Chomolhari Trek

Fly over the beautiful Himalaya ranges to the international airport in Paro. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by our Bhutanese crew members. They will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to a hotel in Paro. Tonight, we stay at a hotel in Paro.

Early in the morning, we hike to a popular monastery in Paro, i.e., Tiger’s Nest monastery. It is an alluring attraction of Paro city, placed on the edge of the cliff. It is popular for its dramatic location and a Buddhist myth. As per the mythology, the monastery lies in the same place where Guru Rinpoche had fled on the back of a tigress to meditate in a cave. Today, we walk up to the monastery and explore the monastery and its peripheral areas. Tonight, back to the hotel in Paro.

Today, we begin our trekking journey. Early in the morning, after breakfast, we take a short drive to the northwest of Paro. We stop at Drugyel Dzong, which lies at an elevation of 2800 meters. You can observe only the ruins of the dzong. It used to serve as a fortress back in the 17th century. On a clear day, you can even get stunning views of Chomolhari from here. As we start our trek, we follow a trail that goes along the Paro river valley. We pass farmlands, villages, chortens, and traverse into the dense forests of pine and rhododendron to Shana. Tonight, we stay at Shana.

Leaving Shana, we follow the trail that climbs up gradually along the side of Paro chu. As we move ahead via the rocky and muddy trail, we enter the Jigme Dorji National Park. It is a protected area with various species of flora and fauna preserved in it. We continue ascending along with the dense forests of oak, rhododendron, and pine within the national park. We cross several small streams and bridges over them to reach Sio Thangthangkhas. Upon arrival, we set up our camps at Sio Thangthangkha for an overnight stay.

Today is an exciting day in our journey as we will be rewarded with some wonderful mountain vistas amidst the serenity of Mother Nature. The clean air, pristine environment, and dissolving beauty of Mother Nature are a classic combination that makes the journey worth it. After breakfast, we start ascending up gradually. We pass many camps of yak herders on the way, with the views of Jichu Drake following us. No sooner will we be rewarded with the views of Mt. Jumolhari. We continue walking until we arrive at the camping site at Jangothang. Tonight at the tented camps in Jangothang

We spend our day at the Jumolhari base camp in Jangothang. It’s a pleasing experience to wake up in the shadows of the Himalayas. We have many hiking options for the day. We can either hike up to the end of the valley or hike to the ridge that offers some magnificent views of Jichu Drake. We also have an option to hike to Tsophu, which consists of a pair of lakes with giant trout. After enjoying the hike, we returned back to our camps for the night.

From the base camp, we follow a trail that goes along a stream to cross a bridge. We cross the bridge and get on the right side of the stream. Leaving the bank, we climb up to the ridge that offers some stunning views of Mt. Jumolhari, Jichu Drake, and Tshering Gang. We then walk towards a valley, which is almost flat for a while. Then we climb up to Ngye La pass at 4830 meters. We cross the pass and descend gradually to Lingshi camp. Here we can visit Lingshi dzong in the backdrop of the beautiful Himalayas. Tonight, at the tented camps in Lingshi

Leaving Shodu, we come across two paths that separate the Laya Gasa Trek route from the Jumolhari Trek route. Moving ahead, we climb up a white Chorten on a ridge just above the Jumolhari Base Camp. We then turn south and walk deep into the Mo Chhu valley. The trail traverses through the treeless valley as we walk into Mo Chhu. We cross a river and start climbing up steadily to cross Yeli La pass at 4820 meters. From the pass, we can feast our eyes on spectacular views of the mountains. Further, we descend downhill to a camp at Shodu. Tonight, at the tented camps in Shodu.

As we move ahead from Shodu, we come across the tree line once again. The lush trees and bushes become visible again. We follow a trail along the Thimphu River and descend through the alpine forests of rhododendron, oak, and juniper to a riverside. On the way, we can get some awesome views of rocky cliffs and cascading waterfalls. From the riverbank, we ascend gradually to reach the ruins of Barshong dzong. We observed the ruins and set our camps at an altitude of 3600 meters. Tonight, at the tented camps in Barshong.

Early in the morning, we enjoy our breakfast within the pristine environment of Bhutanese territory. Moving ahead with the trekking journey, we descend down steeply from Bashing along with the dense forests of rhododendron, oak, birch, and conifers to Dolam Kencho. There are some interesting pasturelands in here. We set up our camps in the pastures of Dolam Kencho. Tonight, at the tented camps in Dolam Kencho.

Leaving Dolam Kencho, we follow a trail that goes steeply in and out of the river to Dodona. At Dodona, we connect ourselves with the motorable road. Here, we will find a vehicle waiting for us. We hop into the ride and drive back to Thimphu. Check into the hotel in Thimphu. In the late afternoon, we can explore the streets of Thimphu. Tonight, at a hotel in Thimphu.

Leaving Paro, you will be driven all the way to Paro airport to catch a scheduled flight back to your hometown.