Druk Path Trek

The flight into Paro is part of the adventure: on a clear day the Himalaya slides past the window before the plane banks between forested ridges and settles onto the valley floor. Your guide meets you outside the small terminal with a white kata scarf, the traditional Bhutanese welcome, and a private vehicle is waiting.

After lunch, walk down through Rinpung Dzong — the "fortress on a heap of jewels" — with its carved galleries and monks crossing between prayers, and over Nyamai Zam, the covered wooden bridge below. Above the dzong, the round Ta Dzong watchtower houses the National Museum, a good introduction to Bhutanese art, masks and natural history. Finish along Paro's main street of painted wooden shopfronts. In the evening your trek guide checks your equipment with you and talks through the route, the camps and what to expect each day.

Drive: airport to hotel, 10–30 minutes
Overnight: Paro

Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, clings to a cliff about 900 m above the valley floor. Legend says Guru Rinpoche flew here on the back of a tigress in the 8th century to meditate in the cave around which the monastery was later built. The trail climbs steadily through blue pine and oak hung with prayer flags; most people take two to three hours to reach the top, and a cafeteria halfway up offers tea with a view straight across to the monastery. As well as being the highlight of any visit to Paro, the climb to about 3,120 m is ideal acclimatisation for the trek.

The final section drops down hundreds of steps to a waterfall and climbs again to the gate; bags and cameras are left in lockers before you enter the temples. After the descent and a late lunch, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, said to have been founded in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, with its orange trees and turning prayer wheels. Early night.

Hike: about 5–6 hours return
Overnight: Paro

The trek begins just above the National Museum. The first day is the hardest: a steady climb of roughly 1,000 m through blue pine and rhododendron forest, with the Paro valley falling away below.

Camp is below Jele Dzong, a small fortress and temple on the ridge at around 3,450 m. On a clear evening the Paro valley lies below you and the snow peaks rise to the north.

Walk: about 4–5 hours
Overnight: Camp

After breakfast in camp — hot tea is usually brought to your tent door — follow the ridge through thick forest of rhododendron, spectacular when it flowers in spring. Listen for the calls of monal pheasants and look out for glimpses of the Paro valley on one side and the Thimphu hills on the other.

The camp at Jangchulakha lies near yak herders' summer pastures, at around 3,780 m. You may meet the herders themselves, and perhaps be offered a taste of yak cheese.

Walk: about 4 hours
Overnight: Camp

Walk along the ridge with, on clear days, views of the high Himalaya including Jichu Drake, and descend to Jimilang Tsho, the "Lake of the Sand Ox", named after a legend of a bull that emerged from its waters.

The lake is known for its large trout, and the camp beside the water is one of the most beautiful of the trek. Afternoons are free to rest, read or wander along the shore.

Walk: about 4 hours
Overnight: Camp

A shorter day through dwarf rhododendron and juniper, passing Janye Tsho and yak herders' camps along the way. The landscape here is open and high, with wide views across the ranges.

Camp beside Simkota Tsho, the highest camp of the trek at a little over 4,000 m. Wrap up warmly — nights here are cold even in the trekking seasons — and enjoy the stars.

Walk: about 4 hours
Overnight: Camp

Climb to the highest point of the trek, about 4,200 m, where on a clear morning the view stretches from Jomolhari towards Gangkar Puensum. Then descend to Phajoding, a cluster of monasteries and meditation houses high above Thimphu.

The last stretch drops steeply through forest to the outskirts of the capital, where your vehicle waits. A hot shower and a hotel bed have never felt so good.

Walk: about 6–7 hours, mostly downhill
Overnight: Thimphu

A relaxed morning in the capital to enjoy what you walked towards: Buddha Dordenma on its ridge, the National Memorial Chorten and the craft shops of the town centre.

Drive back to Paro in the afternoon for a celebratory farewell dinner with your trek team — your guide, cook and horsemen have looked after you for five days, and this is the moment to thank them.

Drive: Thimphu to Paro, about 1 hour
Overnight: Paro

Enjoy a last breakfast with the valley outside your window. Your guide and driver accompany you to Paro airport and help with check-in for your onward flight — the farewells are often warmer than travellers expect.

Enjoyed the trail? The Jomolhari Base Camp Trek goes higher and further, into the yak country beneath one of the Himalaya's most beautiful mountains.

Drive: hotel to Paro airport, 10–30 minutes