The pace is the point
The Journey · 6 Days · Paro
Paro and Punakha are Bhutan's two most visited valleys, home to some of the country's most photographed sights, among them the Tiger's Nest and Punakha Dzong. This itinerary follows the classic route but refuses to rush it, building in real time with the families who farm, cook and weave across both valleys. A night is spent in a farming village off the main tourist road, an evening is given over to cooking in a centuries-old private kitchen, and the final day closes with a homestay lunch built entirely around what's growing in the family's own fields. Guests leave with more than photographs; they leave having eaten, worked, and sat at the table with the people who call these valleys home.
Estimated Per Person Price
$2,500 USD onwards
Packages can be designed for single or double occupancy. Pricing is subject to change based on number of guests, room types, and availability.
Journey Length
5 nights / 6 days
Property Style
3-star hotels and two traditional homestays
Ideal For
First-time visitors, short breaks, couples and small groups
Day 01
Arrival into the Paro valley, where you're met and settled in. In the afternoon, a short visit to a hillside temple for a blessing ceremony and a butter lamp offering, a gentle first taste of Bhutan's living spiritual practice. Later, a hands-on tsa-tsa making session, learning to mould these small devotional clay offerings the traditional way. The evening is left free to walk around town before a farm-to-table dinner.
Day 02
An early hike to the Tiger's Nest, with a picnic lunch on the way back down. In the afternoon, a local brewery tour and time browsing artisan workshops in town. In the evening, a hot stone herbal soak followed by dinner at a private museum, where special access lets you cook Bhutanese food together over a centuries-old wood stove.
Day 03
Transfer toward Punakha, stopping at Dochula among its 108 chortens, with a picnic lunch at a botanical park along the way. Continue to a village homestay, where your host family welcomes you in. The afternoon includes a local archery session and a hands-on lesson making zaw, roasted grain flour, with a village elder. Meals are farm to table throughout, and guests who'd like to can visit the village school.
Day 04
Transfer into Punakha, stopping at Punakha Dzong, with lunch overlooking the fortress. In the afternoon, rafting on the river below, before crossing the suspension bridge to a working community farm, where you'll help plant a tree, join a hands-on momo-making session, and learn the basics of weaving from a master weaver. The day closes with a bonfire.
Day 05
Hike to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, with breakfast overlooking the chorten itself. Lunch is at a family-run homestay, cooking together and learning to make a traditional rice dish, before a walk through the family's own paddy fields to pick the ingredients for the meal and a short lesson in pressing oil.
Day 06
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your onward journey.
For every guest who travels with Dralwa Journeys, we plant one tree in partnership with The Happiness Farm, supporting reforestation and land restoration in Bhutan. We calculate the estimated carbon footprint of your journey and, should you wish to offset it further, offer the option to plant additional trees through the same partnership. In place of single-use bottled water, we provide a clean water supply throughout your journey for guests to refill their own bottles, reducing plastic waste.
Your journey supported farming families, homestays, and the local monastic community across the Paro and Punakha valleys. All Dralwa Journeys experiences of this kind contribute directly to RENEW, which supports women's economic empowerment and community resilience across Bhutan, and to SELWA, which supports persons with disabilities in Bhutan through skills training and inclusive community programmes.
