This is one of the busiest trek routes in the country. Few of the other treks such as Laya- Gasa and Snowmen follows the same trail that of Jhomolhari for first few days. The routes are best to trek on May and October. The routes remain close due to snow from mid November to early April and gets muddy during monsoon season (June – early September). Trekking days will be warmer but nights can be bitterly cold as you climb towards Jangothang and Lingzhi.
Duration: 10 days and 9 nights (8D 7N trek)
Maximum elevation: 4930 m
Season: April – June; Sep – November
Start: Sharna Zampa (Paro)
Finish point: Dodina (Thimphu)
Access town: Paro, Thimphu
Welcome to Bhutan. Your guide and driver will pick you up from Paro international airport and drive to your hotel for the lunch.
Towards afternoon, enjoy your day visiting few of the iconic destinations within Paro valley such as Kichu monastery, Ta dzong (Museum) and Rinpung Dzong (fortress).
22 km/ 8 hours/ 770 m ascent/ 10 m descent
Today is a long day. We start our day by driving from hotel till Sharna Zampa for about an hour. From the trailhead, we begin our journey upward through the rhododendrons and conifers alongside the Pa Chhu River. After around 15 minutes into the journey, we enter Jigme Dorji National Park.
Further 2 hours trek from here, through rhododendrons, oaks and fern we reach Shing Karap, a stone house. Little further up is a juncture; to the left which leads to Phari Dzong in Tibet. This route was once used by Tibetan for both trade and invasion and as of today it is used by Royal Bhutan army to ferry their rations to the border. Avoid following this route and keep right. Few meters away from the juncture is a wooden bridge over a small stream.
Across the stream, over a small ridge, we descend down to cross Pa Chhu once again. From here it’s occasionally ascend and descend through a forest of birch, fir, larch, Maples and blue pine. Following this route for about 3 hours, we reach once again to a bridge. After crossing river to the right side, follow this trail and continue upward for 20 minutes, through a beautiful meadow with Mt. Jhomolhari at sight is Thangthangka (3610 m), our campsite for the night.
19 km/ 6 hours/ 480 m ascent
Today there will be a significant gain in terms of elevation. In the morning we wake up with a beautiful view of Mt. Jhomolhari. After hiking up for just under an hour from the campsite, we reach an army camp (3739 m). Little further from army camp is a bridge. Across the bridge as we follow the hillside for a while, the trail then takes sharp right turn around the small mani wall. A short distance from here is a small stupa and then into the meadows.
The trail then continues through the hill side covered with larches beneath Soe village. An hour hike from here is Takethang village (3940 m), cluster of houses built with stones on a plateau. We continue through the plateau crossing small stream, opposite the Dangochang village
From the plateau end, it’s an uphill walk for a while till we reach our campsite at Jangothang. From here you can enjoy a spectacular view of Mt. Jhomolhari.
Your pack animals which started their journey from Sharna zampa will return back from here. From here horses or yaks from nearby villages will follow you till the end of your trekking journey.
We will spend one extra day here at Jangothang which is also referred to as Jhomolhari base camp, the highlight of our trek. From number of options to explore around, we will take a 4 hour roundtrip excursion up the northern side to have a view of Mt. Jhomolhari and Mt. Jichu Drakye. It’s an open walk across the slope till we reach the hilltop at 4750 m. If luck favors we might spot some Himalayan blue ships grazing on the slopes.
Back at campsite you can enjoy playing a traditional game called Degor with your crew members. This is a very simple game. You just need to pick up a pair of flat spherical stone and hurled it over and back to a pegs fixed in the ground at an approximate distance of 15 – 20 m. Stone with nearer the peg gets the point. Usually a strong guy with strong arm powers stay at the end with heavy pair of stone to push the stones of opponent which are near or over the pegs or to crush it into pieces.
18 km/ 7 hours/ 840 m ascent/ 870 m descent
Done with acclimatization and resting, we move further up towards our next stop. We begin our day by crossing three stone houses which are used by park rangers. We continue across a log bridge alongside the left bank of Pa Chhu River. Heading eastward from here, we will have a clear view of Mt. Jichu Drake and Jhomolhari. The trail then continues below the big rocks into the glacial valley. Pass the valley, climb to a small submit, dips and then a final push, we reach Nyile La pass (4870 m) after about 4 hours trek from Jangothang.
From here, the trail then descends down to the valley floor near to a stream. We continue our journey to the north following the near flat track for while until we see army camp near Jaje chhu River and a view of Lingzhi Dzong in the distance. The trail then descends down through the Birches, rhododendrons and pasture land towards our campsite below Lingzhi dzong located on the opposite side of Jaje Chuu River.
22 km/ 9 hours/ 940 m ascent/ 920 m descent
We begin our day trekking alongside Mo Chhu valley crossing numerous small streams for around three hours before we cross Mo Chhu River. From here on, it’s an uphill trek till we reach Yeli La pass (4900 m). From the pass we can have a spectacular view of Mt. Jhomolhari, Tserimgang and Gangchen Ta. Descending down, we reach a small lake and following the outflow from the lake we continue to Lake Khedo. The trail then crosses Jaradingthang River which later becomes Wang Chhu River and follows the river south crossing numerous small side streams. We continue further down crossing the river back to the east bank and to a Chorten from where the trail turns eastward and enters upper Wangchhu valley and finally to our stopover after a long and tiring day at Zhudo just above tree line.
19 km/ 7 hours/ 250 m ascent/ 700 m descent
From the campsite we cross river to the left and continue our journey across the steep cliffs and down again to the river. For the course of next three and half hours we will cross same river for 6 more times. The trail then leads us upward for about an hour to Barshong (3700 m). Some trekkers decide to camp here but we will continue further down through the forest of rhododendron, conifers and birches till we reach the bank of Wangchhu River once again. Further 45 minutes trek from here is our campsite at Domshisa.
