Bike & Hike Bhutan with Bumthang Owl’s Trek

After breakfast, lets enjoy some of the best single-track trails in the capital city on a mountain-bike to flex some muscles. Let's drive you to our office where the bikes will be ready. Ride up to the Buddha point on a 4 km gentle climb, where the largest Buddha statue (169ft) sits overlooking the Thimphu city. After visiting the monastery inside the statue, we’ll ride the capital’s favourite MTB trail called the KC Trail that extends for 6 km and exits in Motithang. The trail is very easy and scenic allowing some great views of the underlying valley. Visit the Folk Heritage museum - a three-storied, 19th century traditional Bhutanese farm house which provides glimpse of Bhutanese life style, and artifacts from the rural house holds. One can come across typical households objects, religious tools and equipment. Here at the restaurant, we’ll enjoy a traditional lunch at one of Bhutan’s favourite Bhutanese kitchens. We’ll hit the hills upto the Takin Reserve centre to see the national animal first. Then continue to ride to Wangditse MTB single-track trail. The loop is about 6 km. Ascend to 300m into bluepine forests and then descend to Wangditse temple that is currently being renovated. The entire ride is on fantastic singletrack punctuated with great views over the capital city. In the late afternoon, visit the colourful Weekend Vegetable market where proud villagers behind pyramids of their agricultural produce greet you with stone weights in their hands and smiles on their faces. It is interesting to see what may seem to you as ‘weird vegetables and forest products’ that actually enriches the Bhutanese palate. Proceed to the Changlimithang Stadium to witness the national game of Bhutan – Archery – played with much fanfare and festivities over a range of 120m field. Stroll around the city and enjoy a nice dinner at one of the best restaurants in the capital city. Your time in Bhutan is not just about riding, but also to enjoy some very good craft beers. We’ll to to one of our favourite bars called the Mojo Park where young musicians will be belting out covers and originals. It would be interesting to see a bit of Bhutan’s urban culture! If anyone of you has a penchant for music, you might as well hit the stage too! Ride time 5 hours/ 30 km

Thimphu to Punakha. Ride to Dochula Pass (3140m) from Thimphu on gradual ascent for 16km from Simtokha. Enjoy spectacular views over the Himalayan ranges from the pass and visit the Druk Wangyal Chortens, a collection of 108 chortens (stupas) that was built to exemplify the greatness of the Fourth King. Descend to the low-lying rice valley of Lobesa on a 40km descent. On the way, visit the Lamperi botanical gardens as it will be covered in rhododendrons and magnolias during this time of the year. Once in Lobesa visit one of Bhutan’s popular temples in honour of Bhutan’s most charming and eccentric historic figures nicknamed ‘the Divine Madman’ at the Chhimi Lhakhang – also called the fertility monastery - our guide will explain the entire story about it. Going to the temple involves a short nice ride through a beautiful village surrounded by paddy fields. Stay in a cozy resort overlooking the valley. Ride time 5 hours, 65 km ride (mostly descending so its an easy ride).

Continue to ride to Punakha Dzong – the most beautiful fortress in Bhutan situated at the confluence of two rivers. This ancient fortress is the winter residence of the monastic order’s leadership and still serves as the administrative headquarters for the Punakha region. The fortress is a fine example of Bhutan’s rich art and architecture, and our guide who is an expert in iconography will explain all aspects of art, architecture, history and its significance. After visiting the fortress, let’s explore the northern valley of Punakha, Mostly on the motor road but goes through various farms & villages which gives a great orientation of the warm Punakha Valley. From Wokhuna village we bike unto Yusakha village on jeeptracks. We'll visit the farmers with the highlight by visiting the village school. We’ll bike back to have lunch at the suspension bridge leading to Khamsum Yuelling temple -which involves a beautiful single-track ride adjacent to the river through paddy fields and beautiful villages. From the temple, you can also enjoy a majestic view of the underlying valley. The temple itself is a splendid example of Bhutan’s fine architectural and artistic traditions and the only one of its kind in the world. If you feel like it, we’ll continue riding to Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery which is atop a ridge amid pine trees and overlooking valleys of Punakha and Wangduephodrang. Interact with the nuns and they love to speak English with visitors and learn about the ways of the world. Otherwise, we’ll proceed to your hotel. Note – this can also be a rest day and can be explore by bus. Ride time 3-4 hours, 25 km

After a hearty breakfast we set out for Gangtey via Wangduephrodang, with the option of a few side trips on the way. Continue riding gently gaining elevation to reach Nobding for lunch. The ride is on beautiful tarmac roads with great scenery. Once we reach the pass before entering Phobjikha valley, we’ll unmount the bikes and start riding down to the famous Gangtey Gonpa moanstery. From here, we will continue riding on a beautiful stretch of trail in cross-country style. Riders will love it here as the ride takes us on the periphery of the bowl-shaped marshland and meadows, offering spectacular views. As we have been cycling through beautiful rhododendron forest on most of our travels, the contrast of descending into the unique open marshlands of the valley is striking.

