North East & Bhutan: The Eastern Himalayan Kingdoms

Route: Arrive Guwahati airport; transfer to hotel

Your driver meets you at the airport. Guwahati is the main gateway to the North East, on the south bank of the Brahmaputra.

If you land in time, visit Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill, rebuilt in 1565 by the Koch king Nara Narayan, or take a sunset cruise on the river. Rest well: tomorrow starts early.

Note on Kamakhya Temple

An active temple where animal sacrifice is part of worship. Dress modestly, remove shoes and follow photography rules. The visit is optional.

Experience of the Day

• Airport pickup

• Kamakhya Temple or a river cruise

• Trip briefing

Food

Recommended: Paradise, a long-running Guwahati restaurant, for an Assamese thali.

Must-Try: Masor tenga, a light, sour fish curry.

Activities to Do

• Rest after the flight

• Temple visit or river cruise

Route: Guwahati to Tezpur, Bhalukpong and Dirang, about 330 km, 9 to 10 hours

Cross the Brahmaputra at Tezpur and enter Arunachal Pradesh at Bhalukpong. The road climbs the Kameng valley to Dirang, a Monpa valley town at about 1,500 metres. This is a long day, with lunch on the way.

Note on the Arunachal permit

Foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit for Arunachal Pradesh, arranged through a registered local agency with a USD 30 royalty per person. Bum La pass is not open to foreign nationals.

Experience of the Day

• Crossing the Brahmaputra

• Entry into Arunachal

• Kameng valley

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road; dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Thukpa and Monpa-style momos.

Activities to Do

• Long transfer

Route: Dirang to Tawang over Sela Pass, about 140 km, 5 to 6 hours

The road climbs to Sela Pass at 4,170 metres, hung with prayer flags. Sela Lake, just below the pass, often freezes in winter. Stop briefly, then descend to Tawang at about 3,000 metres.

Note on altitude

Sela Pass is at 4,170 metres. Move slowly at the top, drink water, and tell your guide if you feel unwell.

Experience of the Day

• Sela Pass and lake

• Prayer flags at the pass

• First view of Tawang

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Zan, a millet dish of the Monpa people, if available.

Activities to Do

• Mountain drive

Route: Tawang Monastery, Urgelling Monastery, Ani Gompa, Tawang War Memorial

Tawang Monastery was founded in 1680–81 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso on the instruction of the 5th Dalai Lama. It belongs to the Gelug school and is the largest monastery in India. Join the morning prayers, then visit the museum and library.

Later, visit Urgelling, a small monastery where the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in 1683, and the Ani Gompa nunnery on its ridge above the town. End at the Tawang War Memorial, which remembers soldiers who died in 1962.

Note on sensitive places

Dress modestly in monasteries and follow photography rules. Do not photograph army installations.

The Human Story

The 6th Dalai Lama is remembered as much for his love poems as for his short life. Tawang people still point out a tree at Urgelling said to have grown from his walking stick.

Experience of the Day

• Morning prayers at Tawang Monastery

• Monastery museum and library

• Urgelling

• Ani Gompa

Food

Recommended: Lunch in Tawang town.

Must-Try: Butter tea and momos.

Shopping

Monpa handwoven carpets and wooden masks from the craft centre in Tawang.

Activities to Do

• Monastery visits

• Nunnery visit

• Memorial visit

Route: Tawang to Dirang, about 140 km, 5 to 6 hours

Return over Sela Pass to Dirang. In the afternoon, walk through Dirang Dzong, the old stone fort village with houses several storeys high.

Experience of the Day

• Second crossing of Sela Pass

• Dirang Dzong

• Valley evening

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Local apples and kiwi fruit in season.

Activities to Do

• Mountain drive

• Village walk

Route: Dirang to Bomdila, about 40 km, then on to Guwahati, about 330 km in all, 9 to 10 hours

Stop at Bomdila Monastery, Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling, built in 1965 as a replica of a monastery in Tibet, with views over the Kameng valley. Then descend to the Brahmaputra plain and Guwahati.

Note on the long drive

Mountain roads can be slowed by landslides or roadworks. The early start leaves slack in the day.

Experience of the Day

• Bomdila Monastery

• Descent from Arunachal

• Return to Guwahati

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road; dinner at your hotel.

Must-Try: Khar, an Assamese dish made with an alkaline extract from dried banana peel.

Activities to Do

• Monastery visit

• Long transfer

Route: Fly Guwahati to Paro, then drive to Thimphu, about 55 km, 1.5 hours

The Drukair flight to Paro is short, and the landing between steep, forested ridges is one of the most dramatic in the world. Your licensed Bhutanese guide and driver meet you at the airport.

