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Trekking in Bhutan
Trekking in Bhutan is wonderful. With little or no permanent infrastructure in the mountains to support trekking (it is all camping), it is still a truly wild and remote experience. You will see very few, if any fellow trekkers at all.
We can offer anything from day walks (usually combined with a touring itinerary) to multi-day low level treks right up to the higher level and longer Druk Path trek (6 days) and Chomolhari trek (9 days). The Chomolhari can also be named the Jomolhari.
Scroll down for the trekking options of Day walks, Druk Path or Chomolhari treks.
Day Walks are usually combined with a touring style itinerary, which means that you will be staying in a hotel every night! They can range from a leg stretch to several hours and we can arrange to take a packed lunch too (this is included). The walk to the Tigers Nest Monastery for example is a good 3 - 4 hr round trip up a fairly demanding hill. Some of these do not even have to be factored into your itinerary and can be arranged with your Guide just the day before.
Contact Travel and Trek and see for yourself how easy it is to build your own trekking itinerary around precisely what you want, including some day walks.
Druk Path Trek, itinerary and information
The Druk Path trek is between 5 and 6 days and is perfect for those who do not want a long or very high altitude trek. It conveniently starts up by the National Museum in Paro and ends by descending into the capital Thimphu. In between is wonderful uninhabited, forested and mountainous terrain in the western part of Bhutan.
This horseshoe shaped trekking route is long enough to know that you have been on a trek and whilst the average trekking altitude of ~3500m is not insignificant, the vast majority do not have any problems acclimatising quickly.
It is fair to say that Day 1 of the trek from Paro up to the mountain monastery of Jele Dzong (~3500m) is probably the most difficult day as not only it is the first day of trekking but it is also the day with the most ascent. Taken slowly though, it should be no problem. The Dzong is in a very exposed place and well worth a visit.
Subsequent days all hover between 3500 - 4000m with a great feeling of remoteness; the elusive snow leopard still genuinely roams in these mountains. Late April/early May is a good time to trek this route as it is highly likely to be swathed in the rhododendrons that dominate this area.
Physically, this is a moderately demanding trek with average walking days of no more than 6 hrs. Due to its proximity to Paro and Thimpu it is probably the shortest that you can do in Bhutan without involving a lot of driving.
Chomolhari Trek itinerary and information
The Chomolhari trek is probably the best medium length, challenging trek in Bhutan. It conveniently starts just 1 hour north of Paro and finishes in the capital Thimphu. After your time in Thimphu, the 60 mins drive then gets you back to Paro making a very nice circuit experiencing all that lies within it.
At 9 days the Chomolhari trek provides a challenge in testing conditions crossing two Passes each over 4800m. The route tracks north alongside the crystal clear Paro Chu (river) as well as the high ridge, which marks the Bhutan/Tibetan border before turning south to pick up the Thimphu Chu all of the way to Thimphu. Rural farmland progresses to richly forested valleys that ultimately lead to the high alpine pastureland.
There is an acclimatisation day on Day 4 (Jangothang (~4000m)), a wonderful spot next to the river after which your acclimatisation will be tested by crossing the 4890m Nyile La (Pass) en route to Lingshi. Once you cross this Pass, the only way out is to back track or go forward and cross another Pass of equal altitude. The route also turns south here.
This uninhabited mountain terrain is emphasised by the common sight of literally hundreds of roaming yak and the rare blue sheep. You will see very few other trekkers.
Once you reach the end of the trek (and border of the National Park), you will be picked up and transferred into Thimphu by vehicle. This 45 min drive is itself one of some quality and you will get good views of the massive Thimphu Dzong on your way in.
Is there enough time for Sightseeing with trekking itineraries?
There is enough time on either end of the treks to see the array of sights that Bhutan has to offer. The Tigers Nest, the Paro and Thimphu Dzongs, Thimphu itself (the High Street isn't that big!), the Takin Reserve, the National Museum (Paro) and National Library (Thimphu) to name but a few. Whilst they are in the itinerary on certain days, your Guide will lay the plan once in country in accordance with your wishes.
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