13 km/ 5 hours/ 290 m ascent/ 650 m descent
Today is fairly an easy day. Staying on the left side of the river, we continue for a while ascending and descending over few ridges before climbing up to a cliff face (3340 m). From here we descend gently through the forest of rhododendrons to beautiful meadow at Dolam Kencho, our tonight’s campsite.
8 km/ 4 hours/ 500 m ascent/ 950 m descent
We begin our day by ascending till a cairn (3400 m) before descending down to stream. From the stream we again trek up till a small pass. Continue through the forest bamboos till we reach a dirt road. Follow the road alongside Wang Chhu River for a while till we meet our tour vehicle.
From here, we will drive to Thimphu city for the lunch. After lunch, spend some time exploring Thimphu valley before heading back to Paro for the night.
After breakfast we will see you off at Paro international airport for your onward destination. Hope you have enjoyed your wonderful trekking journey in Bhutan. We look forward to see you in the future.
With the likes of trail that takes you right at the foot of worlds’ tallest unconquered mountain (Gangkar Puensum 7550m), trekking in Bhutan will give you a new experience never like before. With more than 70 percent of the country covered by undisturbed wilderness, trekking in Bhutan will take you ever closer to the nature. These trekking trails once used by famous Buddhist saints like Guru Rinpoche (who introduced Buddhism in Bhutan) in 746 AD while visiting Bhutan from Nepal and Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (the unifier of modern Bhutan) in 1616 while fleeing Tibet for a political dispute, this routes are the genuine routes where Bhutanese people still use it today. What makes trekking in Bhutan unique is its calmness and natural feeling; credit to less numbers of trekkers visiting Bhutan and its natural unpaved trails unlike other countries around the world. With more than 20 trekking trials to choose from, Bhutan offers trekking services to both beginners and pros.
No specific trekking permits are required to trek in Bhutan. You can trek in Bhutan with normal tourist visa for international tourist and normal entry permit for regional tourist (Indian, Bangladeshis and Maldivians).
The best season to trek in Bhutan depends on which trekking trail you choose to but in general, March, April, May, September, October and November are the best months to trek in Bhutan. In the month of June, July and August Bhutan receives heavy rainfall and in December, January and February, the high mountain passes along the trekking trails are covered with snow, making it difficult for trekkers.
The details regarding the best season to trek on different trails in Bhutan are mentioned below:Trekking in Bhutan can be of 2 days or a month long. Depending on the number of days taken to trek, gain in altitude and nature of terrains, trekking routes in Bhutan can be graded into four categories; easy, moderate, difficult and very difficult.
At 10,760 feet above sea level, Bhutan is ranked highest country in the world, in terms of average land elevations. As a result most of its trekking trails are located on higher altitude, averaging over 12,000 feet above sea level, requiring certain level of physical fitness and trekking experience.
However with varieties of trails to choose from, both beginners and pro can enjoy trekking in Bhutan. Be it 2 days or grueling 25 days trekking, Bhutan has it all for you to choose from.
For those who are attempting to go for Snowmen trek (25 days trek), it will be asset if you have certain level of trekking experience and physically fit enough, since snowmen trek is referred to as amongst the world’s most toughest trekking route involving climbs over 5000 m.
Do not ignore any kind of symptoms related to altitude sickness; difficulty in breathing, headache, giddiness and numbness in limbs. If you experience any of the mentioned symptoms, inform your guide immediately.
Though portable oxygen supplies and first aid kits are always carried along with by the crew members but if possible carry some diamox (acetazolamide) pills, which can be bought from pharmacies across Bhutan.
The best tactics, if you suffer from altitude sickness is to stop ascending and if the symptoms do not go away or get worse, then descend down. It is advisable that you drink large amount of water every day while you are trekking.
Meals while trekking in Bhutan are prepared every day by cooking crews and no left over foods are served. Lunch are prepared in the morning along with breakfast and carried as a packed lunch. Dinners are prepared at campsite at the end of every trekking day. Hence chances of getting food contaminated while trekking in Bhutan are very slim.
Bottled water is carried by trekking crew members but however it is not sufficient for longer duration treks and hence the crew member boils water in the morning for you to carry for the day.
It is advisable that you bring your own water bottle and if possible carry some water purifier solutions as well. Refrain yourself from drinking directly from the streams nearby.
No trekking trails in Bhutan will meet you with any kind of criminal activities. In fact if you are in need, everyone you encounter will be very much happy to help you whatever way they can.
Consult with your guide in regards to dos and don’ts and stick together with your group (if trekking on group). Carry essential items such as head torch, portable cell phone chargers and your mobile phone along with you.
With no hotels or home stays along the trekking trails, all the trekkers must spend their nights in the tent (camping). Camping crew member arranges your tents. They travel ahead of you and put everything on place before you reach your campsite.
All the meals are prepared by trekking cooks who will trek alongside you throughout the entire tour. Lunch are prepared in the morning and carried by trekking staffs. Breakfast and dinners are prepared and served at the campsite.
Since there are no grocery stores or shops along the trekking trails, all the food items are bought and carried along by the crew members, their horses and yaks. As and when available, our crew members will try to buy fresh vegetables from local communities and include in your menu.
Since trekking in Bhutan is a guided tour by the law of country, lone trekkers should not worry because he or she will be followed by trekking guide and crew members for the entire trekking tour.
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| Tea and snacks throughout entire tour | |||||||||||||||||
| Bottled water during the day | |||||||||||||||||
Trekking Equipments as follows:
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| Flight tickets (both international & domestic) | |
| Beverages & personal shopping | |
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| Tips and gratuity for guide and driver |
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