Six days at the winter capital for the masked dances inside Punakha Dzong
Punakha Tshechu falls in late winter when the valley is warm and the rest of the country is still cold, and the dances happen in the dzong courtyard where the Mo Chhu runs past the walls. We build the trip around two full festival mornings so you can watch the same dance twice and understand it better the second time, with the afternoon free for the riverside and the suspension bridge.
Festival first timers, photographers who want warm light, and winter travellers
Drive over Dochula Pass and stop among the one hundred and eight chortens before dropping into the subtropical Punakha valley. Check in, then walk the suspension bridge over the Mo Chhu while there is still light.
Arrive at the dzong when the courtyard is filling and stay through the morning dances, with your guide explaining each masked figure and the story it carries. After lunch the afternoon is yours for the riverbank.
Return to the courtyard for the dances you missed yesterday, then walk the flat twenty minute path across paddy fields to Chimi Lhakhang on its round hill. Dinner at a farmhouse in Lobesa.
Cross the river and climb the short farm track to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten for the view up the valley, then drive north towards the hot springs for a slow afternoon. Return for dinner beside the water.
Leave after breakfast and reach Paro by lunch, with the afternoon free for the national museum and town. If the weather holds we take the short walk below Drukgyel Dzong instead.
Breakfast and the short transfer to Paro airport.
Travel insurance strongly recommended: cover mountain medical care, altitude evacuation, and Paro weather flight delays. Read the travel insurance note
Send Enquiry
Share your preferred month and party size. We reply by email or WhatsApp with hotel options and the exact SDF and visa costs.
By sending this enquiry you agree to our
