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Upon arrival
process Bhutan visa paying US $ cash 20 /- per person. Meet,
assist. The flight into the Himalayas reveals breathtaking
views of the great peaks, taking you right into the Dragon
Kingdom's cloud scraping airstrip at Paro (Altitude 7000 ft.).
Your Bhutanese escort will greet you on arrival and drive you
to Thimpu. (Drive 68 km. - 2 hrs.) |
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After
breakfast a 2-hours drive through the Paro and Thimphu valleys
to the capital of Bhutan (Altitude 7500 ft ). Enroute visit
the Simtokha Dzong, the oldest fortress of its king which once
guarded the Thimpu valley built by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel
in 16627. It is now religious University. Drive to hotel. For
lunch, then visit the National Library, which holds a vast
collection of ancient Buddhist manuscripts, the school of
Thangkha painting and the traditional medicine institute,
where centuries old healing arts are still practiced. Visit
the Memorial Chorten to His Late majesty, King Jigme Dorji
Wangchuck and take a 15 minutes drive to Decheachholing, to
witness the gold and silver smiths at work. Then, the
Tashichhodzong ("Fortress of the Glorious
religion"), built in 1641 by Shadrung Ngawang Namgyel and
reconstructed in 1961, using traditional methods, without the
use of any nails or plans on paper, under the Late King Jigme
Dorje Wangchuck, regarded as the Father of Modern Bhutan.
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