We join hands with Darter Photography, photography experts, to take you on a photography tour to the mystic land of beautiful mountains, gurgling rivers, rice fields, happy people and Buddhist monastic traditions. As you travel, learn to make mesmeric images of the country’s rolling mountains, people and the culture in a way that leaves a lasting impression.
Dates: May 12 to May 19
Itinerary
- Day 01 May 12 Saturday Arrive at Paro and relax. Go for short walks in the town in the evening.
- Day 02 May 13 Sunday Visit the famous Tiger’s Nest (Takstang) monastery. Overnight stay at Paro.
- Day 03 May 14 Monday Drive to Thimpu (2 hours). Photograph sights along the way and in the city. Stay at Thimpu for the night.
- Day 04 May 15 Tuesday Make the scenic drive to Punakha via Dochu La pass (3 hours). Several photography opportunities along the way and at Punakha. Overnight at Punakha.
- Day 05 May 16 Wednesday Photographing landscapes, monasteries and village life around Punakha.
- Day 06 May 17 Thursday Slow and easy drive from Punakha to Paro as we revisit the places along the way for more photography. Stay at Paro
- Day 07 May 18 Friday Drive to Ha Valley and back. Overnight at Paro.
- Day 08 May 19 Saturday Checkout after breakfast.
Detailed Itinerary.
Day 1 Saturday May 12. The excitement begins today as you arrive in the small Bhutanese town of Paro. If you are coming by flight, you will see some lovely views of the mountains as the aircraft reaches Paro. If it is a clear day, we will get a good view of the Jhomolhari mountain from the town itself. We check-in at our hotel and take the day easy. In the evening we will go on short walks in the Paro market getting our introduction to the land of druk yul.
Day 2 Sunday May 13. This is our day to visit and photograph one of the iconic sight of Bhutan – Tiger’s Nest Monastery, sticking out from a steep vertical slope. We begin early in the morning and make the picturesque drive through farms and villages in the hills. Taktsang monastery is perhaps the most famous and most photographed of Bhutan’s monasteries, perched on a cliff side above the Paro valley. We exercise our legs today as we slowly make the three-hour walk up the hill to the monastery, photographing the landscapes along the way. We go past many beautiful views, a tea-point half-way that gives us a hard-earned resting space and even a waterfall before we arrive at the monastery.
As we have begun early, we will have plenty of time to see and shoot at the monastery before we head back for a slow drive back to Paro. If we have time, we will take time to stop at DrukgeyVillage and dzong on the way. The dzong, now ruined by a fire has an eerie atmosphere and was built as a strategic point for the route to Tibet. We return to our hotel at Paro for dinner and rest for the night.
Day 3 Monday May 14. We head out early after breakfast today towards Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan and perhaps the only capital city in the world that doesn’t have traffic lights. It is a picturesque drive along Paro Chu River, which, somewhere along the way, joins Wang Chu River. We drive past terraced rice fields and old houses along the way before we reach Thimpu.
Later in the day, we will visit National Institute of Zorig Chusum, where we can see artists making religious Thankga paintings. Further, we go to Trashichoe dzong, a large complex that houses the central monastic body of Bhutan. If we have the time this evening, we will wander the town with our cameras for interesting sights in the city.
Day 4 Tuesday May 15. The national memorial chorten at Thimpu offers interesting insights to Bhutan’s culture and plenty of food for the camera. We begin our morning at the Chorten today, watching and photographing local elderly people in their traditional ghos and kiras circumambulating the chorten and praying at the shrine. This is perhaps the most prominent religious monument inThimphu.
Later, after breakfast, we will start our drive to Punakha valley where we pass through some of the most scenic landscapes that Bhutan can offer. A one hour drive up winding hilly roads will bring us to Dochu-la pass, where we can see the snow-capped mountains at a distance on a clear day. At Dochu-la is a very photogenic monument of 108 chortens packed together densely in a green surrounding. A short hike here will take us into rhododendron and magnolia forests, which is likely to be in full bloom during our visit.
