Samtegang Winter Trek with visiting Paro and Thimbu

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Trip Facts
  • Duration 10 Days
  • Destination Bhutan
  • Difficulty Level Strenuous
  • Code (Ref: YTR10BTN)
  • Trip Start and End Paro-Paro
  • Best Season October - Mai
Highlights

The Samtengang Trek is a moderate 4-day hike exploring some of the beautiful forests, many remote historical and religious sites and isolated villages in and above the Punakha & Wangdue Valley. This tour also visits some of the many highlights of the Paro and Thimphu Valleys.

This is a culture trek passing through the villages of Punakha & Wangdi region. As the name indicates, this trek is best done from late autumn and through the winter and offers opportunity to visit villages, farms, temples & nature.

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The Royal palace Bhutan

 Samtegang Winter Trek with visiting Paro and Thimbu

The Samtengang Trek is one of the easy low-altitude treks in Bhutan. The trek explores some of the beautiful forests, many remote historical and religious sites and isolated villages in and above the Punakha & Wangdi Valley. Weather permitting, it also offers stunning views of mountainous peaks including Jumolhari (7315m), Kang Bum Peak located above Gaza (6300m) and Tiger Mountain (Gangcheta 6840m) north of Laya. And it is recommended in winter as there is the possibility of leeches on the trail during other season of the year.

Itinerary

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Upon arrival in Paro, clear customs and immigration. Keep your copy of the visa clearance letter handy. P.P size pictures are no longer required and your visa has been paid. Meet your Guide and driver outside the terminal building and transfer to hotel. After lunch visit Rinpung Dzong, Kyichu temple complex and National Museum. Welcome dinner and overnight at hotel, Paro.

 

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Rinpung Dzong: meaning "fortress of the heap of jewels". Built in mid 17th century, it now serves as the administrative and judicial seat of Paro district and residence for the 200 monks of Paro. It is also the venue for Paro festival held in the spring. Several years ago, the colourful movie Little Buddha was filmed here.
Kyichu temple: Tibetan King Songtsen Gompo in the 7th century miraculously built 108 temples, along with Jorkhang in Lhasa. Kyichu is considered to be one of them and is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan.

 National Museum: Established in 1967, the museum is housed inside a circular Ta Dzong, an ancient Watch Tower. It holds fascinating collection of arts, relics, religious thangkha paintings, households stuffs, arms, handicrafts, stuffed animals and Bhutan’s famous Stamps among others. (open 10-4pm – closed on Monday).

Paro: Paro is one of the most beautiful valleys in the country with Bhutan’s only airport located here, among the terraced fields, and elegant farm houses. Willow trees line many of the roads, contrasting with bright colors of the fields and the most popular and important sites also found within Paro district. Paro town (2,280m) is still a small with one main street and less then one hundred small family-run shops. The weekend market in Paro is held on Saturdays

 

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Drive on the winding road beside the Pa Chu (Chu means, river or water) down stream to it confluence with the Wangchu ten up-valley to Thimphu, the capital. After lunch visit the Memorial Chorten, here the faithful circumambulating the shrine dedicated to the Late King with their prayer beads as they walk.

Thimphu (2,300m) was a wooded farming valley until 1961, when it became Bhutan's official national capital. The massive Tashicho Dzong, about 700 years old, was carefully revamped in the 1960s by the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to house the royal and main government offices. Even today, it still only has a few streets and no traffic lights with estimated population of 90,000 people.

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Drive from Thimphu  to Punakha: The drive from Thimphu (75kms) takes about 3 hours. The road climbs from Thimphu to Dochula pass (3,050m) and descends through ever changing forests into the semi-tropical valley of Punakha and Wangdi at around 1200m.
En-route stop at Dochula pass (3050m) where you can view the eastern Himalayas, including Bhutan's highest mountain, Gangkar Punsum (7,550m).

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Drive to Punakha Dzong; the trek begins with a gradual climb through Rhododendron and Oakforests; en route visit the village of Dompala can be organised on the group's choice. Distance trekked is about 5/6 hr. Overnight in camp.

 

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The trail today takes you through Rhododendron and Oak forests; en route visit the famous Drukpa Kuenley Lhakhang/temple, known as the Divine Mad Monk known for his amazing and surprising methods of teaching the Buddhist philosophy.
Distance 14 km taking about 5-6 hrs.

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The trek takes you through the village of Sha in Wangue District. The people of this area have their own dialect of Dzongkha, and were known in olden times for the famous bull fights in the fields that sometimes led to duels amongst the village men, where a village status was required to be defended against a neighbouring village.
Camp at Samtengang by the lake; it is nice trek of about 13 km and taking about 5 hrs.

 

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The trail now drops till the motor road and drive to Thimpu.

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