Drive along the Paro and Wang rivers to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital and the only world capital without traffic lights. In the evening, walk to the National Memorial Chorten, built in 1974, where locals circle the stupa and spin prayer wheels.

Note on entering Bhutan

Foreign visitors need a Bhutan visa and pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night. Every visitor travels with a licensed Bhutanese guide. BizareXpedition arranges all three.

Experience of the Day

• Landing at Paro

• Drive to Thimphu

• Evening at the Memorial Chorten

Food

Recommended: Dinner at your hotel or a Thimphu restaurant.

Must-Try: Ema datshi, Bhutan's national dish of chillies cooked in cheese.

Activities to Do

• Flight and transfer

• Evening walk

Route: Buddha Dordenma, Tashichho Dzong, Changangkha Lhakhang, crafts and textile sites

Start at Buddha Dordenma, a giant bronze-and-gold Buddha on the hill above the city, with thousands of smaller Buddhas inside. Then visit Changangkha Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in the valley, where parents bring newborns to be named.

In the afternoon, see the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where students learn Bhutan's thirteen traditional arts, and the Royal Textile Academy. End at Tashichho Dzong, seat of the government and the central monk body.

The Human Story

Bhutan measures its progress by Gross National Happiness, an idea first voiced by the fourth king. In daily life it shows in rules many visitors notice: national dress at work, protected forests and limits on tourist numbers.

Experience of the Day

• Buddha Dordenma

• Changangkha Lhakhang

• Thirteen traditional arts

• Tashichho Dzong

Food

Recommended: Lunch at a Bhutanese restaurant in town.

Must-Try: Red rice, kewa datshi (potatoes and cheese) and momos.

Shopping

Handwoven textiles, thangka paintings and incense from Thimphu's craft bazaar.

Activities to Do

• Temple and dzong visits

• Arts school visit

• Textile museum

Route: Thimphu to Punakha over Dochula pass, about 75 km, 3 hours

Stop at Dochula pass, about 3,100 metres, where 108 chortens were built in 2004. On a clear day you see the high Himalaya along the northern border.

Descend to the warm Punakha valley. Punakha Dzong, built in 1637–38 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, stands where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet. It was Bhutan's capital until 1955 and is still the winter home of the central

monk body. Walk across the long suspension bridge nearby.

Note on dzong visits

Dress code applies in dzongs: long sleeves, long trousers or skirts, and no hats. Your guide will help.

Experience of the Day

• Dochula and its 108 chortens

• Punakha Dzong

• Punakha suspension bridge

Food

Recommended: Lunch with views of the valley.

Must-Try: Shakam paa, dried beef with chillies and radish.

Activities to Do

• Mountain drive

• Dzong visit

• Bridge walk

Route: Chimi Lhakhang, then Punakha to Paro, about 125 km, 4 to 5 hours

Walk through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, a small temple linked to Drukpa Kunley, the 'Divine Madman', a 15th-century saint known for his unusual teaching. Couples come here to pray for children.

Drive back over Dochula to Paro. In the late afternoon, visit Rinpung Dzong, which guards the Paro valley, and look up to Ta Dzong, the old watchtower that now holds the National Museum.

Experience of the Day

• Chimi Lhakhang walk

• Second crossing of Dochula

• Rinpung Dzong

Food

Recommended: Lunch on the road; dinner in Paro.

Must-Try: Jasha maru, a spicy chicken stew.

Activities to Do

• Village and temple walk

• Mountain drive

• Dzong visit

Route: Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) hike from the trailhead, about 10 km from Paro

Paro Taktsang clings to a cliff about 900 metres above the valley. It was built in 1692 around a cave where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated after flying here on the back of a tigress.

The trail climbs through pine forest to a café viewpoint halfway up, then to the monastery at about 3,120 metres. Go at your own pace. In the evening, rest or visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan's oldest temples.

Note on the hike

The trail is steep but well made. Wear good shoes and carry water. No photography inside the monastery; bags are left at the gate.

Experience of the Day

• Hike to Tiger's Nest

• Café viewpoint halfway

• Kyichu Lhakhang

Food

Recommended: Packed snacks for the hike; lunch at the halfway café.

Must-Try: Suja, Bhutanese butter tea, and a farewell Bhutanese dinner.

Activities to Do

• Hike

• Monastery visit

• Temple visit

Route: Hotel to Paro airport, about 20 minutes

Transfer to Paro airport for your onward flight.

Experience of the Day

• Last views of the Paro valley

• Airport drop

Food

Recommended: Breakfast at your hotel.

Must-Try: A last cup of suja.

Activities to Do

• Airport transfer