TREKKING

LEGENDARY BUMTHANG CULTURE TREK

Departures: March-May, September-November

In addition to the tour we have a 3 day trekking, easy and crossing villages. This trek enters the valley of Tang where Buddhists make visits for pilgrimage and meditate at holy sites.

The Hidden Kingdom Trek

Departures: March-May, September-December

This is our long distance trek in Bhutan along the remote northern border with Tibet. Our 25-day itinerary results from considerable experience. Any shorter and we believe that there would not be sufficient time for proper acclimatisation. Also to rush through this region would be to miss the very point of being there. It remains a rarely travelled and unspoilt region.

Although the trek is long, rest days occur regularly and allow plenty of time to interact with the local people. The mountain scenery all along is magnificent - most of the peaks being unclimbed, unmapped and un-named. We pass underneath the second highest peak in Bhutan, Chomolhari - first climbed by Spencer Chapman in 1937 and now a forbidden peak on religious grounds. There are many passes to cross, offering tantalising panoramas of distant ranges, and the opportunity to spot Blue sheep. Flora and fauna are diverse and abundant at every stage of the journey.

Our experience over the years has shown that the best weather is usually obtained in early October, and that there is a danger of the highest northern passes closing by snow in late October. The itinerary allows sufficient time to cope with unforeseen problems and also to thoroughly absorb Bhutan's tranquil atmosphere and unique culture.

THE GENTLE TREKKING

Departures: March-May, September-November

The tiny Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalaya, or the 'Thunder Dragon Kingdom', has successfully remained isolated from the outside world for very many centuries. Only at the time of the present King's coronation (1974) was the first trickle of foreigners allowed in. Prior to the building of the road from India to Thimphu even visiting Indian presidents took 6 days on horseback to visit the King. It still remains a secretive Kingdom and the present king is keen to preserve its unique customs and traditions.

Its history is a capsule of all that is mystical about the Himalaya; re-incarnate rulers, who used black magic to defeat Tibetan aggressors, lama-saints, who foretold the future and who fought demons opposed to the spread of Buddhism, and civil wars between powerful district governors, or penlops, who laid plot and counter-plot in an endless cycle of strife and assassinations.

This trek offers the perfect introduction to Bhutan! We have designed the itinerary to give you a wide variety of experiences though it will be an adventure enjoyed in comparative comfort because every night is spent either in a hotel or comfortable lodge. Every day hike has an interesting objective taking you to many temples, hermit retreats, old palaces, villages or simply into lovely scenery. But you do not have to do every day hike. If for instance you prefer to spend a day relaxing, this is possible. There are also exciting road journeys and our vehicle is a Japanese mini-bus which will take us slowly on twisting mountain roads and over passes. By its nature this is an unpredictable, challenging adventure in a place that is only just emerging into the 21st Century.

Our departures are match to religious festival or Tsechu, where the religious and secular sides of Bhutanese society come together for unbelievably-colourful, noisy and spectacular celebrations. 

UNBEATABLE SNOWMAN TREK

Departures: March-May, September-November

This is a strenuous trek crossing 11 passes, three of them are over 5000m and you have to be physically fit & mentally prepared. The trek begins from Paro/Punakha (west) and ends in Bumthang/Trongsa (central). It is a combination of Chomolhari, Laya & Lunana trek crossing the Renchen Zoe pass at.5,400m the highest pass in Bhutan . The trek can take 21 days or 28 days (ending in Bumthang) depending on which you prefer to choose. It is one of the most challenging treks in the Himalayas. 

This trek leads you to the seldom visited region of Lunana, passing some of the last virgin peaks of the Himalayas offering you great variety of trekking conditions, from picturesque farmland and forest to alpine pastureland. This trek will take you close to the huge snow, ice and rock faces of the mountains where most of the Himalayan peaks towering to the north are unnamed and unclimbed. The only inhabitants are rare species such as bharal, or blue sheep, takin and the snow leopard. During the spring, summer and autumn, the alpine meadows are filled with countless varieties of flowers.

Notes:

1. Accommodation in Bhutan is in the best available Lodges/Hotels on full board basis. Transport in Bhutan is by 4 wheel drive vehicle or bus depending on group size/tour booked; all meals during camping, and all equipment including sleeping/dinning/toilet tents, sleeping bags and foam mattresses; trek staff insurance; all road and trek permits.

2. A tourism development fee of US $ 10.00 is payable directly after arrival.

3. During festival periods an extra charge of US $ 27.00 per person per festival day is made.

4. The Bhutanese authorities with whom we work reserve the right to change the itineraries and/or costs due to reasons beyond their control. Any such increases will be borne by the participants and will be collected in Kathmandu.