Bhutan Photo Tour

Two Festivals in the Far East of Bhutan

In 2025 we return to two of the highlight festivals of more than 14 years of coming to Bhutan, The Jambay Lhakhang Tsechu, in Jakar, and the Prakar Lhakhang Tsechu in Chumey Valley, both in Central Bhutan. We have been to both these festivals on 2 previous occasions, and though all the festivals in Bhutan are spectacular these two are extra special, at least from a photographers perspective.

The central region of Bhutan is well off the radar of most tour companies, it is a fair way out from the more populous Thimphu and Paro regions, so there are far fewer tourists around and many more locals in their festival best colourful national dress against the stunning mountain backdrops.

Besides the festivals, the superb mountain scenery in this region of Bhutan will simply take your breath away, and not just because of the altitude.

Beautiful things along the way

On this tour we drive out from Paro in our small convoy of SUVs (just 2 guests to a car, plus a guide & driver), through the magical countryside of rural Bhutan. meandering along the mountain trails pausing at many beautiful sites of both natural and cultural wonder.

There will be lots of time for some slow intimate photography with loads of interaction with the  friendly locals.  The group is a maximum of 12 participants (6 cars), so there is always time to work on your photography and get plenty of tuition and guidance, as well as learning from each other.

Day 01:  Fly Bangkok to Paro – Haa Valley, Bhutan.

The tour begins in Bangkok, where you will board your flight to Paro. You make your own way to Bangkok, and you may consider a night at a hotel there before the flight to Bhutan. The flights from Bangkok to Paro return, are all included, and we book these for you as part of the tour package.

The flight from Bangkok to Paro leaves very early in the morning, so you will often be treated to a magical sunrise over the Himalayan mountains as you fly and, depending on which way the flight goes, you may be lucky enough to glimpse Mt Everest with the sunrise glinting off its flanks. The arrival into Bhutan is spectacular, as the plane descends through steeply wooded valleys before levelling out in the broad Paro Valley on the way into Paro airport.

The flight to paro is just 4.5 hours and you will be met at the Paro Airport by Adam & Paul plus our guides and drivers.  Time for a cup of tea and freshen up a little before heading off to the Haa Valley, where we will spend a relaxing day acclimatising and experiencing our first sights of the Bhutan Landscape.

Haa Valley

The Haa district of Bhutan is an open series of valleys situated between the town of Paro and the Capital of Thimphu, right next to the Chinese border. The whole region was closed to tourism until very recently and  there is only one small, beautiful hotel.  The Haa Valley itself  is a steep sided valley running North to South, with many spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and countryside filled with forests, farm land and rice paddies clinging to sides of the mountains. 

Day 02 :  Haa to the Thimphu Valley.

Today we walk down the hill through the lovely Haa valley towards the capital of Thimphu.  It’s an easy walk along open road with beautiful vistas at every turn.  The cars will follow along, so you can jump in anytime if you have walked enough. Lunch will be waiting for us below in Haa Town.

After lunch we continue along towards Thimphu.  You will see the landscape change as we descend into the Thimphu Valley and then down into Thimphu town itself, the Capital of Bhutan. 

Thimphu is not what you expect from a capital city, it is set in a rural valley with unspoilt natural scenery on all sides with traditional Bhutanese style buildings, but still with all the modern conveniences of a large town.  

A few years ago the local authorities installed a set of traffic lights at one of the main intersections in Thimphu, but there was such a large local outcry that it was swiftly removed and the small police box (complete with policeman inside) was reinstalled into the centre of the intersection. You will still find him there today directing traffic with an intricate ballet of hand signals.

Day 03:  Thimphu Town.

Thimphu is the bustling city of Bhutan, but it is really just a big town filled with an amazing mix of the old and the new side by side.  The ancient culture of Bhutan is alive and well in Thimphu, and we have many options of things to see and photograph here.

We will be looking for traditional archery at the Thimphu range and visiting a couple of stunning temples and stupas, along with the breathtaking Thimphu Dzong (Massive ancient fortress), the seat of Bhutan’s government and the centre of Buddhism is Bhutan.

We will end the day with a sunset shoot of the magical Thimphu Valley with the incredible Thimphu Dzong as foreground.