The scenic Phobjikha valley begs you to enjoy its beauty and there is no better way than exploring it by bike. After breakfast, ride to Gangtey Gonpa monastery and visit this exquisite temple and monastic school. Then we’ll enjoy a nice ride down to Longtey village and the surrounding vicinity on the southside on beautiful trail that traverses through pine-forests and towering bushes of jade-hued bamboo, festooned with prayer flags overlooking the bowl-shaped marshland and meadows. Riders will be rewarded by spectacular views along the ride. At the end of the bamboo enclave lies a small group of village houses, built in the distinct Bhutanese style, which features elevated platforms, intricately carved timber window panes and wood-lined, arched roofs. Enjoy a nice picnic lunch by the river. Continue riding through scenic villages make a loop around Phobjikha valley.

After breakfast, continue riding to the scenic Tangsibje village – my mother’s village. Stay overnight in our Tangsibji heritage house, which my grandfather built in the 60’s. You will be welcomed by my cousin and her husband who is the “Strongest Man of Bhutan” as he had won the national twice in a row. He might be Bhutan’s strongest man but is also the softest being we know and a great host for our guests. His younger brother also won the competition last year, so you are in good hands for the night! The welcome ceremony will include a traditional Chipdrel ceremony with local laymonks playing their traditional instruments that include ancient horns, pipers, drums and flute music. We are the only tour operator in Bhutan taking visitors to our beautiful village which is considered one of the most beautiful villages of Trongsa district, and therefore makes it a real off-the-beaten-track experience. Some of the best singers in Bhutan hail from this village as it is blessed by a holy spring water is believed to make your voice beautiful when you drink it. The host family will prepare a splendid dinner for you using fresh organic vegetables and herbs from her garden. Spend an evening listening to stories and legends from our village while being entertained by the lovely host family. Come prepared with some of your favourtie songs becase tonight we’ll have a cultural exchange show where local village performers will serenade you all with traditional songs and you will have to participate and contribute to this enriching experience. Note: This experience is consistently rated as a favourite amongst our guests. Ride time 5-6 hours, Distance 80km mostly descents.

Today, the intention is to feel like a local Bhutanese, not like a visitor. Wake up to the sounds of the village, if you are interested you can give a helping hand to the hostess in preparing breakfast, milk her cows, churn some butter and prepare for the day. We’ll first visit the village temples and then some of the homes of local villagers. This is a perfect opportunity to experience an authentic side of Bhutan by seeing how villagers go about their lifestyles in rural Bhutan. Around 9 am, we’ll start riding to Trongsa for 20 km to and visit the majestic Trongsa Dzong fortress. From here you can either 26km of gradual climbing to yoetongla pass (3400m), or we can just shuttle the bikes and from the pass you can ride to your cozy lodge in Chumey valley. Ride - 4-5 hours, 30-70km as per preference.

Drive to Tharpaling Goenpa which was founded by the great Tibetan lama Longchenpa in the 1300s. After visiting the temple, start riding on what we consider one of the most beautiful trails in Bhutan - that starts at 3800m – and descends gradually through temperate forests. Here riders usually spot various Pheasants and other avi-fauna common in this region. It's a brand new trail and stretches for 12km on a gentle descent and easy walking and exits on the highway in Kikila in Chamkhar valley. In the afternoon, you could also visit the Cheese factory to see how local Gouda cheese is made. Take some rest here at this cozy outlet and snack on Bumthang Cheese and locally made white beer - the Red Panda beer. Bumthang is known for their unique local cuisines and we’ll take you to one of our favourite restaurants to spend the evening with good food, locally brewed beer and some conversation.

