This tour will bring you to the centre of Bhutan. It provides you with a thoroughly enjoyable cultural tour of the spiritual heartland of Bhutan. The highlight of the tour is the Ura Yakchoe Festival  where you can enjoy masked dances and religious ritual ceremonies.
Your tour starts with a leisurely stop in Paro, giving you time to acclimatize and enjoy the many colourful cultural sites of  Paro. Do not miss the opportunity to hike to the Tiger’s Nest – a temple perched on the side of a cliff face. It is one of the most reknowned religious sites in Bhutan and is a pilgrimage destination revered throughout the Buddhist world. 
After a ful cultural tour of Thimphu, we will travel further east, toward the warmer climes of Punakha and Wangdi, with their impressive Dzongs and changing vegetation. Learn the many amusing moral stories of the antics of Drukpa Kuenley,  the “Divine Madman” and visit  the temple most associated with him on the way to Punakha.
After Wangdi, you will climb again and you will find yourself driving through some of the most spectacular scenery in Bhutan, as you traverse the Black mountain range and cross several high passes. The Pele-la pass, at 3,300 metres, is often covered in mist. It marks the boundary between East and West and not only the landscape changes but also the climate, the houses and the customs differ as you descend towards Tongsa, the base of the first king of Bhutan. The road winds around the mountain and the red roofs and white walls of Tongsa Dzong appear and disappear again and again before you finally arrive in the small town.
After a two-hour drive from Tongsa, you will reach the cultural heartland of Bhutan, the Bumthang valley. It is here, in the small village of Ura that the annual festival takes place.  The masked dances that take place in the temple grounds are the same as those performed in other festivals around the country. You have the opportunity to enjoy the vibrant colours of the costumes and learn the stories that each dance portrays.
The  town of Jakar is the main town in the Bumthang valley (2700metres).  Based in Jakar, you will spend a few days attending the festival and also visiting the sites linked to so many of Bhutan’s religious and historical legends. Stories abound of the actions of Guru Rimpoche and Pema Lingpa in these parts.
Additional attractions include the weaving centers and the supplies of cheeses, apple juice and honey that are produced here using Swiss methods.  Nicknamed the Switzerland of the East, Bumthang even produces metal stoves on the traditional Swiss model.
The farms of the expansive, high-altitude Bumthang plateau produce buckwheat and potatoes rather than the Bhutanese red rice so you can try a different menu here. The area is ideal for gentle treks and day walks into the countryside, passing through villages where the farmers are going about their daily lives, ploughing with oxen, sifting wheat, grinding flour or weaving. Watch the birds swooping over the rivers and the fields of cosmos flowers and relax. If you wish to spend more time walking in the Bumthang countryside, we can easily include it in your itinerary..

13Days/12 Nights
From April 12th - 24th 2008

Day 01 Arrive Paro. Afternoon of sightseeing and free time for a stroll                 around town.
                Evening Introductory talk and slide show.  O/N Paro
Day 02  Sightseeing in the Paro valley. O/N Paro
Day 03  Optional hike to Taktsang monastery. Paro to Thimphu (1and half                hours) Sightseeing. O/N
              Thimphu  
Day 04    Full day of sightseeing in Thimphu. O/N Thimphu  
Day 05  Thimphu – Punakha (2 hours), visiting Chimi Lhakhang en route.                Punakha Dzong.  O/N Punakha.
Day 06  Drive from Punakha –Wangdi – Tongsa . (3 hours) O/N Trongsa.
Day 07  2 hour drive to Bumthang. Attend the Ura Yakchoe festival and               Sightseeing in Bumthang valley. 
Day 08  Visit the festival in the morning. Sightseeing with optional short                hike in Bumthang valley.
Day 09 Optional festival visit. Sightseeing and optional hiking in                   Bumthang valley.
Day 10  Drive from Bumthang to Tongsa and on to Wangdi. O/N Wangdi                 (or optional visit to
                Gangtey/Phobjikha valley and overnight stay).
Day 11  From Phobjikha (morning sightseeing) or Wangdi – Thimphu.                  Free time in Thimphu.
Day 12 Thimphu sightseeing and free time for strolling and relaxing in                 town.
Day 13 Flight Departure from Paro. Tashi Delek!

The Ura Yakchoe Festival is from April 16th - 20th 2008.