Day 04:  Thimphu to Punakha.

Onwards to Punhaka and the Chimi Lhakhang, the Temple of the Divine Madman.  This Temple was built to honour the Lama Drukpa Kunley, whose outrageous and often sexual methods of sharing Buddhism are a legend all over Bhutan and thus he is known as the Divine Madman. 

The valley of the Chimi Lhakhang is a wonderful mosaic of rice paddies and small houses.  With luck we will arrive in time to see a bit of the rice harvest.

In the afternoon we will explore the Punakha Valley a little more including the spectacular Punakha Dzong built at the confluence of the Mo-Chu and Po-Chu (Mother and Father Rivers). 

The Punakha Dzong was built in 1637 to command the valley at the confluence of the two rivers.  In the past it was the seat of Bhutan’s Government and is now the home Je Khempo the head of the Buddhist Monk body of Bhutan and more than 1000 Monks. 

The Punakha Dzong has many levels and corridors to explore as well as two stunning Temples.  There are many great viewpoints of spectacular architecture of stark white walls contrasted beautifully with the deep red robes of the Monks as they go about their daily rituals.  The Dzong in its lovely setting makes for a spectacular sunset and twilight shot as it lights up for the night.

Day 05:  Punakha to the Phobjikha Valley & Gangtey.

From Punakha, we continue East and then South to the glacial valley of  Phobjikha and the town of Gangtey with its beautiful 17th Century Monastery and Temple.  The Phobjikha Valley is unlike anywhere else we visit in Bhutan in that it was formed through glacial action making it wide and open with gentle slopes and woodlands on both sides.  

The town of Gangtey is situated on a high promontory at one end of the valley and has sweeping views right down the valley on all 4 sides.

The Phobjikha Valley is also a sanctuary for the endangered Black Necked Cranes that migrate here each year, and by the time we get there we should see the first of them coming into their winter home.

We end the day in Gangtey with scenic walk across the valley through the forest (easy walk).

Day 06-07:  Gangtey to Trongsa. 

Onward today to the steep and heavily wooded Trongsa Valley for the biggest and most spectacularly situated Dzong in Bhutan.  

Trongsa Dzong was built in 1648 and has many levels cascading down the mountain on whose side it is precariously perched.  It was once the primary seat of power over Central and Eastern Bhutan as the Dzong commands the only connecting trade route in both directions.  

Both the first and second Kings of Bhutan commanded the country from the ancient seat of Trongsa, and even today is customary for the Crown Prince to serve as the Trongsa Penlop (Governor) prior to ascending the Throne of Bhutan.

We will arrive here for afternoon tea and spend the rest of the day photographing and exploring.

For those willing to be up early there is a lovely morning shot from our hotel balcony over the trongsa valley with the Dzong perched on the opposite side, hopefully appearing out of the mist. 

After breakfast we spend the day exploring the rabbit warren like structure of the Trongsa Dzong, with loads of great shooting opportunities with Monks in striking Burgundy  robes.  

In the evening we have a leisurely walk back to our hotel along the rim of the Trongsa Valley for the sunset and twilight light.

Day 08-10: Trongsa to Jakar – Festival: Jambay Lhakhang Tsechu

Another chance for the Trongsa valley early morning shot, followed by a substantial hot breakfast, before heading further East to the Central Bhutan Region of Bumthang.

Here in the capital of Jakar we will find our first Festival for the trip.  The Jambay Lhakhang Tsechu (Lhakhang means temple, and Tsechu is a type of local religious festival) is considered one of the most important Temples in  Bhutan, as it was built by the Bhutanese Terton (Treasure Discoverer) and Saint, Pema Lingpa.  

It is a perfect location to witness a traditional Bhutanese festival, particularly as it is considered to be the origin of many of the Buddhist sacred dances that are used to celebrate the traditional Tsechus all over Bhutan.  Many of these dances were originally created by Pema Lingpa as a way of teaching the stories of Buddhism throughout the Himalayan Region, and they continue unchanged to this day.

We arrive in Jakar for the first day of the Tsechu  and we remain here for 3 nights, and two days of this festival.  The Tsechus are a huge occasion for the local Bhutanese, and people will come from the surrounding areas dressed in their finest traditional costumes for the celebration and blessings of the year to  come.  It is a veritable feast of photographic action and colours.

