Post breakfast, we will continue our journey from south towards Trashigang. Along the way we might be able to catch a glimpse of rare birds such as the Voilet Cuckoo, Blyth's Kingfisher and the Dark Rumped Swift.  

 Overnight in a hotel in Trashigang 

Post breakfast you will be driven towards Mongar and there we will take a short diversion along a feeder road at Kori La Pass to go birding in the areas surrounding the pass.  After arriving at Mongar you have the rest of the day at leisure to explore the town and visit the nearby Dzhong. 

 Overnight in a hotel in Mongar. 

Post breakfast you will en route to Mongar where we will go birding in the sub tropical forests of Lingmithang, where we have a chance to encounter the Blue Throated Bee-eater, Maroon Oriole, Racket Tailed Drongo, Red headed Trogon, Grey Treepie, Grey Nightjar, Hill Prinia, the Asian emerald Cuckoo amongst a host of exotic birds that are native to the area.  We will reach the town early in the evening and you will have the rest of the day at leisure to walk around town.  

 Overnight in a hotel in Yonkola                                                                                      

In the morning we will go to Namling, Namling is considered as the best bird watching loaction in all of Bhutan and many avid bird watchers spend weeks in the area.  The forests along Namling are virtually unexplored. here you can hope to spot ; Ward's Rrogon, Satyr Tragopan, Grey chinned Minivet Chestnut Breasted Partridge amongst a host of other birds.                                                                                        

 Overnight stay at a Camp in the forest.  

Post breakfast you will be driven from eastern Bhutan via the Thrumshingla pass along the diverse and unique landscape of the Thrushmingla National Park. As we drive along we will have the chance to spot; the Beautiful Rosefinch, Gold-Naped Finch, Little fork-tail, Whitecapped Redstart, the Coal Tit, Green- Tailed Sunbird etc. You will have a very high chance of spotting the Red Panda in the dense bamboo forest between Ura and Thrumshing La pass. 

We will take the opportunity to visit a few shops in the village, where you may be able to see how they dye the wool using natural dyes. We will also take a hike through the bamboo and coniferous forests of the Valley in the search of the Great Parrotbill, Black billed Magpie, Red Billed Chough, Eurasian Hobby and the White - winged Grosbeak. You may also get to spot the Red Panda, an animal that is frequently sighted along the road.  

 Overnight in a hotel in Bumthang 

Today we will undertake a 2 hour drive to Trongsa via the Yotong La pass which is at an altitude of almost 3500 meters. En route we stop and the village of Zugney in the Chumey valley, the village is famous for its Yathra fabric. The Yahtra is a color full wool weave, whose pattern is native to central Bhutan.  

Back to the town of Trongsa where we will take some time out and visit the Trongsa Dzhong, the largest of its kind in Bhutan. Today the Dzhong is home to the district administration and district monastic council. We will also visit the TA Dzhong watch tower which houses a museum dedicated to the Kings of Bhutan. 

 Overnight in a hotel in Trongsa  

After our today long excursion into the Trongsa Valley we shall retrace our route towards Tingtibi. Today we will drive down to Yeshi Zam in the south with to hope of catching a glimpse of the Yellow-Rumped Honey guide amongst others; en route towards zhemgang you might also catch a glimpse at the beautiful Nuthatch Bird.  

 Overnight camping near Tingtibi  

We will drive along the Gonphu road to go birding in some of Bhutan's rarely visited broad leaf forests. We hope to fid some interesting animals like the Golden Langur, Yellow throated martin, Giant Squirrel etc, we also hope to spot the Rufous-Necked Hornbill, Blue Throated bee- eater, Collared Falconet etc. 

 Overnight camping near Tingtibi 

Post breakfast you will be going towards Pele la and it is a great day for birding prospects. Scour the slopes of the campsite for the Himalayan Bear, Black Leopard, White-collared Blackbird, the Himalayan Monal, Blackfaced Laughing Thrush and White-tailed Nuthatch. Chances of seeing tragopans are high as it is the bird‟s breeding season. In the pine forests around the pass look for Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Dark Rosefinch, Himalayan Greenfinch and Rufus-vented, Grey-crested, Green-backed Tits, Common Buzzard, Mountain HawkEagle, Steppe Eagle and Himalayan Griffon. 

 Night halt at a camp in Pele-la

After your early breakfast you will be going for excursion where you will get to spot the Whitebellied Heron along the river and up through a forest of cool broadleaf and evergreen trees to Pele-la, the pass that divides eastern and western Bhutan. The diverse habitats along the way should present numerous prospects of seeing a great range of species such as Cutia, Great Barbet, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Long-tailed Minivet, Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Whitethroated Laughing thrush, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Yellow-bellied Bush-Warbler, Ashy-throated Leaf Warbler, and Verditer. Ward‟s Trogon is usually sighted along this road. 

