Haa Valley & Hidden Villages

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. End the day at Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan.

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

The road climbs out of the Paro valley through spruce, larch and rhododendron to the Chele La, close to 4,000 m, where lines of prayer flags crack in the wind. On a clear day Jomolhari and Jichu Drake appear to the north. Walk a little way along the ridge to enjoy the view.

Descend into Haa in the afternoon. Haa was opened to visitors only in 2002, and its wooden farmhouses, barley fields and quiet lanes still feel far from the busier west.

Drive: Paro to Haa over the Chele La, about 2½–3 hours with stops
Overnight: Haa

Visit Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo, the White Temple and the Black Temple, which local legend links to the 7th-century king Songtsen Gampo. The valley's protective deity is said to live on the three peaks known as Meri Puensum, the "three brothers".

In the afternoon, walk through the villages above the valley floor, meeting farmers in the fields and perhaps visiting a small hillside hermitage.

Village walks, about 3 hours in total
Overnight: Haa

Move to a farmhouse homestay. Help in the fields or the kitchen as the season allows, and learn to make hoentoe, the buckwheat dumplings filled with turnip leaves and cheese that Haa is known for.

In the evening, gather around the family's wood stove for dinner, butter tea and conversation — your guide will translate where needed.

At the homestay, with an optional walk
Overnight: Haa (homestay)

Say goodbye to your hosts — farewells in Haa often come with a parcel of homemade snacks for the road — and return over the Chele La, stopping again at the prayer flags if the morning is clear.

Enjoy a free afternoon in Paro town, or a traditional hot-stone bath to ease the legs before tomorrow's hike.

Drive: Haa to Paro, about 2½ hours
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. Ponies can carry you part of the way up.

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. A farewell dinner in Paro closes the journey.

Hike: about 5–6 hours return
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.

If the Haa valley was your favourite, ask us about the Haa Summer Festival, usually held in July, a celebration of the valley's herding life.

Drive: hotel to Paro airport, 10–30 minutes