Bumthang Cultural Heartlands with valley rides. After breakfast, let’s explore Chamkhar valley. Let’s start by visiting the oldest Buddhist temple - the 07th century Jambay lhakhang temple which was built by King Songsen Goempo of Tibet in his bid to to spread the Buddha Dharma by building 108 monasteries across the Himalays. Two of the temples are in Bhutan. Then we proceed to visit Kurjey monastery which is considered as one of the sacred shrines in the country. We will enjoy a nice lunch at one of our favourite farmhouses to sample local cuisines and hospitality. From here we’ll continue the short hike to visit Tamshing Lhakhang – founded in 1501 by Terton Pema Lingpa – who is considered one of the greatest Bhutanese saints in our history. Each of these cultural hot-spots has its own story and history that bear much significane on our traditions and cultural identity and makes it for a day of story-telling, folklore, legends, myths and wonder. End the day with a visit to Jakar Dzong fortress and stroll around town in the evening to observe local life. The evening ends with visit to a local handloom weaving house and opportunity to interact with the weavers. Dinner at town and head to your resort. That was the ending of your riding part and now we'll explore the rest on foot. Ride time 5-6 hours, distanc 30-40km

Start at Menchugang and visit the biggest village in Bumthang, called Dhur, at an elevation of 2900 meters above sea level. The village consists of about 75 households with a recorded population of around 800 people. This single village has three types of inhabitants the Kheps (tax payers) having cattle and farmland, Brokpas (nomads) having Yaks and a third group a combination of the two. This village has two different dialects, the usual Bumthang Kha and the Brokke (nomadic dialect). A walk above the village to gain an aeriel view is interesting. Descend down to the river where the traditional water-driven flour mill can be visited. This traditional flour mill used to be a source of livelihood for the people of Dhur village however was abandoned after the intake channel was washed away by a flash flood. The mill process has since been rehabilitated as it symbolizes an authentic Bhutanese tradition. Continue to trek uphill through the blue pine forest and reach the camp at Schonath (3450m) in hemlock and juniper forest. The hooting of owls through the night is quite common, hence the name the Owl Trek.

Trekking through the virgin forest of huge temperate trees like spruce, hemlock, fir, birch and many species of rhododendron intorduces you to the real wilderness of Bhutan. Bamboo is the main undergrowth of this wild forest and during the months of April and May the rhododendrons are in full bloom. After 2 hours trekking you will arrive at the Drange La Pass (3600m). Ascending the Kitiphu ridge brings you to an altitude of 3870m for the night camp. In favourable weather you have a wonderful view of the valley and the panoramic snow capped Eastern Himalaya. The highest mountain of Bhutan Gangkarpunsum (7541m) stands right in front of you when you are on the top of Kitiphu ridge at 4000m.

The magnificent sunrise in the morning is a new experience in Bhutan. Climb down to the monasteries of Zambhalha, Chuedak and Tharpaling which brings you into the religious life of monkhood at these historical Buddhist learning centres. Chuedak monastery has 100 Avoloketeshvaras in the form of Chukchizhey (eleven heads) that you will see nowhere else in the country. This afternoon, trek along the ridge of Kiki La and finally follow the traditional trek route between Trongsa and Bumthang (the Royal Heritage Trail) and culminating in a superb view of Jakar Dzong that will end your three day trek with many unforgettable memories.

After breakfast, continue to the airport and take a 30 minutes domestic flight to Paro. Many guests love the experience as it's a nice glide over the himalayan ranges. After reaching paro, visit the 7th century Kyichu lhakhang monastery, the sister temple of Jambay Lhakhang in Bumthang. These two are considered the oldest Buddhist temples in Bhutan. Visit the Paro Rinpung Dzong fortress overlooking the beautiful Paro river. Drive towards town and visit the Dungtse Lhakhang: The uniqueness of this temple lies in the fact that it is in the form of a chorten, one of the very few that exists in Bhutan. The lhakhang was built in 1421 by the famous Tibetan lama, Thongten Gyelpo (1385-1465) who was also known as Changzampa or the builder of iron bridges. Alternatively, if you feel like a short easy hike, I recommend the Zuri Dzong hike that takes about 1 hour to reach Uma Paro Hotel from where you will be driven to town.

We’ve saved the best of Bhutan for the last. Today you’ll experience Bhutan’s most valued attractions, and perhaps one of the major highlights of your trip. An excursion to the famous Taktshang monastery –translated as- Tiger’s nest monastery is also a good way to acclimatise before you start trekking. A two hours hike would reward you with a spectacular temple clinging on a 1000 feet cliff. The temple was built in 1692 by a prominent historical figure named Gyaltse Tenzin Rabgye whose reincarnation is now a young teenager and already a prominent figure in the clergy. Your guide will complement the experience with its story. On the way back stopover at Satsam Chorten which offers you nice views of mount Jomolhari. In the afternoon, Visit a farmhouse to soak in a herbal hot-stone bath which is known to be therapeutic and helps ailments related to joints and muscle aches, besides simply soothing your mind and body. Perfect to unwind and goes well with the Red Panda local beer. This is a complimentary value-added experience from Bhutan Travel Club without any hidden costs. Proceed to your resort.

After breakfast at your hotel, your driver will take you to the airport and fare you well on your onward journey.