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8 Days Gangtey Festival Tour
Paro – Thimphu (2) – Punakha – Gangtey (3) – Paro (2)
This 7 nights 8 days tour brings you to a unique experience of the Gangtey Festival, which is a 3-day event held every year in October in Phobjikha valley. This Nguedup Langwa is unique for Gangtey Festival, which means receiving of spiritual wisdom and power. People from nearby regions and villages will gather around to celebrate the festival day. Local Bhutanese believe that attending this festival fetches them blessings by pleasing the deities. Like other festivals in Bhutan, there are traditional mask dances and folk dances performed by the locals during the event in traditional costumes.
Other than the festivals, the visit to local weaving center, other Dzongs, and tour of different cities also leads you to a deeper understanding of this land of happiness and its people.
- 5 - 7 Oct 2025
- Festival Experience, Cultural Sightseeing
- Customized Private Tour for One and More
Highlights
- Enjoy the world-famous hiking to Tiger’s Nest Monastery
- Visit Punakha Dzong, the most beaufitul monastery in Bhutan.
- Tour of Paro Rinpung Dzong and Kyichu Temple
Itinerary
Day 1: Paro Arrival and Transfer to Thimphu
Welcome to Bhutan, the land of the “Thunder Dragon”.
Upon your arrival at Paro International Airport, your local guide and driver will meet you at the airport arrival hall. They will introduce themselves and greet you warmly. Your local representatives will then drive you to Thimphu (2320 m), the current capital city of Bhutan. Estimated driving time is around 1.5 hours.
We will first visit the Buddha Dordenma statue when arrive at the entrance of Thimphu. This gigantic bronze statue gilded in gold has 125,000 smaller Buddhas hidden inside it. We will then hike from Kuensel Phodrang to Depsi, enjoying the peaceful view around the town.
In the evening, the local representatives will lead you to Tashichho Dzong, the seat of the head of Bhutan's civil government. You can enjoy paintings decorated in the Butanees style from Buddha's life, philosophy and teachings.
Stay overnight in Thimphu.
Tashichho Dzong
Accommondation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
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Thimphu Namseling Hotel
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Thimphu Druk Hotel
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Thimphu Six Senses Bhutan
Meals Included
- Lunch and Dinner
Please feel free to tell us any of your food requirement.
Day 2: Thimphu Day Tour
In the morning, after breakfast, your local representatives will take you to the Memorial Chhorten, which is a stupa with golden spires and bells, and is known as the most visible religious landmark in Bhutan.
Your next stop is the Motithang mini zoo. You will have the chance to meet the lovely national animal of Bhutan – Takin there.
After, you will visit the National Folk Heritage Museum where gives a glimpse of the traditional rural life, and the National Library where plenty old scrolls and ancient manuscripts can be found.
After lunch, you can visit the Jungshi Paper Factory. The factory shows the whole process of paper making step by step. Very interesting experience and educational.
We will also take you to the Gagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre in Thimphu to experience the local weaving industry. You will find it interesting to see how the local weavers work on traditional Bhutanese cloth. You can also buy some as souvenirs if you like.
Stay overnight in Thimphu.
Buddha Dordenma Statue
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
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Thimphu Namseling Hotel
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Thimphu Druk Hotel
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Thimphu Six Senses Bhutan
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Thimphu – Gangtey
We will head to Punakha in the morning after breakfast in Thimphu. During the trip we will pass through Dochula Pass (3150m), where you can see astonishing view of the Himalayan mountains.
You can hike to the temple of fertility (Chimi Lhakhang) on the way to Lobesa. This temple is built on a round hillock with a golden spire.
In Punakha, you will visit the most majestic dzongs in Bhutan – the Punakha Dzong. The construction has 6 stories with a tower at the center and is well maintained after all these years. You can enjoy interesting architecture, beautiful paintings during the tour. The Dzong is located on the confluence of two rivers, the Pho Chhu (Male) and Mo Chhu (Female), which converge in the valley.
Lunch will be served at Punakha. After lunch, we will drive to Phobjikha. After arriving at Phobjikha, you will visit the Gangtey Goenpa Lhakhang sitting on the hilltop overlooking the Phobjikha Valley. This is also home to the endangered Black neck Crane.
Stay overnight in Gangtey.
Dochu La Pass
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
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Gangtey Dewachen
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Gangtey RKPO Green Resort
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Amankora Gangtey
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Gangtey - Gangtey Festival
Today we stay at Gangtey Valley to enjoy the Gangtey Festival.
Gangtey Festival is held yearly and lasts three days. During the event, traditional chams and mask dances will be performed by the locals. This event is held in Gangtey Goenpa Monastery on the hillock.
Stay overnight at Gangtey.
