Nepal and Bhutan, coinciding with the famous tsechus, religious dance festivals of Bhutan; 11 days
The Journey: Nepal has been, until recently, one of the last kingdoms of the Himalayas, with only Bhutan remaining at present; nevertheless their ancient cultures and traditions still remain as in the old times, such as the dances of the religious festivals of Bhutan, which belong to the Tantric aspect of Tibetan Buddhism. Observing these countries and their ancient religious cultures, not only will give us that present moment enjoyment, but we will be entering into a mandala, beyond time of happiness that will endure in our memory forever.
The fixed departure for this programme starts in Kathmandu, Sunday 1st October 2011 at noon at the designated hotel, meeting our representative and a welcome dinner in the evening to present the complete programme, and ends in Paro, Bhutan on Tuesday 11th October at noon.
This program can be combined with any of the other itineraries we have in the Himalayas, such as Tibet or extensions in Nepal or India, either individually or in groups. For more information go to our website www.mysticalasia.com part of Dharma Adventure group or contact our team at sm@dharma.com.np.
Selected hotels: The hotels we have selected for this program although not deluxe, nevertheless offers high standards of quality and service. Kathmandu: Malla Hotel Paro: Hotel Olathang Thimphu: Peaceful Resort
Note: for extra hotel nights in Kathmandu, Paro or Thimphu please contact: sm@dharma.com.np
Visa information: For this program your clients can get the Nepal visa at arrival 30 or 90 days multiple entries, depending on how long before or after our program starts they are planning to stay. For Bhutan we can take care from here. Please refer to our Bhutan visa information posted @ our website www.MisticalAsia.com if your clients are planning to extend their stay in India, it is very important to get the India visa, before departure, from their own countries.
Day 01: Kathmandu Arrival at the designated hotel, check-in time after 12.00 pm, meeting with our representative for a welcome dinner and introduction to the program.
Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing tour around the old part of town, with its pagoda-style temples and stunning wood carvings, we also will visit the holy stupas of Swoyambhunath and Boudhanath, revered since ancient times. In the afternoon a visit to Kopan Tibetan Monastery.
Day 03: Kathmandu Full day excursion visiting the city of Patan, also known as the City of Fine Arts, the traditional center for carving and Newar Buddhist sculpture. In the afternoon visit to the city of Bhaktapur, the city of devotees, where we will enjoy an impressive display of temples. In the main square we will have the opportunity to see the best example in Nepal of the pagoda architectural style, the famous Nyatapola Temple.
Day 04: Kathmandu day at leisure to enjoy the atmosphere of the city and its small shops and local restaurants before departing for Bhutan.
Day 05: Kathmandu – Paro (Bhutan) Today we will fly parallel to the Himalayas with stunning views of the oriental Himalaya. Arrival at Bhutan international airport in Paro and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon we will visit the National Museum (Ta-Dzong) located on top of a hill overlooking the entire Paro valley, we will also visit the city's main Dzong, the Rinchen Pong.
Day 06: Paro Today we will have a walking tour (you can also rent horses) to the hermitage of Taktsang, perhaps the most emblematic of the monasteries of Bhutan, whose name means "The Tiger's Nest". The temple stands on a rocky ledge with a vertical drop of nearly 800m. In the afternoon we can visit the DrugyalDzong, a ruined fortress, where on clear days you can see, the summit of Mount Chomolhari ‘Mountain Goddess’ the highest peak in Bhutan (7,314m).
Day 07: Paro – Thimphu After breakfast, we leave for Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan through a picturesque road along the river Paro.In the evening after 5 when they allow the visitors in, we can visit the main city Dzong, the Trashichhoe, a magnificent example of Bhutanese architecture, set in the lush banks of the Wang Chhu river.
Day 08: Thimpu full-day sightseeing, visiting the memorial Chorten (Buddhist monument) the ChangangkhaLhakhang temple with its stunning views of the city, the Motithang or small zoo where we can see the Takin, the national animal. We will also visit The National Library with its magnificent collection of traditional Buddhist texts and the School of Arts and Crafts, where we see the making of the famous paintings of Thangkas and Buddhist clay statues.
Day 09: Thimphu Today we will attend the famous tsechus, religious dances festivals of Bhutan, a impressive tantric drama, an unforgettable experience with profound meanings.
Day 10: Thimphu – Punakha - Thimphu Early in the morning, depart for Punakha, 60 miles away, passing through the mountain pass of Dochu La at 3,140m, with splendid views of the Bhutanese Himalaya, weather permit. Once in Punakha we will visit the magnificent Punakha Dzong, in a privileged place at the confluence of the male (Pho) and female (Mo) rivers, with exquisite work of polychrome carvings and colorful religious frescoes decorating the walls. The Punakha Dzong is the living testimony to the wealth of architecture and sacred art of the Bhutanese people. Near Punakha we will visit the enchanting temple of Chime Lhakhang, the temple is dedicated to the lama DrukpaKuenley an unorthodox Buddhist saint whose life history forms the basis of many local and regional legends.
Day 11: Thimphu – Paro. After breakfast departure to Paro airport to catch the flight to your next destination and end of our services.
Important note: Depending on the time of the year, the religious dance festivals are held either in Punaka (February / March) Paro (March / April) or Thimphu (September / October)
