Shana (2880m), we will be happy to stretch our legs. While our bags are loaded on the ponies, we will set off following a path beside the river before climbing to our first night's camp at Thongbu Samba (3100m).

We gain height slowly as we continue along the river through a mixed forest. The autumn colours of the leaves contrast with the Pale Spanish moss (old man's beard). After rain, the trail can be muddy and there will possibly be slippery rocks to contend with. Our crew will be on hand to assist. The trail undulates as we make our way north and after crossing a bridge at 3560 metres, we make a short steep climb to reach a junction of two valleys, marked by a chorten. From near here, weather permitting, we can see Chomolhari at the head of the valley. Our trail stays on the west bank of the Paro Chu and our next camp at Soi Thangka is only a half an hour's walk away.

We continue our trek today on the cow herder's trail up to the small hamlet of Jumphu. From here, we re-join the main trekking trail to today's camp at Jangothang (Chomolhari Basecamp). We have lunch in a meadow at Tikithang, from where it is another hour until camp. Our camp tonight is next to a ruined dzong (4100m) beneath the huge east face of Chomolhari.

We will spend a second night at Jangothang as an important part of our acclimatisation, with the option today to hike up to the twin lakes at Tshophu, a great place from which to look back at the peaks on Bhutan's northern border with Tibet including the striking Jitchu Drake. Green grass, grazing yaks and stunning mountain scenery - it doesn't come much better than this. The trail ascends into a valley running towards the south-east and it will take a couple of hours to reach the lakes. We drop back to our camp at Jangothang for a late lunch and a restful afternoon.

Today we cross the Nyele La (4850m) to reach Lingshi. We follow the river for a while, before crossing it on a bridge. From here the path climbs steeply at first, with the trail offering fine views toward Chomolhari and Jitchu Drake. We are now near the Tibetan Border as we make our way along a broad hanging valley to the final steep slopes leading to the Nyele La, which is adorned with prayer flags. From the pass, we descend, steeply at first, to follow a ridge before finally dropping through forests of rhododendron and pine to our camp beside the river at the place known as Tshajithang.

This is a great place to spend a day and, once again, this helps with our acclimatisation. We can visit the village of Lingshi and the famous 17th century Lingshi Yugyal Dzong which is once again under repair, with the rebuilding nearing completion. We can also take a hike to a pair of nearby glacial lakes, situated amongst moraine. Close by there is another Buddhist temple and two hermit's caves. We spend a second night at the Tshajithang camp.

After breakfast, we climb up to Lingshi Dzong. From here, our path contours the hillside. There are views across the valley to the Basingthang Peaks and we can watch kestrels hovering above the ridges. After a couple of hours the path turns a corner and there is a view of Tserim Gang, before we descend to Gang Yul (meaning 'village at the pass'). Home to about 150 people, living in a dozen or so beautifully designed houses, this village offers great photo opportunities. The village sits beneath limestone cliffs and is dwarfed by the east face of Jitchu Drake. Leaving the village, the path continues along the hillside to Chebisa, a picturesque valley of pastures and shingle roofed stone houses. It is here that the blue sheep (or bharal) come to graze during summer. We will make camp here for the night at 3880m.

From Chebisa we follow an undulating trail up to the Gombu La (4440m). The views back to Lingshi and the surrounding peaks are spectacular. Hill partridges have been seen here and it is common to spot lammergeyer soaring above the alpine pastures. From the pass we descend through a forest of cypress, spruce, and rhododendron to reach our camp at Shomuthang (4221m). We will most likely camp beside the river, but we may also decide hike up the valley an hour to make tomorrow's hike a little easier.

We start early for the climb up to the Jhari La (4760m). There are great views of Tiger Mounain (Gangchen Tagg (7000m) from the pass. We should be able to look over to tomorrow's objective, the Shinge La, which is the lowest point of the horizon opposite. As we descend through more pine forest we keep a look out for takin, the national animal of Bhutan, which are quite common in this part of Bhutan. The scenery on this day's walk inspired Victor Saunders, one of Britain's most travelled Himalayan climbers, to comment that this was the best walking he'd ever done! We cross a river and camp in a very scenic position, just a short walk up the hillside, at Robluthang (4160m).

We follow a yak trail above the camp for around 2 hours until we reach a beautiful hanging valley with a lone yak herders hut. The path takes the left side of the valley and soon the Shinge La (5000m) is visible. The final climb is quite strenuous, but save some energy to place a small stone on one of the four cairns that mark the end of the climbing. This pass marks the boundary of the Laya District. Our descent follows an obvious path into the centre of the valley, to a clearing by a huge rock. We continue descending until we see a bank of moraine, which is holding back a very picturesque lake. The backdrop to this beautiful valley is Kang Che Da, the Great Tiger Mountain. We camp a short way down the valley at Limithang (4150m), in a meadow by the river.

A beautiful morning's walk today through a bird spotter's paradise. Although shorter than some of the days so far, there is quite a lot of up and down. We cross a bridge and follow the left bank of the river on an undulating trail through a forest of spruce and juniper. As we descend we start to see Spanish moss once again hanging from the trees. The path then climbs above the river and soon we see the first houses on the outskirts of Laya (3800m). The people of Laya are very welcoming and present a striking picture, with their pointed hats, hair covered in mustard oil and highly decorative jewellery. We aim to arrive in time for lunch and have the afternoon free to look around the village and visit the monastery. We set up camp on one of the village fields. In the Autumn the fields have been harvested and finding a camping place is easy.

LAY.01.24 will follow a slight amended itinerary this afternoon visiting the Laya Royal Highlander Festival.

The morning is free to explore Laya village. As with most villages in the high Himalaya, cultivation is difficult. The villagers are semi-nomadic and rely on yak herding for a livelihood. They spend some of the year in black tents woven from yak hair, but here in the village they live in drystone-walled houses, where they also store their grains, which they use to barter for goods with other valleys. Leaving Laya, we follow the main path through the village, which descends to the lowest house, passes through a large entrance chorten and drops down to the river. During the monsoon, from June to September, this valley receives a great deal of rainfall. As a result, the forest is particularly lush and impressive. We pass by an army camp and continue on a trail alongside the Mo Chu. Though we are generally descending today, there are places where the path has to climb above the river to negotiate steep spurs. At Thongchu Drak we will find our vehicles waiting to drive us to Gasa (2.5hrs) where we will have our last camp near the hot springs. Gasa Tsachu (hot spring) is where people from all over Bhutan come to bathe, we might have the option to enjoy a soak after trek.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
The hot springs at Gasa are currently being restored having been damaged by floods. If the hot springs are not accessible we will continue the drive to Punakha and stay in a hotel on this night.

Getting an early start we drive alongside the Mo Chu, through Damji, and across several ridges. As we descend, the valley becomes more populated and we begin to encounter rice fields and scattered hamlets. Eventually, we reach Punakha (1350m), which was the winter capital of Bhutan for more than 300 years. Punakha Dzong lies at the junction of the Mo (mother) Chu and the Po (father) Chu and, in winter, is home to over 1000 monks. From Punakha we drive west on Bhutan's remarkable east-west highway, which winds its way up to the Dochu La (3050m). From the pass, the road winds its way down to the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu. We check into our hotel where we can freshen up before sitting down to a celebratory evening meal.

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.

The holiday ends after breakfast. Transfers to Kathmandu airport are provided. If you would like to spend more time exploring Nepal, why not pre-book a full day-tour of the Kathmandu Valley, or a multi-day excursion to a wildlife reserve in Chitwan National Park. Contact the KE Team for more details.