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| Darjeeling |
| Darjeeling perched amongst
the clouds at 2134 mtrs. It retains its old colonial charm.
It is the heart & of premium tea. All around are waves &
waves of tea bushes flowing down the slopes, lovely vales &
dales, with magnolias & pines. Close by Tiger Hill provides
in clear weather, breathtaking sunrise view of Kanchandzonga
group and Mount Everest.
|
| Gangtok |
| The capital of the tiny state
if Sikkim, is located in the shadow of the Chola range at 1767
mtrs. The road to Gangtok along the scenic Teesta valley through
magnificient forest & flowering trees gradually transport
you to the land of friendly & smiling people. Gangtok has
a rich cultural heritage, bustling modern bazaar erotic handicraft.
Above all Buddhist monasteries and local handicrafts center. |
| Kalimpong |
| Kalimpong, the exotic town
of beautiful people is mystical & enchanting, a rare ethnic
blend of cultural & religious harmony. Hospitality from
the days of the mule caravans, panoramic snow views, enchanting
flora & serene virgin forests – kalimpong , has the
imprint of recent history. Ruled by Bhutan for 155 years, &
annexed by the British in 1865, it flourished as the center
of the wool trade with Tibet, Gompas, Churches, temples, monks
and Christian missionaries, all co exist in a jovial & tolerant
society. |
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 |
Delhi-Bagdogra-Darjeeling-Pemayangtse-Gangtok-Kalimpong-Phuntsoling-Thimpu-
Punakha- Wangdiphodrang-Paro |
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| Itinerary |
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|
 Day
01: Arrive Delhi (OS 033 AT 2220 HRS) |
Arrive at New Delhi’s international
airport a Mountain Trails World Travel representative will be waiting for
you outside the EXIT gate of arrival terminal, holding a Mountain Trails
placard. Met upon arrival and transfer to your hotel for overnight
stay.
Overnight at Hotel |
| Day
02: Delhi |
| After a buffet breakfast at your hotel,
proceed for a full day sight seeing of Old and New Delhi. Full
day combined city tour of Old and New Delhi visiting Qutub Minar,
India Gate (War Memorial), Lakshimanarayan temple – modern
Hindu temple, drive past President’s House, Parliament
House and Secratariat buildings. Also visit Raj Ghat and Shanti
Vana – cremation sites of Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal
Nehru. Also visit Red fort and drive past Jama Masjid and Chandni
Chowk. Overnight at Hotel |
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|
Day
03: Delhi-Bagdogra (Flight) 9W 602 10:10 -
2:05 Bagdogra-Darjeeling
(Drive 82 Kms, 3 Hours) |
|
| After a buffet breakfast,
you will be transferred to domestic airport to board the
flight 9W 601 for Bagdogra. Met upon arrival at Bagdogra
airport and proceed for a drive to Darjeeling, a three
hours drive uphill through tea gardens and small towns.
We will occasionally meet the famous Darjeeling toy train,
huffing and puffing across the road Rest of the evening
will be at leisure. Overnight at Hotel |
|
| Day
04: Darjeeling |
| Early morning visit Tiger Hill for
fabulous sunrise views of Mt. Kangchenzonga (8585 Mts.),
the third highest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest and
a host of other Himalayan giants are also seen on the
horizon. On our drive back to the hotel we will stop at
Ghoom, a Tibetan-Buddhist monastery. After breakfast we
shall visit the old botanical gardens to see their collection
of rare orchids and other plants. After lunch visit the
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the Tibetan Refugee
Camp and the local market. Overnight at Hotel.
|
|
| Day
05: Darjeeling– Pemayangste (Drive 79 Kms, 4 Hours) |
| Today’s' drive is truly
a naturalist's delight. The hillsides and mountain slopes of
Sikkim are abundant with bright patches of countless colours.
Our 04-hour drive is along the river Rangit through dense forests
of Sal and teak. Also visit tea gardens and tea estates. Arrive
Pemayangste, also known as the "Perfect Sublime Lotus “,
is one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim and belongs to the
Red Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhists You can have views of magnificent
Kangchenzonga massif, which is only 35 miles as crow flies.
Overnight at Hotel. |
| Day
06: Pemayangste – Tashiding – Gangtok (Drive 137
Kms, 6-7 Hours) |
| After breakfast we shall
proceed for a 6 hours drive to Gangtok, passing through
the lush green fields the famous large Sikkimese Cardamoms
as well as Golden Rice.We stop to take an hour’s
uphill walk to arrive at Monastery of Tashiding, also
known as Chogyal Lakhang, stands on top of a thickly wooded
hill. Every spring, thousands of devout Buddhists trek
to Tashiding to participate in a festival and sip the
|
| sacred
water from an ancient stone jar which, miraculously, never
runs dry. Continue your drive to Gangtok. Perched atop
a ridge at a height of 1520-m. lies Gangtok, a quaint,
colorful town. This small-modernized town is the capital
of Sikkim. Overnight at Hotel |
|
| Day
07: Gangtok |
| A short excursion early in the morning
brings us to the famous Rumtek Monastery, the seat of
the Karmapa Lama who heads the Kagyupa Sect of Buddhism.
