Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrival in Paro

   • Fly to Bhutan along the chain of the Great Himalaya and, if the weather is kind, you will have a view of several 8000m peaks including Qomolangma, more commonly known in the West as Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga, done on a visual approach without radar.

   • Pass the final few kilometres along a narrow valley between forested ridges and passing Paro Dzong, the fortified centre of administration of the district, before our descent into Bhutan’s only airport at Paro. After completing the formalities you will meet our guide, who will accompany you to your hotel in Paro.

   • Look up to Paro Dzong and appreciate its fortress structure as you follow the valley, past the archery ground into the town during the transfer.

   • Walk out into this small town to get a feel of the daily life and to visit shops during the transfer.

2. Day 2: Acclimatization Day 1

   • Begin your explorations by setting out by a vehicle upstream along the course of the Pachhu, the river which runs through Paro, and along which you may see many farmlands and farmhouses.

   • Cross the river to your right as you rise through more farmlands and blue pine forest to a spot from where you look up to the Taktsang Monastery, also known as the Tiger’s Nest, one of Buddhism’s most venerated pilgrimage sites. This will be your destination for the day.

   • Take an acclimatizing steep walk of 3 hours or so with the first section on forest paths to a tea room, proceed to another forest section to a much closer second viewpoint, and then by steep stone paths down and up to the Monastery itself.

   • Retrace your steps to the vehicle and with a possible stop at a local farmhouse for an inside look at the daily life of a traditional rural family

   • Return along the valley to your hotel in Paro.

3. Day 3: Acclimatization Day 2

   • Drive steadily up the valley side to the South West en route for the Chele La (3750m), the highest road pass in the country, 
   • Walk through the mixed tree and shrub layer out into more open areas. The varied habitats, including rock outcrops, provide an interesting introduction to the flora of Bhutan.  
   • Make a slow descent through the forest, after your first Bhutan picnic lunch, with time for botanising. 
   • Return to Paro.

4. Day 4: Shana - Thongdu Zampa

   • Follow Pachhu, the river of the Paro valley, from its course to its source for the next few days. 

   • Driven North with spectacular views throughout to Taktsang Goemba.  

   • Head to Drukgyel Dzong and to Gunetsawa on a dirt road for about one hour to begin your trek. Here all our main bags are loaded onto ponies while we carry just our cameras, water bottles, wet weather clothing and umbrellas, and any other personal gear in our small daysacks.

   • Leave behind the settlements of Shana, after a short trek, and enter Jigme Dorji Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest of the protected areas within the country. The list of mammals it harbours is very impressive but close to our path, the main trade route through the area, you would be lucky to catch sight of them.

   • Witness a good selection of birds, and as with the flora, woodland species on this and the next day. 

   • Go along with the river closely and cross by bridge to your camp at Thongdu Zampa.

5. Day 5: Thongdu Zampa - Gezampa

   • Continue from Thongdu Zampa to follow the river and cross back again to have it on your right as you gradually rise. The valley narrows and a bridge takes a path off to link towards where you will be in a week’s time. 

   • Take a path through thinning woodland with interesting river flats to a camp on a meadow from which you can look up to high pastures with grazing yaks, high rock ridges, and carries.

   • Approach the Gezampa camp (3730 m) and you may see the snow dome of Chomolhari (7314 m) beyond this green and brown foreground. You will be now high above the river and the pastures that are full of flowers which you can begin to look at this evening if time allows.

6. Day 6: Gezampa - Jangothang

   • Set out through the broad expanses of Primula sikkimensis and the plants of the nearby meadow. The first kilometre will be time-consuming due to the number of botanical distractions. Your lunch stop will be on a broad flat meadow, with the river below. 

   • Watch yaks and the herders’ dwellings as well as the SOE community settlements nearby.  

   • Reach a bridge that takes us past a huge boulder adorned with prayer flags, beyond which is the stone building at the heart of the Jangothang campsite.

   Close by, overlooking it, is the ruined Dzong, beyond which the enormous snow-covered South-East face of Chomolhari fills the side valley head.

7. Day 7: Rest Day at Jangothang

   You have two nights at Jangothang to aid acclimatization and now you have reached 4000m+. This is to be taken as a rest day if required, with opportunities for botanising close by.  There are other options, with an approach towards Chomolhari probably the most appealing. 

