Phuntsholing, Thimphu, Punakha and Paro

Land at Bagdogra Airport in India, where your vehicle waits to drive you across the border into Bhutan. Reach the border gateway of Phuntsholing and complete your border immigration formalities. Check into your hotel and spend the rest of the evening at leisure, relaxing after your journey or taking an easy stroll through the surrounding streets. Dinner is included tonight, and you will stay overnight in Phuntsholing.

Have breakfast at your hotel before setting out on the winding drive up into the Himalayan foothills towards Bhutan's capital, Thimphu. Stop on the hill above Phuntsholing to visit Kharbandi Monastery and look out over the plains. Continue your journey through lush forests, pausing to see the cascade at Wangkha Waterfall. Further along, stop at Chuzom, the river conjunction where the Paro Chhu and Wang Chhu meet under three distinct Buddhist chortens. Arrive in Thimphu for dinner and your overnight stay.

Start your morning with visits to the Memorial Chorten and the massive Buddha Dordenma statue at Buddha Point overlooking the valley. Head to Motithang Takin Preserve to view Bhutan's unusual national animal, followed by a viewpoint overlooking the grand Tashichho Dzong. Break for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Simply Bhutan to try traditional archery, observe cultural dances, and learn about local customs. Spend your evening browsing handicrafts and produce in Thimphu's local market before dinner at your hotel.

Depart Thimphu after breakfast and drive up towards Dochula Pass. Take an hour to admire the 108 Druk Wangyal Chortens, take in the panorama of Eastern Himalayan peaks on clear days, and stop for coffee at the pass café. Descend into the warmer Punakha valley to explore Punakha Dzong, situated at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers, then walk across the prayer flag-draped Punakha Suspension Bridge. Finish the afternoon with a walk across rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang before checking into your Punakha hotel for dinner.

After breakfast, take a scenic day excursion from Punakha to the wide glacial expanse of Phobjikha Valley. Walk through this vast marshland habitat, taking in the tranquil surroundings and watching for black-necked cranes if travelling during their winter roosting season from November to March. Visit Gangtey Monastery, set high on a ridge overlooking the valley basin. After exploring the area, take the return drive back to Punakha for a quiet evening, dinner, and your overnight stay.

Enjoy breakfast before driving towards Paro. Your route leads through shifting terrain, passing the expressway stretch near Babesa outside Thimphu. At the Chuzom checkpost, stop to take a walk across the traditional cantilever Chuzom Bridge, spanning the confluence of the Paro and Thimphu rivers. Continue onwards into the scenic Paro valley, framed by mountain ridges. Check into your hotel in Paro, where you can unpack, rest, and enjoy dinner.

Have an early breakfast and drive to the trailhead at Ramthangkha. Begin the hike to Taktsang Goemba, the famous Tiger's Nest Monastery built on a steep cliffside. The trail takes roughly two to three hours to climb, passing an intermediate cafeteria where you can pause for a break. After reaching the monastery and taking in the panoramic views, descend back down to the valley base. Later, you have the option to soak in a traditional hot stone bath heated by roasted river stones before dinner at your hotel.

Have your final breakfast in Paro and prepare for the long road transfer back towards India. Drive down through the mountain valleys to the border town of Phuntsholing, where you complete your Bhutan exit formalities. Cross back into India and proceed onwards by car to Bagdogra Airport to board your scheduled flight home.