ANCIENT KINGDOM OF BHUTAN POST TOUR 6 NIGHT

Welcome to Post tour Bhutan! Upon arrival at Hotel you will be met & assisted for Check-in.

Later you will be taken for a heritage sightseeing tour of Kolkata city. Kolkata is locally regarded as India’s cultural capital. We begin tour in this colonial rich city with a Heritage Tram Ride across the Old Town. We visit the sacred Hooghly Riverside to witness WWII built Howrah Bridge. Next stop, the riverside located Mullik Ghat to explore some of India’s most colorful Flower Bazaar Markets.

Then, we visit Victoria Memorial, a landmark of Kolkata dedicated to UK’s Queen Victoria and now serves as a royal museum of British Rule in India after, we arrive at the country’s iconic Eden Garden Cricket Stadium. Next we visit Mother Teresa’s Mission and House. Later, discover the curious lanes of Kumartuli where we visit inside sculptor’s traditional art homes and watch goddesses come to life.

Tour ends at Kolkata’s New Market area to enjoy novelty of street shopping and bargaining with the locals. After tour you will be transferred to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast on the ship.

After breakfast You will be met at the Hotel and transferred to Kolkata Airport for your flight to Paro city. Upon arrival at Paro International Airport, you will be met and transferred to Paro hotel for lunch/refreshments.

After Lunch we drive to Thimphu city, the capital city of Bhutan. The drive takes you through the winding road with lots of beautiful hamlets. Tashichho Dzong: Located on the northern edge of the city of Thimphu, on the western bank of the Wang Chu. Tashichho Dzong is Bhutan's most stately and the most impressive building. It has traditionally been the seat of the Druk desi or ‘Dharma Raja’, the head of Bhutan's civil government, and summer capital of the country. It houses the throne room of His Majesty the King of Bhutan and is the summer residence of the venerated monastic community. The Fortress of the glorious religion houses the throne room of His Majesty the King, the main secretariat building and the central monk body. Its courtyard is open to visitors during the Thimphu Tshechu and when the monk moves to its winter residence in Punakha.

Meals: Breakfast at hotel and Lunch.

After breakfast visit the following:

Memorial Chorten, also known as the Thimphu Chorten, is a large Tibetan-style Buddhist Monastery is a popular landmark in the city with its golden spires and bells.

We then vist the Folk Heritage Museum. A three storied traditional building that houses the Folk Heritage Museum The museum provides glimpse into the traditional Bhutanese material culture and way of life. The National Institute for Zorig Chusum commonly known as Arts & Crafts School or Painting School while visiting here one can see students learning the various skills taught at the school.

The National Library of Bhutan was first established in 1967 under the patronage of HM Queen Ashi Phuntso Choden, with a small collection of precious texts. Junghi Handmade Paper Factory ; the unit in Thimphu produces traditional handmade paper from natural plants. The other unit in Jimina, 22 km from the centre Thimphu town, recycles waster papers. The traditional handmade papers are widely used for religious scripts.

National Institute of Traditional Medicine strives to merge the allopathic and traditional systems of healing. A large laboratory and a production facility inside the institute monitor and ensure the quality of the components like the plants, minerals, precious metals etc. A day-care facility and clinic opened in the institute is available for public use. The institution also produces Bhutanese medicines and they have a plot inside their premise where they grow different herbs and plants.

The Takin (Budorcas taxicor) is the national animal of Bhutan and also called cattle chamois. This globally rare and endangered animal is admired for its unique physique and agility on steep terrain of Bhutan.

A visit to the Weekend Market in Thimphu is a place where one can see the variety of food of Bhutan, including basket upon basket of fiery chillies, fresh cheese and a variety of fresh greens. In addition, many stalls contain Bhutanese handicrafts and household items. (This market is open only from Friday until mid-Sunday).

Bhutan Postal Muesum was established in November 2015 to celebrate the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The main objective of the museum is to tell the story of Bhutan’s progress and development through the lens of the evolution of communications and postal system in the country.

Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast, Visit the following:

Dochula pass, located 30 km away from the capital, on the way to Punakha from Thimphu offers a 360-degree of beautiful panoramic view of Himalaya mountain range, especially on clear winter days. The pass is also popular spiritual place for both locals and tourists because of an important temple that is located on the crest of Dochula pass.

