Trekking in Bhutan

Bhutan has some of the best trekking in the world, with breathtaking scenery, a rich Buddhist culture, friendly people, and few other visitors. An exhilarating way to see the beautiful wilderness of the kingdom is to trek! The trails will lead you through a variety of terrain, from lush forests to panoramic mountain passes. You will have a chance to see some traditional villages, and you will likely meet up with some yak herders and spot some of Bhutan's wildlife, such as takings, monkeys, and blue sheep. Trekking in Bhutan is a unique and wonderful experience! You will hike through deep forests, along rushing streams, through typical villages, across high mountain passes, and near rice paddy terraces, encountering blue sheep, a variety of birds, yaks and yak herders, takings, and monkeys.

On our Jumolhari trek you will even have the chance to camp at the base of the second-highest mountain in Bhutan. Imagine waking up to the sun rising over the majestic peak, while breakfast is being prepared for you. If you're up for a challenge, you will enjoy our Laya/Gasa or Jumolhari trek, but if you'd prefer a more moderate trek, our Gantey, Druk Path, or Jumolhari Base Camp trek would be perfect for you. Our team of experts will guide you every step of the way and make sure you have the best experience possible.

Each day you will enjoy 6 to 8 hours of scenic hiking in the peaceful surroundings, followed by a relaxing feast. With our team of experienced guides, you will have an unforgettable adventure.

Weather
The difficulty with trekking here is the weather. Unlike Nepal Himalayas and Ladakh, the windows for good high-altitude trekking in Bhutan are short: about 3 weeks in April and 3-4 weeks in October. Although the official season extends longer, you have the best chances of clear weather and little snow in the second half of April or the first three weeks of October. There are several low-altitude "winter treks" however, which can be walked in other seasons.

Difficulty
Although most of the treks themselves are not difficult, the high altitude and difficulty of reaching rescue services means that especially the treks through the High Himalayas are not for the faint-of-heart. However, if you have saved up some money, and are in good shape, you will have one of the best experiences imaginable.

Trekking Supplies
On your trek, you will be provided: a two-person sleeping tent, a toilet tent, a dining tent, a kitchen tent, sleeping pads, cooking staff, pack animals (horses) for carrying luggage and supplies, and a trekking guide. You will need to bring a duffel bag for your clothing and other items because the pack animals cannot carry hard-back suitcases.

You will be accompanied by your guide. There will be about a total of 5-6 people on your trek (guide, cook, cook's helper, 2-3 horse men and horses). You can carry a small backpack, and the horses will carry your heavier luggage. Your trekking staff will put up the tents in the evening and take down the tents in the morning for you every day on your trek. You do not need to do anything except relax and enjoy your trek.

Trekking food
While trekking, you are sent with extensive assortment of supplies and you can depend entirely on camp meals.  You will not have to bring in any food items except if you wish you can carry some chocolate bars, or trail mix for snacks and few packets of seasoning but it is not really necessary.  On trek, you are provided with 3 meals a day- breakfast, hot lunch served on the way, and dinner at the campsites with evening tea and snacks.  There are no fresh foods available on trek; all the supplies are taken from the starting point of the trek.  For the first few days, you will be served fresh foods and meats and on longer treks, after a week or so you will be served tinned foods.  Our trekking cooks can cook any kinds of food and if you have any special dietary needs, on prior notice they will take care of it.  Most of the trekkers say that trekking foods are better than in some of the restaurants and hotels.   

Baggage Limit on Treks in Bhutan
We strictly maintain baggage limit on treks in Bhutan.  Each trekker is limited to a maximum of 15kg because a horse/yak carries 30kg and the load of two trekkers should make a load of a horse/yak.  You are required to bring a duffle to put in your trekking stuff and a medium sized card suit case for your city clothes which is to be left behind with hotels or office.

Routes
The Department of Tourism of Bhutan presently has eleven trekking routes, ranging in length from 3 to 23 days. Details for all treks are described in Bhutan: a trekker's guide, by Bart Jordans. On this site I have only posted descriptions of a couple of the most popular treks.

Aside from multi-day treks, there are ample opportunities for day hikes around Thimphu and Paro. See the section on Day hikes around Thimphu for details