Laya Gasa Trek

Today is an exciting day as we will visit the famous Tiger's Nest monastery in Paro, a beautiful monastery perched atop a cliff in a dramatic location. We hike up to the monastery for one to one and a half hours until we reach it. From the cliff, you can get spectacular views of Paro city as well. The monastery lies on the spot where the great Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown in on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave. After visiting the monastery, you will be escorted to other important sites in Paro if you weren't able to visit them on day 1 due to time constraints. You can then enjoy the rest of the time on your own.

Early in the morning, we visit Drugyal Dzong and the ruins of the fortress, then walk downhill until we reach a wide trail. From here, our trail ascends gently through a well-paved path along rice and millet farmlands. Leaving the farmland, we enter apple orchards and forested area. The valley slowly widens and we reach an army camp in Gunitsawa. We walk further until we reach our camping site in Shana.

Leaving Shana, we follow the Paro river (Pa Chhu), ascending and descending through lush forests of pine, fir and rhododendron. We cross a bridge over the left side of the river and climb again through the rhododendron forests. We cross a bridge again to reach our camping site in Sio Thangthangka at an altitude of 3750 meters.

We leave our camp at Sio Thangthangka and ascend to an army camp. From the camp, we follow a river above the tree line with magnificent views of mountain peaks in the backdrop. We rest at a yak herder camp and enjoy lunch, then continue our journey with a walk into a valley until we reach our camping site in Jangothang at an altitude of 4050 meters. From this point, you can admire the magnificence of Mt. Jumolhari and Jichu peaks.

Today, we follow the streams on our way for half an hour until we cross a bridge, then start climbing with astonishing views of Jumolhari peak, Jichu Drake peaks and Tshering gang in sight. With these wonderful views, we walk towards a valley and climb up to Ngye la pass at an altitude of 4830 meters. Appreciating the wonderful mountain views from the pass, we descend to our camp at Lingshi and stay there for the night.

Today is the shortest walking day of our entire trip, so you can take it easy - slowly and steadily. We continue through our trail until we reach our camp at Chebisa.

Leaving Chebisa, we walk through pastureland, passing grazing yaks, yak herders and their camps, to a pass - Gobu La. From the pass, we descend, enjoying astonishing views of mountains and the valley below. We continue walking until we reach our campsite in Somuthang where we stop for the night.

Today we start early as the route can be quite strenuous. We cross Jerela pass at an altitude of 4600 meters. In the late afternoon, the weather can turn windy and stormy, so it's advised to cross the pass by noon. From the pass, we descend to Tsharijathang valley, where on the way we can see herds of Takins, the national animal of Bhutan. We continue walking until we reach our campsite in Robluthang.

Leaving our campsite, we head towards Lemithang, a beautiful place in the Laya district where you can observe people typically dressed in their traditional attire, including the long pointed bamboo hats distinctive of the local costume. While in Lemithang, you can enjoy exploring the valley and interacting with local people. Stay at your camps in Lemithang for the night.

We leave Lemithang and walk downhill along a river valley that narrows as we go deeper into it. Our trail leads us to the western side of Laya village. Upon arrival, we stay at the camps set up for us in the village.

We spend our day exploring the village of Laya, its natural aspects and the traditional lifestyle of the people. It's fun to explore the unique aspects of life here, where modernization feels just out of reach but the village is peaceful and lively. We stay at our camps in Laya for the night.

We leave Laya and continue on a trail that undulates up and down along the river valley. As we march towards Koena, we will be blessed with astounding views of freely flowing rivers, waterfalls, hills and valleys. We stop at our campsite once we reach Koena.

From Koena, we follow our trail towards Babela pass. We cross this pass at an altitude of 3740 meters and descend to our campsite in Gasa, very close to Gasa Dzong. We stop at our camps for the night.

Today, we will have a wonderful time in Gasa. After breakfast, we head towards Gasa Tashu where there are many hot springs - the most popular hot water springs in Bhutan. We can have lunch and relax in the hot springs there.

After a relaxing day in Gasa Tashu, we climb through hills, passes, forests, villages and farmlands to Gasa dzong, a beautiful dzong attached to a valley wall offering a fantastic view. After visiting the dzong, we walk towards our campsite in Geon Damji where we stay for the night.

Our trail continues to descend, dropping through forests, agricultural lands and vegetation areas to Tashithang. As we walk down, we pass the Mochu river and vegetation areas with animals like monkeys. As we reach Tashithang, we relax at our campsites there.

We initiate our journey with a short and final walk of our trekking journey. As we reach the motorable road, we get into our vehicle which drives us down to the Punakha valley. At Punakha, we visit the Punakha dzong. After the visit, we drive towards Thimpu, the capital city of Bhutan. Upon arrival, we stay at our hotel in Thimpu.

Today, we drive for around two hours to reach Paro. We stay at a hotel in Paro for the rest of the time.

Concluding the trip, you will be escorted to the airport in Paro for your journey ahead.