Bhutan & The Himalayas

Fly overnight from your chosen airport to Kolkata, via Dubai.

On arrival, transfer to the 5-star Oberoi Grand heritage hotel, a blend of classic Victorian and traditional Indian style, for a two-night stay. An afternoon tour visits the marble Victoria Memorial to the Empress of India; Dalhousie Square’s collection of grand monuments, the Town Hall and Writers’ Building among them; the 19^th-century St. John’s Church, one of the oldest in the city; the Jain Temple complex, its three shrines a marvel of carved marble and glass work; and markets in colonial Calcutta.

Enjoy a heritage walk from the narrow lane and Anglo-Indian enclave known as Bow Barracks, built as a garrison for World War l soldiers, to the Burra Bazaar, a British-era textile market, now India’s largest wholesale market. Visit the Hindu Kalighat Temple, the imposing building erected in 1809 to replace the original temple, which was little more than a hut; and enjoy a tram ride in the city.
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Fly to Paro, and transfer to Thimphu, the capital of the kingdom of Bhutan, revered for its ancient Buddhist shrines and temples, and resplendent with golden spires and graceful monuments. View the gigantic golden statue of the hilltop Buddha Dordenma. Three nights at the 3-star White Tara Hotel.
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Visit the Institute of Traditional Medicine, a working herbal-medicine hospital, with a little museum of herbs and minerals used in treatments; the Institute for Zorig Chusum, focused on local arts, crafts, and technical skills; and the National Library of Bhutan, archiving the country’s cultural and religious heritage.
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A varied tour today includes visits to the Cheri Gompa Monastery, built in 1620 on the precipitous slope of a hill, where Ngawang Namgyal, who unified Bhutan, spent three years in strict retreat (approx. 60minute steep walk on uneven footpaths); the very visible landmark of the National Memorial Chorten, an iconic stupa in the city centre; the National Handicraft Emporium of locally crafted goods; and the Tashichho Dzong, much renewed and extended over the centuries, its current building constructed in traditional style, using neither nails nor formal plans.
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A fascinating journey crosses the high Dochula Pass, viewing Buddhist chortens, Mani walls, prayer flags and Bhutan’s highest Himalayan peaks, enroute to Punakha, the seat of government until 1955. Walk to the Chimi Lakhang ‘fertility temple’, steeped in legends; visit the Dzong fortress palace, set on the riverbank at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, reached by a covered and cantilevered timber bridge, and named ‘the Palace of Great Joy’; and enjoy an evening walk in the strollable little town. Overnight at the 3-star YT Hotel.
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Travel (4hrs) to Paro, lining the banks of its namesake river in a broad and tranquil valley. Visit the Ta Dzong National Museum, a former tower fortress on the River Mangde bank, with thousands of artefacts recording 1,500 years of history; the Rinpung Dzong, in the heart of Paro, a Buddhist fortress monastery renowned for its grandeur and splendour; and the 7^th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, thought to be Bhutan’s oldest and most beautiful temple. Two nights at the 3-star Hotel Olathang.
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Travel by road and continue on-foot to visit the country’s iconic Taktsang Gompa (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery, clinging to its precarious cliff-face perch. With a 60 to 90minute walk, on uneven paths, to panoramas from the tea house, and a further hour of more difficult walking to the monastery, the climb is no stroll in the park, but the effort is rewarded by the monastery itself and the views from it. Later we visit a traditional farmhouse and meet a local family; and take an evening walk through Paro.
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Fly westward above the Himalayas and over the Nepal border to Kathmandu. Despite the devastating 2015 earthquake, in which the UNESCO World Heritage site of Durbar Square suffered severe damage, the cosmopolitan capital is once again its colourful, frenetic, fascinating self. Transfer to the modern, 4-star hotel Vivanta By Taj, in the city’s Patan district.
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Weather permitting, an optional morning tour today is a spectacularly scenic flight over the Himalayas and Mount Everest (US$275, bookable locally). Discovery in vibrant Patan includes a ‘singing bowl’ performance; and later we explore Kathmandu on a rickshaw ride.
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Visit Boudhanath, its immense circular stupa a beacon of Buddhist belief, crowned with a white dome, built in the 6^th century, shortly after the Buddha’s death, and hugely expanded in the 14^th century; and continue to Pashupatinath Temple, named for the patron deity of Nepal, dedicated to the Lord Shiva, and a sacred Hindu place of pilgrimage. An afternoon tour visits the city of Bhaktapur, at the eastern edge of the UNESCO listed Kathmandu Valley. Known locally as Khwopa, this is Nepal’s ‘cultural gem’, a living museum of heritage, arts, and crafts, encompassing countless temples, and with its own UNESCO listed Durbar Square.
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Transfer to the airport for your return flight from Kathmandu, via Dubai.
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