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Join a group of like-minded tiny world travelers (limited to 16 participants) and your friendly and resourceful guide, Dorji, on a 9-day/8-night tour to mystical Bhutan! This tour includes remote eastern Bhutan’s rustic charms and off-the-beaten-path experiences. Spring is an especially beautiful time to visit, with clear skies, rhododendron in bloom everywhere, and mild temperatures.

The Land of the Thunder Dragon captivates travelers with its pristine landscapes, cultural heritage, and unique philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). On this small group tour (limited to 16 guests), we will explore GNH’s real meaning as we visit ancient monasteries, fortresses (dzongs), monuments, and travel through breathtaking mountain landscapes sprinkled with storybook homes, small farms, and blooming rhododendron. Travelers will engage in many authentic local experiences, sample Bhutanese cuisine, see unique Himalayan wildflowers, birds, and animals, and capture stunning photos. This tour encourages personal reflection and promotes a fresh perspective on life. Participants will be transformed by immersive encounters with spirituality, nature, art, everyday Bhutanese life, and concept of happiness. As tour co-creators with our Bhutan guide Dorji, we are always mindful of our participants’ stamina / physical endurance limits. As much as possible, we design our Tiny World Tour itineraries to be flexible with attractive options, often including the option to take it easy.

We have designed this tour with authentic experiences in mind. In Phongmey (Dorji’s home town in Eastern Bhutan), the sleeping accommodations and toilet facilities will be rustic.

The tour price is $5,000 USD, for the activities indicated on the draft itinerary below (the international flight cost is not included). The trip begins and ends at the international airport in Paro (PBH); We will assist participants with flight bookings on Druk Airlines, the royal Bhutan airlines and with obtaining their Bhutan tourist visas. Opportunities also exist for trip extensions and/or stopovers in various global hubs (e.g. Delhi, Bangkok, or Kathmandu).

Draft Itinerary

15th APRIL 2024 (MONDAY): Welcome to Bhutan! (Night #1)

• Morning arrival in Bhutan at Paro International Airport (PBH), clear customs and immigration

• Private pre-arranged airport-to-hotel transportation (~30 minutes)

• Morning check-in to vibrant & luxury glamping Tiger’s Nest Camp hotel with spectacular views of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery

• Relax/Recuperate/Rest (optional local sightseeing/shopping – see below)

• Enjoy delicious lunch and welcome dinner

• After dinner fire pit conversation

• Optional traditional hot stone bath

Paro sights:

• Rinpung Dzong bridge is an iconic and photogenic structure built in traditional wood and intricate craftsmanship Bhutanese architectural style in the 17th century. The bridge is adorned with colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind, adding to its charm and spiritual significance.

• Rinpung Dzong a magnificent 17th century fortress-monastery in Bhutan, exuding timeless beauty with its traditional architecture, vibrant paintings, and serene surroundings.

• National Museum of Bhutan (Ta-Dzong) stands on a promontory overlooking the Paro valley. Once the watchtower for the Rinpung Dzong (Fortress), it was converted into the national Museum in 1968.

• Paro main street shopping and cafés

16th APRIL 2024 (TUESDAY): Fly to Eastern Bhutan (Night #2)

• Hotel breakfast

• Drive to Paro Airport (about 30 minutes)

• Fly to Yonphula (Eastern Bhutan)

• Check in at Lingkhar Lodge

• Lingkhar Lodge Lunch

• Afternoon nature walk

• Lingkhar Lodge Dinner

17th APRIL 2024 (WEDNESDAY): Drive to Merak & Phongmey (Night #3)

• Breakfast & drive to Merak

• Be welcomed at the home of local villagers

• Try on local area traditional clothing

• have lunch, explore the picturesque village

• Drive from Merak to Phongmey

• Rustic Phongmey farmhouse dinner

• Overnight at an early childhood development center

18th APRIL 2024 (THURSDAY): Phongmey->Trashigang (Night #4)

• Rustic farmhouse breakfast

• Visit Phongmey school

• Drive to Trashigang and visit dramatic visit dramatic Dzong( fortress)

• Check in at Lingkhar Lodge (and have dinner and overnight)

19th APRIL 2024 (FRIDAY): Yonphula –> Paro (Night #5)

• Hotel Breakfast & check out

• Fly from Yonphula to Paro

• Check in to the the Happiness Farm (www.thehappinessfarm.com)

• farm house experience visit

• Optional herbal bath

• Optional cooking class

• Optional talk on farming by farmer Dorji

• After dinner fire pit conversation

• optional cultural performances, by the villagers.