Besides the spirituality of the place many Bhutanese families visit the pass during holidays and weekends to simply enjoy the scenery of the place with their pack lunch and hot tea, the place is an ideal location to capture beautiful pictures of Himalaya mountain range provided the weather permits.

Chimi Lhakhang: located near Lobesa, Punakha stands on a round hillock and is flanked by hundreds of prayer flags. Built in 1499, this monastery is dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kinley or ‘the Divine Madman’. An accomplished master of Mahamudra Buddhist Tradition, he is also known as the ‘Mad Saint’ for his unorthodox ways of teaching Buddhism by singing, humor and outrageous behavior.

Drukpa Kinley is also a cultural icon in Bhutan around whom countless yarns, fictions, stories and legends have been spun. The monastery is the repository of the original wooden symbol of phallus that Kunley brought from Tibet. This wooden phallus is decorated with a silver handle and is used to bless people who visit the monastery. The tradition at the monastery is to strike pilgrims on the head with a 10 inch (25 cm) wooden phallus. Traditionally symbols of the phallus in Bhutan have been intended to drive away the evil eye and malicious gossip.

Meals: Meals: Breakfast at hotel and dinner with local family.

After breakfast visit Punakha Dzong:

Punakha Dzong: The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong (meaning ‘the palace of great happiness or bliss’) is the administrative center of Punakha dzongkhag in Punakha. Punakha Dzong was the administrative center and the seat of the Government of Bhutan until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu.

Drive to Paro then after visiting National Museum and Paro Dzong. The National Museum of Bhutan is housed inside the revamped circular Ta-dzong building, an ancient watchtower above the Paro Dzong. This unusual round building is said to be in the shape of a conch shell.

Some of the handicraft’s items cover the history and cultural heritage of more than 1500 years. The National Museum has in its possession over 3,000 works of Bhutanese art, rich holdings of various creative traditions and disciplines that represent a remarkable blend of the past with the present and is a major attraction for local and foreign visitors.

Paro Dzong is one of the most impressive and well-known dzongs in Bhutan. One of the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture, it is also known as the Ringpung Dzong, which means ‘fortress on a heap of jewels. It is the administrative seat of the district of Paro. The dzong was built in the 16th century on the foundation of a monastery built by Guru Rinpoche. It was used on numerous occasions to defend the Paro Valley from invasions by Tibet.

Unlike most of the other dzongs in Bhutan, it survived the massive 1897 earthquake mostly unscathed, though it was almost burnt to the ground by a fire in 1907. All-important relics were lost to the fire and nothing could be salvaged except for the Thongdrol, a 20x20 meter-wide Thangka.

Meal: Breakfast.

Drive to Satsam chorten and hike to Taktsang Monastery (10 Km) from Paro Town. The name Taktsang means “Tiger’s Nest”. The monastery is perched on a rocky ledge with a sheer drop of 800m and overlooks the Paro Valley and the river.

The hike takes about 4 hours back and forth depending on the level of the hikers. Once you reach the view point of the monastery you have the option to visit the monastery which takes another hour hike. Perched on the side of a vertical cliff at 3000 m altitude north of Paro, this monastery creates an impressive sight, and is the unofficial symbol of Bhutan. It is one of the most famous Buddhist Monasteries in Bhutan and is also referred to as the ‘Tiger’s Nest’.

The first monastery was constructed 1694, but in 1998 a tragic fire destroyed most of the original buildings - which have since been painstakingly restored to their former glory. Taktsang Monastery is a pilgrimage site for both tourists and locals, it is a journey filled with spiritual bliss.

Keeping the spiritual side aside, the journey up to Taktsang Monastery is a Hiker’s delight. An hour hikes up to a small wooden teahouse called Cafeteria provides close view of the monastery. A further and a challenging hike lead you to the glorious Taktsang Monastery.

Later visit Kyichu Lhakhang is a Buddhist temple in Paro. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the country built in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. After visit Farm House where your dinner will be arranged with the local family.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner with a Local Family.

After breakfast we transfer you to airport to connect onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast at hotel.