Thangkas and frescoes decorate the walls of this ancient
monastery, now renovated. His holin ess Gyalwa Karmapa
was the 16th reincarnate. The style of the monastery,
strictly traditional has been patterned on the lines of
the Lamas series of Tibet. This monastery was first built
in 1717 but crumbled to ruins due to aging. The present
monastery was constructed by his holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa
in 1960s. The |
| monastery is certainly the largest
in sprawling over a huge area. It includes a school built
on modern lines to impart teachings in Tibetan and various
aspects of Buddhism. An aviary containing the most exotic
birds also exists in the monastery complex. Some distance
above the monastery is a hermitage in which monks go into
complete seclusion for meditation for period's up-to 3
years. Later, we visit the Institute of Tibetology, which
has a collection of almost 30,000 volumes on diverse subjects
like astrology, philosophy, magic and religion. After
lunch we visit the Orchid Sanctuary which has over 200
species of temperate and intermediate orchids on beautifully
landscaped grounds. Our next stop is the Epica gardens,
which has large collection of indigenous plants of Sikkim.
Overnight at Hotel |
|
| Day
08: Gangtok - Kalimpong (80 Kms, 3-4 hrs drive) |
Morning drive to Kalimpong, arrive at
Kalimpong and check into your hotel. Kalimpong, once the headquarters
of a Bhutanese Governor, the word 'kalim' means King's Minister
and 'Pong' - the stronghold of the King's minister. The hill
people also call it ‘Kalibong’ or the black spur.
'Kalipong' in local dialect stands for ‘Kaulim’,
which is a fibrous plant, which grows in abundance in this region.
The meaning that has found the most favour is the Lepcha meaning
of the name - 'ridge where we play'. It is said that these local
tribesmen used to organise field sports while not engaged in
agricultural pursuits - hence its name. Somewhat secluded and
tucked away in the corner under the big Darjeeling umbrella,
Kalimpong offers a quiet and relaxed holiday against the backdrop
of Kangchendzunga.
Kalimpong was earlier the part of Bhutan. In 1865, after the
Anglo-Bhutan War, it was merged with Darjeeling, and became
a sub-division of Darjeeling in 1916, and developed as a hill
station. It flourished as a wool-trading centre with Tibet till
1950, when the Chinese took over Tibet. It continues to be part
of Darjeeling District.
Afternoon Sightseeing of Kalimpong including botanical gardens
and the local market. Overnight at Hotel |
| Day
09: Kalimpong – Phuntsoling (230 km, 7-8 hrs drive) |
| After a early breakfast at you hotel
in Phuntsoling. After visa formalities at the border,
you will be picked up by our Bhutan representative. |
|
| Day
10: Phuntsoling-Paro by surface |
Drive to Paro. In the afternoon,
visit Ta Dzong that houses the National Museum and Rimpung Dzong.
Walk down a traditional wooden bridge.
In the evening, visit Paro town and back to your Resort for
overnight. |
| Day
11: Paro |
Drive to Ramthongkha and hike
to view point of Taktshang, the Tiger’s Nest (2 hours).
This magical monastery clings to a vertical granite cliff 3,000
ft above the valley floor. The monastery unfortunately got burnt
in 1998 but it has recently been reconstructed.
Rest of the day is free to explore the down town. Overnight
in Paro at hotel. |
| Day
12: Paro-Thimpu (65km/ 3 hours drive) |
| After breakfast, drive on to Thimpu and
visit the Memorial Chorten and Changgankha Lhakhang and local
market. |
| Memorial Chorten |
| A prominent landmark in Thimpu is the
Memorial Chorten built as a tribute to the late King, H.M. Jigme
Dorji Wangchuk. Along with the Dungtse Lhakhang in Paro, this
is the only temple in Bhutan, which is shaped like a chorten.
The mother of the Third King in memory of her son erected a
pious landmark for Thimpu’s residents, in 1974. Bhutanese
pay their respects to his photograph inside the memorial.
|
| Tashichhodzong |
| The Tashichhodzong, which houses
the Royal Secretariat as well as the chambers of the Je
Khenpo, is located in a picturesque setting by the banks
of the river. Unlike the other fortresses built in Bhutan
by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, this is not intended
to be a bulwark of defence. The original dzong in Thimpu
was located at Dechen Phodrang, which is now a monastic
school. The Do Ngon Dzong, “Fortress of the Blue
Stone’, was strategically placed on a high promontory
and had a checkered history. The Shabdrung took control
of the dzong in the 1630s and rebuilt it. Calling the
dzong by its present name, Tashichhodzong, he made it
the summer residence of the monk body. The Tashichhodzong
was established at its present location in the latter
part of the eighteenth century by the Je Khenpo but was
reconstructed by the late king, H.M. Jigme Dorji Wangchuk
in the 1960s as the seat of government under the new dispensation.
|
|
Exquisite collections
of religious thankhas adorn the walls of the Royal Secretariat
and the old Hall of the National Assembly where the king
sits on a gilded throne.