In between visiting the Tsechu we also have many other things to see and photograph in Jakar, as it’s the centre of Bhutan and the home to numerous ancient Temples, Monasteries and Nunneries.  Jakar also has the largest Dzong in Bhutan,  built in 1549 on a ridge overlooking the Chamkar valley, on the site of an even more ancient temple.  It is thought to be the biggest Dzong in Bhutan with a circumference of more than 1500 metres.  As well as exploring it extensively, our hotel is a fabulous early morning location for a shot of the Jakar Dzong appearing out of the mist across the valley.

Day 11-12: Chumey Valley, Bumthang – Prakhar Lhakhang – Festival 

Today we head out of Jakar to another stunning valley of Bumthang, the Chumey Valley for our second festival of this journey.  The Prakar Lhakhang Tsechu will be in its second day when we arrive and we will be here for day 2 and 3.  Day 3 is the final day and the most exciting.  Don’t worry, you won’t get bored, every day is different and every dance is different with more and more elaborate costuming.  

The dances at this festival will be similar to that of the Jambay Lhakhang Tsechu, but with subtle differences due to the location and history of this temple, plus day 3 is when the dances are at their most intense and exciting.  The setting is also completely different and will provide us with a new perspective.  

For those who are “festivalled out”  or just want to see something different the 4 valleys of Bumthang provide an enormous choice of photographic subjects, from Temples, Dzongs and Monasteries, to towns, farmland and forests.  The great thing about travelling in cars is that we don’t all have to go to the same place and shoot the same thing.

Day 13: Bumthang to Paro – Scenic Flight.

Today we leave our cars and drivers (though not our guides) back in Jakar as we board our scenic flight to Paro in the far West of Bhutan where it all began.  It’s a 45 minute flight over the foot hills of the Himalayas, viewing the areas we have just driven through from the air. 

It’s now you will get to see just how many curves those roads really have, and how precariously perched those small mountain temples are.  We also get to experience again that stunning approach and landing at Paro airport, really it’s worth it just for that.

We usually arrive in time for an afternoon of wandering through Paro town, which is the best place to buy those beautiful Bhutanese textiles and festival masks to take home, and also to explore the Paro Dzong.  It’s a good time to relax a little and prepare for the Tigers Nest walk the following day.

Day 14:  Paro – Tiger’s Nest  scenic “walk” (pilgrimage) – 800m ascent

We have saved one of the best until last… the hike to the Taktsang Monastery and the Tigers Nest.  It is quite a long hike up, especially if you are stopping every 5 minutes to make photographs, which you will be.  It is an amazing place built right on the edge of the cliff and every step of the walk up through the conifer forest is beautiful.

Our lunch will be a picnic in a great spot on the side of the mountain, there is even hot tea.  

The afternoon is free to have a hot shower at our Hotel, rest in your room or wander a bit more around Paro town.  For those who have been missing their coffee, Paro also has the best coffee since Thimphu, and a couple of atmospheric cafes to enjoy it in. 

This evening will be our last together, and the time to really say goodbye to our guides and hosts for this amazing adventure.  We end the evening with a farewell dinner and a  slideshow of memories.

Day 15: Depart Paro to Bangkok – 4.5 hr flight

Our last breakfast together, then pack and off to the Paro airport for final goodbyes for our flight to Bangkok.  Prepare to shed a tear or two here where you will say goodbye to our guides, our constant companions and friends from the last two weeks.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself back in Bhutan in the very near future!

** This Itinerary is the plan, Actual tour may vary slightly due to festival dates, weather, road conditions or other things beyond our control.  Either way, we will ensure you get the best photographic tour that we can provide and you will come away with fantastic images and memories that will last a lifetime.

Our priority is you

Adam and Paul are there for your images, every day, this is our priority. We bring you to the best locations and then give you tips on how to get the best results, while allowing room for your creativity.

Everyone has a different level of tuition they want and are comfortable with. Our aim is to tailor that to each participants needs.

We run evening workshops every day (time permitting), where we look at examples of guests images, demonstrate some post production techniques and some tips for improvements.

We cater for all levels and with a small group and our diverse photographic expertise, we will ensure you get exactly what you need.