8. Day 8: Jangothang - Nyile La Shong

   Leaving the campsite you lose your view of Chomolhari as soon as you depart, but in less than 15 minutes the main valley opens out to your left with the Pachhu, which you have followed all the way from your starting point, issuing from the terminal moraine. Beyond this is a huge cirque with Jichu Drake (6989 m), a shapely spire of snow and ice at its head and you should have wonderful views as you cross the Pachhu for the last time and rise quite steeply up the opposite valley side to the shoulder.

   • Enter a long gently rising hanging valley, along which your progress will be punctuated by botanising stops and photography spots with the lure of the screes on your left throughout its length. Passing yak herders’ tents be aware of the beasts themselves.

   • Look across the river to huge side valleys beyond before turning again uphill steeply for the short rise to Nyile La Shong campsite. The trail to camp and welcoming tea is good, but taking a short cut can be very time consuming as the wet pasture in the last half kilometre is full of delectable plants.

   Camp is at 4730m in a huge corrie, over the rim of which the snow top of Tsherim Kang, 6526m, appears and, with a waxing moonlight at this time, clear night skies would give you a wonderful experience.

9. Day 9: Botanising Corrie to Nyile La

   You will be camped in the realms of the Tibetan Snowcock and in the first hints of light, you shall hopefully be aware of their eerie calls as they feed in the heath above. 

   • Begin your search of the corrie, after breakfast, at first across yak pasture and then moving into an incredibly rich low heath with many sentinel Reumnobile at its upper edge. These are collected for medicine but you should be ahead of the collectors.

   • Continue round at various levels the screes and outcrops will give you continuing botanical interest until you reach the Nyile La itself (4890 m) and from which you can walk up again amongst the cushions of Androsace tapete. Throughout the day the camp is almost continuously visible below

   • Aim to stay high for as long as possible in the wet pasture in the bowl will also be explored before you return to camp late afternoon.

10. Day 10: Nyile La Shong - Bonte La Shong

    • Turn downhill from your high camp to retrace your steps through the hanging valley along which you walked on Day 8. Having already botanised these slopes you should try to avoid too many diversions as you go along here because there is much new ground to explore later.

    • Travel South and contour round with Jichu Drake to your right and your previous campsite at Jangothang way below.

    • Enter the Tso Phu Valley, look along its length at the two lakes at its head and the screes on the slopes on your left as you approach them to hold much interest for yourself, while the damp meadows by the lakes hold a different flora.

    • Ascend up at the valley head on the route to the Bonte La and to your campsite at Chazhi Thang, a common habitat of the elusive Snow Leopard which is another high camp.

11. Day 11: Bonte La Shong - Nachuing La

    You will be in exploration mode as you have found no records show that anyone has botanised this area. At the Nyile La Shong, your high camp here gives you close access to high alpines and you can spend as much time as possible seeking out its treasures.

12. Day 12: Bonte La Shong - Yaksa

    • Take a short steep ascent which will take you to the Bonte La (4890 m) the highest pass which you cross by trail on this trek.

    • Spend time botanising at the top and if it is an auspicious day, you may help the crew to put up some prayer flags as well.

    • Descend past the rocky cliffs of Yaksathang, traverse the wildflower meadows at their base, and camp at a picturesque site with a waterfall at the far end of the valley, just below the tree line on the other side of the pass.

13. Day 13: Yaksa - Thongbu Shong

    • Start with a gradual climb above the tree line, past hillsides covered with rhododendron and azalea thickets, before a further lift takes you up over the Tagilung La aka the Windhorse Pass (4540 m). In very clear conditions Kanchenjunga (8586 m), the third-highest mountain on earth is visible from the peak to the east of the pass, and in exceptional air, Makalu, even further off in Nepal.

    • Descend to grassy meadows where herds of yak graze during the summer months. The campsite is surrounded by snow-streaked peaks.

14. Day 14: Thongbu Shong - Shana

    • Take a  short climb that takes you above the valley to the Memla (4270 m) beyond which you traverse an incredibly beautiful garden of wildflowers, it is intriguing to speculate on what this might contain.

    • Begin the steep descent to Shana, where you started the trek. Your trek ends here and you will be driven to your hotel in Paro.

15. Day 15: Deparature

    • Drive to Paro airport for onward departure.