Overnight at hotel in Thimpu. |
|
| Day
13: Thimpu |
| In the morning, visit
the Institute of Traditional Medicine, Folk Heritage Museum
and the Handicraft Emporium. Afternoon visit to the School
of Thangka Painting and the National Library. Later in
the afternoon, drive to Punakha for overnight at Kichu
Resort. |
|
| Day
14: Thimpu-Punakha(60 km, 2 -3 hours drive) |
| After breakfast drive to Punakha. |
| Punakha |
| The Dochu La watershed at 3,116-m (10,
200-ft) separates the Thimpu valley from Punakha. Himalayan
blue magpie’s glide from magnolia trees to rhododendrons
extending their long tails and showing off their brilliant plumage.
In winter, fir trees droop under a heavy blanket of snow, and
icicles hang from frozen waterfalls. |
| Punakha Dzong |
| The Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel,
built Punakha Dzong in 1637, adjacent to a temple which
had been established as far back as 1328 by the saint
Ngagi Rinchen. The fortress remained under the tutelage
of the Dzongpoens until it became the capital of Bhutan.
The first King H.M Ugyen Wangchuk’s reign was inaugurated
here in the palace of Great Bliss on 17 December 1907,
the year of the Fire-Sheep. The coronation was attended
by a British mission under John Claude White, a personal
friend of the king, along with other officers and twenty-five
men from the Punjab Regiment. In January 1910, the Treaty
of Punakha cemented Bhutan’s ties with the British
Raj in India. Jigme Wangchuk, the second king was also
crowned at Punakha in March 1927 and it remained the seat
of government until 1952 when the third king H.M Jigme
Dorji Wangchuk, decided to transfer his capital to Thimpu. |
|
| The Punakha Dzong
drives a great wedge between the Mo Chhu and Po Chhu.
Flocks of Brahman ducks and long-necked cormorants skim over
the waters in a tight formation. The magnificent Dzong is sprawled
between the Phochu and Mochu (river). |
| Day
15: Punakha-Bumathang (214 km, 7- 8 hours drive) |
| After an early breakfast,
make a short visit to Punakha and drive to Bumthang over
the Dochula Pass and Pelela Pass. Enroute, visit Chume
Valley, where local women weave the famous “Bumthang
Yathra”, pure woolen cloth woven in the traditional
method with beautiful coloured patterns. Arrive in Bumthang
for overnight at Hotel. |
|
| Day
16: Bumathang |
| In the morning, visit Jakar Dzong, Jambay
Lhakhang and Kurje Lhakhang courtyard and Wangdichholing Palace.
In the afternoon, visit Tamshing Lhakhang and Kuenshusum Lhakhang.
We will spend the evening visiting Jakar town. Overnight in
Bumthang hotel. |
| Day
17: Bumthang-Wangdue |
| Morning drive to Wangdue.
Enroute visit the Trongsa Dzong, the largest Dzong in Bhutan
and Ta Dzong, a watchtower. Rest of day is free in Wangdue.
Overnight at ResortResort. |
| The Wangdiphodrang Dzong |
| The Wangdiphodrang Dzong sits high
on a hill over the junction of the Puna Tsangchu and the
Dhangchu. The Wangdi Phodrang Dzong was built in the mid-seventeenth
century under directions given by the Shabdrung Ngawang
Namgyel and completed in 1683 by Tenzing Rabgye. Its roof
of shingles is held down in the traditional manner by
heavy stones. Two large prayer wheels greet the visitor
on either side of the entrance, which opens |
| onto a courtyard surrounded by buildings.
On the far end is the main temple building from which,
on the climax of the annual festival in September, a larger
thondrel depicting Guru Rinpoche is unfurled at dawn.
Ritual offerings of butter lamps cast an eerie light while
Pachcham dancers, dwarfed by the huge tapestry, beat small
double-sided drums in celebration. Drukpa Kagyupa traditions
are very evident here with the monks attired in ceremonial
orange hats and regalia. |
|
| Day
18: Wangdue-Punakha-Paro |
| Morning drive to back
to Punakha, the old capital of Bhutan. Visit Punakha Dzong,
built at the junction of two rivers, Pho Chu (male) and
Mo Chu (female) rivers. Punakha Dzong serves as the winter
residence for the Central Monk Body. After that, onward
to Paro for overnight at Kichu Resort. |
|
| Day
19: Paro-Delhi by KB 202 (DEP 0730 HRS ARR 1030 HRS) |
| After an early breakfast at the hotel,
transfer to Paro Airport to board flight for Delhi. Meeting
and assistance on arrival and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon
half day visit to Old and New Delhi visiting Red Fort, drive
pass Parliament House, India Gate and Qutab Minar. Overnight
at hotel.
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| Day
20: Leave Delhi |
| In time transfer to airport to connect
flight back home. |
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Bhutan Trek 
