Festival
Punakha & the Warm Valley
Five easy days in the low, warm valley of Punakha — the kingdom’s loveliest dzong, rice terraces and slow river mornings.
Duration
5 Days
Max altitude
1,200 m
Grade
Easy
Group
8–12
Overview
Punakha sits a kilometre lower than Paro, and you feel it at once — warmer air, banana palms beside the rice terraces, and the two rivers, Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu, meeting at the foot of the kingdom’s most beautiful dzong. The old winter capital makes an unhurried base for five days of gentle walking, village visits and long lunches.
We cross the Dochu La on the way in, walk the terraces to Chimi Lhakhang — the temple of the Divine Madman — and take a morning on the Mo Chhu, on the water or along its banks. This is Bhutan with the altitude turned down and the pace to match, and it pairs naturally with Paro at either end.
Day by day
Climb to the pass and its hundred and eight chortens — the whole eastern Himalaya on show in clear weather — then wind down through changing forest into the warm valley.
Punakha Dzong from across the river and then from inside its painted courtyards; the walk through mustard and rice to Chimi Lhakhang; the long suspension bridge at Wolakha with its prayer flags streaming.
A gentle morning on the river, and an afternoon climb to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal chorten, set on a ridge above the terraces — the valley’s best short walk.
Back over the pass toward Thimphu or Paro, pausing at the Lamperi botanical garden while the rhododendrons hold.
What’s included
Included
- A licensed Bhutanese guide & private driver
- All hotels & farmstay nights, with meals
- Visa, permits & the Sustainable Development Fee
- Airport transfers & all road travel
- Entry fees to dzongs, temples & museums
Not included
- International flights to Paro
- Travel & medical insurance
- Drinks & personal items
- Tips for your guide & driver
Best time to go
Punakha is the valley for the cooler months — October to March, when the high country is cold but the rice terraces here stay mild. Spring brings jacaranda to the dzong walls; only high summer, humid and wet, is worth avoiding.
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Ready to walk into the kingdom?
Tell us how much time you have and how high you’d like to stand. We’ll send back a tailored route — usually within two days.