 Overnight in a hotel in Punakha.

Satyr Tragopan  

Today we will go birding the the warm forests along the banks of the Mo Chu river, where we will be looking to find; White Bellied Herons, Great Barbet, Barred Cuckoo Dove, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Osprey, River Lapwing Ruddy Shelduck, the European Wigeon, Kingfisher, Bulbuls etc.  

 Overnight in a hotel in Punakha.

Post early breakfast, we will continue birding in the upper regions of the Punakha and Wangdue valley. Later you will drive towards Thimphu via Dochu La pass, from where one can see a panoramic view of the eastern Himalayas. We will take a short hike into the mixed coniferous forests in the area and may get to spot the Satyr Tragopon, Spotted Nutcracker, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Yellow Billed Magpie, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Collared Blackbird, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Brown Bullfinch etc.  

 Overnight in a hotel in Thimphu 

 After breakfast, you will be driven towards we will drive to the Chele La Pass which is located at an altitude of 3950 meter above sea level. After a 90 minute drive to the pass we will go bird watching in to the coniferous forests of the area, popular birds are included like Kalij pheasant, blood Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan etc.  

Later we will drive down towards Paro and overnight in a hotel in Paro 

After early morning breakfast, we will take you for a morning hike up to Taktsang Monastery, also known as „Tiger‟s Nest‟. Hanging precariously and magically from a rather steep cliff, the Taktshang monastery is a monument of genuine pride for the Bhutanese nation. It defies architectural principles to the core and amazes tourists from around the world. It is a sight to behold. Taktshang or the Tigers lair as the monastery is called, it is widely regarded is one of the most important monuments of spiritual significance in Bhutan. Its history is deeply associated with the visit of Guru Padmasambhava, the revered Indian saint who came to Bhutan in the 8th century AD. The cave was named Taktshang after Guru Rinpoche flew into the cave from KurtoeSingyeDzong in eastern Bhutan while riding on a tigress. When he landed in the cave, he took the wrathful form of Guru Dorji Drolo who is regarded as one of the eight manifestations of Guru Rinpoche to decimate the demons. Several saints have chosen this sanctuary to pray and meditate in solitude. The monastery was built in 1692 by Gyalse Tenzin Rabgaye who is said to be one of the reincarnations of Guru Rinpoche. The Monastery consists of four main temples  

Dochu La pass along with their residences that are constructed along the rock ledge. There 8 caves in total out of which 4 are relatively easy to access. The monastery was ravaged by fire twice in the 1900s first in 1951 and later the fire of 1998, which nearly destroyed the monastery completely.  The government then undertook a comprehensive reconstruction in 200 with funding from foreign donors. The monastery was recreated to its original splendor and re-opened to the public shortly thereafter.              

From the road, the hike toward Taktshang follows an uphill route and takes approximately 3-4 hours at an average walking pace on a clear, sunny day. We recommend that you carry sunscreen lotion, large quantities of drinking water, a walking stick just in case you need to shoo of the birds and a hat to further protect yourself from the sun. 

Overnight in a hotel in Paro.

Post breakfast we will go birding along the banks of the Paro Chu River and continue onwards to the Drukgyel Dzhong. En-route you will encounter the Ibis Bill, Black Faced Laughing Thrush, Brown Dipper, Spotted Laughing Thrush, the Fire-capped Tit etc. 

Drukgyel Dzhong Drukgyel Dzhong is located 14 kilometers north of Paro. The Dzhong was built 1647 by the legendary Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who constructed the Dzhong just north of Taktshang, to commemorate his victory over the Tibetans on 1644 and the unification of Bhutan. The name of the Dzhong translates to the “Fortress of the Victorious Drukpa”. The Dzhong was destroyed by fire in 1951 and has been abandoned ever since. 

 Overnight in a hotel in Paro. 

Bhutan was constantly harassed by repeated Tibetan invasions since 1616 shortly after the arrival of the Shabdrung. Tibetan invasions continued till 1642 until the collapse of the Tsang rulers of Tibet. Bhutan was again attacked by the forces of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1644 and then again in 1649. During the 1659 invasion the forces advanced as far as Thimpu, Punakha and Paro but were eventually beaten back. They was another attack in 1657 but that didn‟t achieve much success. The Drukgyel Dzhong is a must stop for all travellers looking to learn about the origins and history of the mystical country.