Travel in Bhutan

Three private itineraries carry the Bhutan tag here, six to eight days each, all working the same western corridor: land at Paro, cross the Dochula Pass, move between the Paro, Thimphu and Punakha valleys. Two of the three add a fourth stop — the Ha Valley on one, a night under canvas above Paro on the other. Nothing on offer reaches central or eastern Bhutan. Bumthang and the Phobjikha valley are not on these routes.

The land of happiness (six days, from EUR 2,160) is the short one: two nights in Thimphu, one in Punakha, two in Paro. It takes the gentle version of everything. A hike through pine forest to the Wangduetse Temple above the capital. About an hour on foot to the Chime Lhakhang fertility temple. About an hour and a half to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyel Chorten, across a suspension bridge and through rice paddies to a hilltop pagoda. At the Tiger's Nest you can stop at the viewpoint after roughly an hour, or carry on up to the monastery in about two.

The magic of the gigantic Himalayas (eight days, from EUR 2,010) covers the most ground and costs the least. It runs the circuit in reverse — Paro over the Dochula Pass to Punakha for two nights, then Thimphu for two, then the Ha Valley, then back to Paro. Ha is what the other two do not have: a stop at Tachogang Lhakhang and its iron chain bridge, then the Nagpo and Karpo temples, built in the 7th century where a white bird and a black bird are said to have landed. Fifteen minutes uphill separates the two. With luck you can listen to the monks at prayer in the Karpo temple; filming and photography are not allowed. The next morning crosses the Chelela Pass at 3,988 metres and walks about three hours downhill to the Keeli Nunnery at 3,600 metres.

The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (eight days, from EUR 2,500) is the one that sleeps outdoors. The first five nights run the valley circuit — two in Thimphu, two in Punakha, one in Paro. Day six climbs four hours from the Sang Choekor Monastery at 2,800 metres to a camp below Bumdra Monastery at about 3,800 metres; the monastery's northern summit is 200 metres higher again. Day seven walks on past the Sangtopelri Monastery to the Tiger's Nest, then descends to Paro. It is the only Bhutan itinerary here with a night in a tent.

Paro is where all three trips begin and end, and where the Tiger's Nest sits on a cliff with the valley 900 metres below. Rinpung Dzong and Kyichu Lhakhang each appear on two of the three routes. The National Museum, in the Ta Dzong, is only on the Ha Valley trip.

Thimphu, at 2,320 metres, is the capital, and it has no traffic lights: at the residents' request, police officers still direct the traffic. Days there are cultural rather than scenic — the King's Memorial Chorten, the National Library, the Zorig Chusum painting school where students train for six years in 13 traditional crafts, a traditional-medicine hospital, a silversmith, a paper workshop, and the 61-metre gilded Buddha at Kuenselphodrang. The Ha Valley trip also stops at Semtokha Dzong, the country's oldest, and the all-wood Tashichhoedzong, seat of the government. The market runs Friday to Sunday.

Punakha is one of the warmest places in Bhutan — cacti and poinsettias grow there — and you reach it over the Dochula Pass at 3,080 metres, where 108 small chortens stand below the snow peaks. All three routes cross the pass twice. Punakha Dzong stands at the confluence of two rivers; built in 1637 as a fortress against the Tibetans, it later served as the country's religious and administrative centre. From the village of Lobesa a path crosses rice fields to Chime Lhakhang, and near Nobgang stands the family home of the four queens of the previous king.

Every one of these trips is private. There are no fixed departures and no group to join: you travel with your own guide and driver, and the guide speaks German. The price covers hotel accommodation, breakfast, that guide, a bottle of water on arrival, and someone reachable 24 hours a day throughout. International flights are not included — you book your own, the itineraries route home via Delhi, and you are met at Paro airport the morning after you set off. The named hotels are Hotel Thimpu Tower, Hotel River Valley, Tshang Tshang Villa and, in the Ha Valley, Haa Heritage Hotel. Rooms are Standard or Deluxe; there is no five-star tier, though the Ha Valley trip can be quoted with alternative properties.

Running on your own dates rather than a departure calendar puts two things in your hands. One is the Thimphu market: if you want it, the trip has to place you in the capital between Friday and Sunday. The other is altitude — Thimphu at 2,320 metres, Dochula at 3,080, Chelela at 3,988, the Bumdra camp near 3,800 — which is why two itineraries leave the first afternoon free to acclimatise. Mountain views carry the itineraries' own caveat: the panorama above Bumdra is a clear-day view, not a promise.

Bhutan sits at the upper end of what we sell, against a catalogue starting at EUR 350. The Paro, Thimphu and Punakha pages cover each valley in more detail.