Sinchula Trek – 7 Days

Day 01: Arrival at Paro (2250m) from Kathmandu

As your flight lands in Paro. You will meet our representative at the airport and will be driven to Thimphu. Check into your hotel. If time permits Sight Seeing in Paro. Overnight In Hotel.

Day 02: Paro – Dechhencholing Sinchula

Drive towards Dechhencholing to Kabjesha to start the trek. The trek begins with a 4-5 hrs climb to Sinchula passing through blue pine, oak, and rhododendron forests. Night halt in camp at Sinchula at an altitude of 3380m.

Day 02: Sinchula – Dupsingpang (5-6 hrs trek)
On a clear day, views of Phajoding Monastery and some of the Himalayan peaks can be seen. The first part of the trek is rather slow due to difficult trail conditions. After an hour’s walk, the village of Thinley Gang, Talo Monastery, and the highway to Thimphu can be seen. The trail leads on for a 4-5 hours walk through mixed forests to the camp at 2440m.

Day 03: Dupshingpang – Chorten Nebu (7-8 hrs trek)
The third day of the trek starts with 4-hour descent through dense forests. A small stream has to be crossed twice. Then continue for another 3-4 hours through villages and rice fields to the village of Chorten Nebu, an old temple. Overnight at camp at an altitude of 1810m.

Day 04: Chorten Ningpo – Punakha
The trek will be through several villages till you reach the vehicle. Then you will drive to Punakha, which is the ancient capital of Bhutan. In Punakha, we will visit Sangchen Dorji Lhendrupchling Nunnery which is located above Khuruthang town. Overnight at a hotel in Punakha.

Day 05: Punakha (1350 m) and after lunch drive to Paro

After breakfast visit:

Punakha Dzong: The Dzong was built in 1637 by the unifier Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and it was named Pungthang Dechen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness). The Dzong is beautifully located in between the two rivers called Pho (male) and Mo (female) Chhu (river). The Dzong is surrounded by stories and myths, and you just have to ask your guide or local people they will have some great stories of the past. It was the capital of Bhutan till 1955. The establishment of the Wangchuck dynasty on 17th December 1907 took place here and the first National Assembly was also held in the Dzong in 1953. Punakha Dzong continues to be the winter residence of the Je Khenpo (Chief Abbot) and the central monk body. The war materials captured during the Tibetan invasion can be found in the dzong.

Chimi Lhakhang is a small 15th-century temple famous for its fertility endowments/rites due to the blessings of Lam Drukpa Kuenley is west known as Devine Mad Man. The temple sits on a hillock shape, as only Drukpa Kuenley could describe it “like a woman’s breast”. The word ‘Chimi’translates as “No Dog” and is traced to the story of how Drukpa Kuenley subdued the demoness of Dochula. Lam Drukpa Kuenley had followed the demoness of Dochula down to the valley of Punakha and Wangdue. It is believed that the demons had disguised herself in a form of a dog. He then subdued the dog and buried it under a mound of earth, marking the place with a stupa and making a prophecy that a temple would be built on the spot in the future.

The temple houses the Lam’s iron bow and arrow, a small altar Chorten made by the Lam himself, and some of his personal effects scriptures. A wooden effigy of Drukpa Kuenley’s male organ is used to bless pilgrims, particularly childless couples or those who have suffered miscarriages or early deaths of their children. Children born under such circumstances under the patronage of Drukpa Kuenley are often named Kuenley or Chimi in honor of the saint and the place. After visiting Chimi Lhakhang you will have lunch in a restaurant facing the Lhakhang. After lunch, we drive back to Paro. The driving hour is 3.5 hours.

If time permits, on your way to Paro visit Tashicheo dzong in Thimphu. Tashichhodzong, the “fortress of the glorious religion” was initially erected in 1702 and restored by the Third King in the 1950s. Tashichhodzong houses some ministries, His Majesty’s secretariat, and the central monk body. You can visit this Dzong after office hours on weekdays and weekends from 9 am to 5.30 pm. Overnight in a hotel.

Day 06: Sightseeing in Paro

After an early breakfast visit the Tiger’s Nest(Taktshang)Hike up to the famous cliff hermitage called Taktsang, the “Tiger’s Nest.” This monastic retreat is built into a sheer cliff face, high above the Paro Valley. The Buddhist saint Padmasambhava flew across the Himalayas on the back of a tiger and landed here, bringing Buddhism to Bhutan. The trail to the monastery climbs through a beautiful pine forest and an occasional grove of fluttering prayer flags.

Kyichu Lhakhang: This Lhakhang(monastery), built in the 7th century, is one of the two oldest and most sacred shrines in Bhutan (the other being Jambey Lhakhang in Bumthang). Kyichu Lhakhang is composed of twin temples. The first temple was built by the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. In 1968, H.M. Ashi Kesang, the Queen Mother of Bhutan, arranged for a second temple to be built alongside the first one, in the same style.

Rinpung Dzong: Built in 1646 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the “fortress of the heap of jewels“stands on a hill above Paro Township. The approach to the Dzong is through a traditional covered bridge (called the Nemi Zam) and then up a paved stone path running alongside the imposing outer walls. The valley’s annual springtime religious festival, the Paro Tsechu, takes place in the courtyard of the Dzong and on the dance ground on the hillside above. Overnight In Hotel.

Day 07: Departure For own destination

After breakfast, around 9.45 am drive to the airport for your onward destination. Our representative will help you with exit formalities and bid you farewell.