20th APRIL 2024 (SATURDAY): Paro to the Happiness Farm (Night #6)

• Hotel b• Hotel breakfast

• Hike with picnic lunch

• Relax/Recuperate/Rest (enjoy the view and Kcymaerxthaere Art Installation)

• Enjoy Happiness Farm dinner

21st APRIL 2024 (SUNDAY): Thimpu (Night #7)

• Happiness Farm breakfast

• Drive to Thimpu (about 1 hr)

• Thimpu sightseeing & lunch

  • Giant Buddha

  • Bhutan Textile Museum

  • Central Post Office & Museum

  • shopping

• Drive back to Happiness Farm (about 1 hr)

• Happiness Farm Dinner

22nd APRIL 2024 (MONDAY): Excursion to Tiger’s Nest (Night #8)

• Happiness Farm Early Breakfast & Checkout

• Drive to Tiger’s Nest (about 1 hr)

• Excursion/Visit to Tiger’s Nest Monastery (about ~5 hours total including lunch)

Spend the morning hiking up the forested path to Taktsang Monastery, also known as Tiger’s Nest, Bhutan’s most famous and scenic icon. The climb is steep and takes about 4-5 hours round trip and includes lunch. An abbreviated hike or horse ride to a midway lunch spot is an option. The Taktsang Monastery has been an important place of pilgrimage and refuge for more than 1,200 years. The monastery clings to sheer cliffs two-thousand feet above Paro valley.

This sacred place got its name when Guru Rinpoche rode there on the back of a flying tigress and meditated in a cave behind the present-day monastery. Special permit will be arranged for you to enter the Tiger’s Nest monastery but you will not be allowed to take pictures inside the shrines. The shrines are places where great saints meditated in the past, and are ideal places for your own silent contemplation & meditation.

• Optional Paro shopping

• dinner and overnight at Tiger’s Nest Camp Hotel

23rd APRIL 2024 (TUESDAY): Depart Bhutan!

• Hotel breakfast & check out

• Transfer to Paro International Airport

• End of tour & our services

Tour Highlights

• Unforgettable historic architecture (e.g. Fortresses, Monasteries, Monuments, Bridges, etc.)

• Authentic Cultural Encounters

• Culinary Adventures (featuring locally sourced organic ingredients)

• Visit the most famous monastery – Taktsang – “The Tiger’s Nest”

The cost is $5,000 per person, double occupancy, international airfare is not included.

$380 single supplement for those solo travelers requiring a private room (if available).

This tour is contingent on a minimum of 8 participants registering and paying in full 100 days before tour start (6 January 2024).

Tour Maximum: 16

Tour Includes

• Domestic airfare from Paro to Yonphyla (round trip )

• Eight nights accommodation as described in itinerary

• All food and drink (including alcohol), laundry services

• Ground transportation in well-maintained vehicles including driver

• Guides & Porters

Tour Does Not Include

• International flights to/from Paro International Airport (PBH)

• Medical or Trip Insurance

• Expenses of a personal nature

• Medical Expenses including Medical Evacuation

NOTE: This Bhutan tour can also easily be combined with a pre-tour or post-tour visits to other sights in Bhutan and/or nearby Nepal (please inquire).

* itinerary subject to change according to unforeseen circumstances / opportunities

Tour Design: Tiny World Tours (Mark & Dana), Drukyul Holidays (Dorji)

Tour Leader: Dorji

video caption (above): Bhutanese Dancers performing at the spring Bhutan Rhododendron Festival in the Royal Botanical Park at Lampelri, Bhutan.