Gangtey Festival
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
-
Gangtey Dewachen
-
Gangtey RKPO Green Resort
-
Amankora Gangtey
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Gangtey Festival
In the morning, after breakfast, you will take a natural trail hike in the valley. Then visit the black neck crane information Centre.
You can always enjoy the Gangtey Festival if you like during the day.
Stay overnight at Gangtey.
Black Neck Crane information Centre
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
-
Gangtey Dewachen
-
Gangtey RKPO Green Resort
-
Amankora Gangtey
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Gangtey – Paro
In the morning, after early breakfast, you will drive to Paro.
After arriving at Paro, you can take a stroll around the town and experience the local life.
Dinner will be served at Paro town. Evening at leisure.
Stay overnight in Paro.
Paro Rinpung Dzong
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
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Paro Olathang Hotel
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Paro Tashi Namgay Resort
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Paro Le Meridien Hotel
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Paro Day Tour
Today in Paro, you can hike to Taktshang Lhakhang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery), which stands at the cliffside of the upper Paro valley. During March and April, Tsechu will be held in the valley sometimes, you can enjoy the dance of the Black Hat monks if lucky. On our way down the hill, you can take a tour at the Jowo Temple of Kyichu built by the Tibetan Emperor in the 7th century, which is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan.
We will have dinner at Paro town.
Stay overnight in Paro.
Tiger’s Nest Monastery
Accommodation
The following local hotels are for your referrence. Please feel free to tell us your preferred hotel standard while enquring for your trip to Bhutan.
-
Paro Olathang Hotel
-
Paro Tashi Namgay Resort
-
Paro Le Meridien Hotel
Meals Included
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Tour Price
Add-on Activities
The general travel itineraries in Bhutan are usually leisure and relaxing. To make the most your time in Bhutan, you can choose to have more activities as you like, such as light hiking around the town or a featured culture experience.
Here we offer you the most popular travel ideas that most of our travelers choose to experience as an add-on activity during their trips in Bhutan. For more available activities or anything you want to add on to your trip in Bhutan, just feel free to contact us.
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Bhutan Hot Stone Bath
The popular Hot Stone Bath, a traditional healing process in Bhutan, is a great experience for you to relax and refresh yourself after one-day hiking or trekking. Different from hot spring, it is a kind of hot water bath offered in a traditional way with a wooden tub and herbs in the water. You can experience it in a local farmhouse or in a resort.
Please notice that you need to pay additional fees for the hot stone bath (usually within 30 minutes).
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Sightseeing Hiking
Even you don't take the trekking tour in Bhutan, you can also experience pleasant hiking on your travel days. Especially during your trips in western and central Bhutan, like in Gangtey, Bumthang, and Trongsa, there are some easy hiking and trekking trails around the town. You can take light hiking for 1 to 2 hours after general daily sightseeing. Just feel free to tell your guide if you are interested in an extra hiking experience.
Generally, you don't need to pay extra money for the hours' hiking.
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Cultural Exploration
Bhutan is a place that rich in culture and handicraft. If you want to experience more local culture and the real life of the locals, you can ask for more activities, such as a visit to a local weekend market, a class of traditional Bhutan archery or traditional weaving in Bhutan. Just feel free to let us know want you are looking for and want to experience during your Bhutan tour, we will help you find the best options to do.
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Farmhouse Homestay
All of our tour packages cover the accommodation from 3-star hotels to 5-star hotels and resorts. But if you want to get closer to the local Bhutanese' life, it is suggested to take one night stay in a farmhouse. It will be an unforgettable experience to eat ordinary food and dishes and live in the typical Bhutanese house just like a Bhutanese does.
Since the accommodation is required to be arranged in advance, if you are keen on a homestay in Bhutan, please tell us as early as possible.
Food and Drinks
All of our Bhutan tour packages include three meals a day. The local restaurants often provide Bhutanese food. In some hotels, you can also have western Buffet at breakfast and dinner. There are also local markets selling fresh fruits, such as apples, pineapples and so on. If you have any requirements on food, such as vegetarian, please feel free to tell your travel consultant or your local guide.
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Bhutanese Food
Most of your meals are in local restaurants, which offers typicla bhutanese food. The most popular food among local people is the Chili Cheese.
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Western Buffet
Besides the traditional Bhutan dishes, you can also have western buffet in some hotels in Bhutan. There are more choices for you.
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Western Breakfast
The breakfast offered in Bhutan hotels often include the egg, the toast with butter, honey and jams. You can choose to have a cup of tea or coffee.
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Water and Drinks
For every day trip, we offer one bottle of water for each tourists. There are also kinds of soft drinks you can buy in the restaurant, hotel or shops in the town in Bhutan. Also, you can taste the local beers if you want.
Bhutan Tour Planning FAQs
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