Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek 9 days

As your flight lands in Paro, our experienced guide will greet you outside the customs of the airport. Then, we will transfer you to the capital city, Thimphu, which is about 1.5-hour drive. On the way, we will pass by the Tamchog Lhakang Iron Bridge. Upon arrival in Thimphu, we visit its landmark building, National Memorial Chorten, which also serves as a Buddhist tower for locals to worship. Then, we pay a visit to the Buddha Dordenma Statue, one of the largest Buddha figures all over the world. Next is the Motithang Takin Preserve with Bhutan national treasure animal - Takin, which has the body of a cow and the head of a sheep. Then, we move our steps to the Zikukha Nunnery. The last stop of today’s Bhutan holiday packages ends at Tashichho Dzong, which is a prestigious Buddhist Monastery. Moreover, it is a political center where the king and other politicians deal with national affairs.

Today's best Bhutan tours in Thimphu will start with the Tango Monastery, a Buddhist monastery built in the 13th century. Later, we visit the Thirteen Traditional Arts and Crafts School, whose courses cover painting, carpentry, stone carving, sculpture, paper-making, embroidery and so on. Then, we proceed to Folk Heritage Museum, where you can learn more about daily life of Bhutanese people. After that, we will make a short stop at the National Library to appreciate its splendid appearance. The National Museum has a large collection of classical documents on religion, culture, legendary and history. Later, we will conclude today's trip at a traditional paper making factory.

Today is the first day of your trek which will start early in the morning after taking a drive from your hotel to Genekha Village which takes about 45 minutes. Genekha village is perhaps best known for producing matsutake and chantarelle mushrooms.

You begin your trek with a short descends to the river. The trail runs through terraced fields and coniferous trees and other alpine flora. From there on, you will start with a climb after crossing the river. You will keep up the walk until you reach a rock platform. You will instantly spot a spectacular view of the valley. Two hours from there you will reach Gur (3290m). Gur is a wide area of yak pastures. After a short walk you reach your campsite amidst an abundance of wildflowers.

While trekking across the ridges, enjoy the beauty of the rugged mountain flowers and vast meadows. Weaving through tiny streams, you will climb gently through scattered birches and rhododendrons to arrive at Pagalabtsa Pass. From here, you can take in spectacular views of Kanchenjunga (Sikkim) along with a number of other Bhutanese Himalayan peaks. As you descend through the pass you will be able to view the entire Dagala Range and nearby yak herders camp where a delicious lunch awaits. Afterwards, descend into the Labatama Valley until you reach Utsho Lake where golden trout are abundant. Your campsite tonight is right next to the lake.

The main essence of the Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek is the lakes found in Labatama. Dagala Thousand Lakes trek itinerary segregates this day to explore the nearby lakes and acclimatize against the change in altitude. On this day, you will visit a series of nearby lakes like Relitsho, Setsho, Hentsho, and Jagetsho Lakes and can engage in some trout fishing as well. These lakes are known best to have a high population of Trout fishes. Enjoy the serenity of the lakes that sit nestled between high green hills.

You will have your lunch by the lakeside while enjoying the views as well as the amazing myths about the lakes that your trekking guide will share. The chill of the wind will freshen you up, and all the tiredness from the trek will blow away as your eyes feast upon the wonderous lakes. You will return to your campsite just before dusk and prepare for the next day's trek.

On this day you will be offered the next major highlight of the trek – the high-standing surrounding mountains. Today the trek begins after breakfast with a climb along the western side of Dala Tsho lake which sits at an altitude of 4520m. From this altitude, the views seen will mesmerize you and leave you wishing for more travel time in Bhutan. A handful number of peaks can be seen in this area. Mt. Everest situated in Nepal is also seen, perhaps the best panoramic view. Parts of Mt. Kanchenjunga, situated partly in Sikkim and partly in Nepal, comes into view. Other mountains in Bhutan like Mt. Jumolhari, Mt. Jichu Drake, Mt. Tshering Gang, Mt. Tsende Gang, Mt. Gangche Ta, Mt. Khangbum, and Mt. Masang Gang are visible.

You can climb up to an altitude of 4,720m for a better view of these mountains. From there you will take a descent and eventually pass through some Yak herder huts towards the Doccha Chhu river. During the winter season, the locals will have left their huts to avoid the harsh cold weather. You will stay high up on the slope while following the river until you reach Panka (4000m/13,123ft). Mind to it that there are a few ascends and descends on the way. Upon reaching your campsite you will rest and stay there for the night.

Today will be the last day of the trek as you head from Panka to Chamgang. Along the way, you will be crossing many passes, and the views of each of these passes are worth the pain in your muscles.

You will come across a different variety of Blue poppy, the Himalayan Blue poppy being the national flower of Bhutan. This species of flower named Meconopsis survives even in the most extreme freezing weather conditions.

You will have lunch at the point where the trail branches out and leads to two destinations; Talakha and Wangduephodrang. You will then continue your trek by taking a climb into the last pass of the trek, Tale La, at an elevation of 4,180m. The views of the Dagala range and the modern city of Thimphu can be seen. After taking in the spectacular views, you will lead through a forest of birch, juniper, spruce, and rhododendron to Talakha Goempa. It is situated at an altitude of 3080m and was built in the 15th century. It is a unique ancient structure made between green highlands. From there on, you will walk through an apple orchard and into the village of Chamgang. You will be driven to Thimphu from here and transferred to your hotel.

After having some refreshment, you can stroll around the streets of Thimphu, which are adorned with modern and ancient buildings. You can buy some souvenirs to take back home and also promote their local products. You can also opt to enjoy the evening with some newfound friends you have made in Bhutan throughout the trek.

In the morning, we will stop by the post office where you can make a postage stamp with your own picture. Then, we head towards Paro.

We take a steep, 1½-hour hike to a teahouse, where you can enjoy a great view of Taktsang Monastery (its name means "tiger's nest"), perched on a cliff 2,700 feet above the floor of the Paro Valley. The hike follows a steep switchback trail through the forest, and after a break with tea and cookies, we continue another thirty minutes to a closer viewpoint. Much of Taktsang was destroyed by a fire in April 1998, but it is now completely rebuilt

On the way back to Paro, we stop by Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan.

In the evening we can visit Paro town with a street of typical Bhutanese traditional buildings or visit Namgay Artisinal brewery and try out different flavors of Bhutanese beer.

After leisurely breakfast transfer to the airport for flight to onward destination.