Family Bhutan Adventure

Your guide meets you at Paro International Airport, and the first day is kept short so everyone can settle in at about 2,200 m. For an easy first walk, drive up to the National Museum in Ta Dzong, the round watchtower above the dzong, with its masks, old weapons, postage stamps and natural history displays.

Then walk down to Paro Dzong, a working fortress-monastery with around 300 monks, and leave across Nyamai Zam, the covered wooden bridge over the Paro Chhu. The path is downhill all the way and ends in town.

Drive a few minutes north of town to Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, traditionally dated to 659 and said to be one of 108 temples built to pin down a demoness. Carry on to the head of the valley and Drukgyel Dzong, built in 1649 to mark a victory over Tibetan invaders. It burned in 1951, stood as a ruin for decades and was rebuilt with traditional methods, the work finished in 2022. For temples and dzongs, everyone needs shoulders and knees covered, and hats come off inside.

In the evening the family sits down to dinner at a farmhouse in the valley.

The drive to Thimphu takes about 1.5 hours. Buddha Dordenma, a gilded Buddha more than 50 metres tall, looks over the southern approach, and you can drive almost to its foot, so it makes an easy first stop. Inside the throne, a shrine hall is lined with row after row of small gilded Buddhas, part of the 125,000 kept in the statue and its throne. Walk clockwise, keep voices low, and save the photos for the terrace and its view over the valley.

Later, the National Memorial Chorten in the middle of town is a good place to join the older residents walking clockwise and turning its big prayer wheels.

The day starts at the Motithang Takin Preserve, a fenced area of forest where you can see the takin, Bhutan's national animal, up close. Your guide will tell the story of how they got there: it began as a small zoo, and when the Fourth King had the animals released, the takins wandered the streets of Thimphu, so they were given this preserve instead.

Then it is time for the archery lesson with local archers, a chance for children and adults to try the bow. The afternoon is for the craft school, where your guide shows you how Bhutan's traditional arts are taught.

Punakha is about 2.5–3 hours from Thimphu, with a stop at Dochu La on the way. At about 3,100 m the pass is cold and often windy, so have warm layers ready for the 108 white chortens on the hillock. Walk around them clockwise, on the paths between the tiers rather than on the walls.

From the pass the road drops to the warm valley floor. At Sopsokha, leave the car for the rice-field walk to Chimi Lhakhang: about 20 minutes, nearly flat, with a short climb at the end. The farmhouses on the way have phalluses painted on their walls, a protective symbol here, so a quick word with children before you set off helps.

The day starts at Punakha Dzong, reached over a covered wooden bridge across the Mo Chhu and up a flight of very steep wooden steps that could once be pulled up if the dzong was attacked. Inside, look for the great assembly hall and the six-storey central tower.

Then walk up the Pho Chhu to the suspension bridge, one of the longest in Bhutan, hung with prayer flags and swaying as you cross. Rafting follows, for everyone aged eight and over.

Leave Punakha early for the drive back over Dochu La to Thimphu, about 2.5–3 hours, and on to Paro International Airport, about 1.5 hours further. The pass makes a good place to stretch your legs, and if the mountains were hidden on the way out, it gives you a second chance to see them. Your guide and driver stay with you to the airport, where the trip ends.