After a leisurely lunch on the way, we drive downhill and come across the terraced fields and homesteads of the Punakha valley; a beautiful drive through pleasant rural landscapes. We will stop after descending to the banks of the small river that waters the valley and walk across the fields to a small temple on a hillock dedicated to Drukpa Kunley, a much revered monk dear to the people of Bhutan. Towards evening, we will stop at a view point from where you can make perfect photographs of Punakha dzong with the mountains looming behind it and two rivers meeting in front. We stay at Punakha tonight.
Day 5 Wednesday May 16. We will visit Punakha dzong this morning, crossing a lovely wooden bridge lined with prayer flags. Inside the dzong are the quarters of the monks, prayer hall with peaceful courtyards and several viewpoints to the punakha valley. We will spend some time exploring and photographing the dzong for most of the morning hours.
In the later half of the day, we will drive up the Punakha valley, up the west side of the Mo Chu River passing through villages and farms and stopping along way. On the way at Yambesa, we stop for a short hike through the greenery to a beautiful chorten and spend the late afternoon hours, before returning to our hotel in Punakha.
Day 6 Thursday May 17. We make a slow and leisurely drive from Punakha back to Paro, retracing our steps and stopping along the way as long as we like to. Overnight stay at Paro.
Day 7 Friday May 18. This morning, a winding drive up the hills through alpine vegetation and carpeted flower decked fields will take us to the Chele-la pass ( 3810m). Chele la is a windy pass filled with white prayer flags fluttering in the breeze. En-route, we may encounter yak-herder huts and grazing yaks. Further, we drive down to the picturesque Ha valley and make the short walk to the Chhundu Lhakhang, a temples dedicated to the local deity of Ha. We return to Paro in the evening.
Day 8 Saturday May 19. Breakfast and checkout.
About Darter Photography
Gypsy Feet Travels partners with Darter Photography on this photography tour of Bhutan. Darter Photography offers a unique outdoor photography experience to exciting destinations across India. Founded by passionate photographers and travellers, Darter Photography believes in unravelling the beauty of the world through the camera.
Accompanying Photography Expert: ARUN BHAT
Accomplished travel and landscape photographer Arun Bhat’s works have been used by publications in India and across the world, all the way from Japan to USA. He is a professional photographer who has extensively travelled acrossIndia, creating some of the finest imagery of India’s landscapes and has spent years capturing the essence ofIndia’s cultural diversity. Having travelled the country many times over and being used to waking up at 5am in bitter cold winter days, he has seen and captured finest landscapes all the way from Himalayas to the peninsular India and has mastered the art of travel, outdoor and landscape photography.
Arun has spent nearly five months of travel experience in the Himalayas, exploring varied landscapes and the Buddhist culture of the region. His in-depth knowledge of the mountains will come handy throughout the tour as he helps you photograph the mountains and the local culture. People who have travelled with Arun on tours never forget to mention his friendly approach and a willingness to be available to everyone all the time through the tour.
Tour Cost:Rs.33,500/- per person
The cost includes
- Accommodation on twin sharing basis
- Transportation on all days of the tour
- Breakfast and two meals from Day 02 to 07; breakfast on Day 08 and two meals on Day 01
- Permits and all entry fees
- Photography sessions, expert advice and assistance, image reviews and critiques on all days
The cost does not include
- Travel to Paro and return travel from Paro to your location
- Additional food or beverages ordered
Registration Details
Contact us at the email/numbers below for queries and registration.
Like all our tours, the tour of Bhutan will have a limited number of participants. We recommend booking early, which also helps you get cheaper flight tickets.
email: contactus@gypsyfeettravels.com; Tel: 9177660028 (Kanchuki) / 9954218653 ( Mirza)
Kanchuki, is this the price for dual citizens as well?