BHUTAN: RIDE TO KINGDOM OF HAPPINESS

13 Days – 12 Nights on Twin share

OVERVIEW

Highlights

Phuntsholing, Thimphu, Paro, Punaka, Phobjikha Valley, Gangtey, Trongsa, Bumthang, Mongar, Trashigang, Somdrup Jongkhar, Manas National Park

Good mid range hotels with breakfast.

Bhutan as a country has always remained elusive and there is an air of mysticism about this hidden mountain Himalayan Kingdom.

Here we are then, on our signature ride to the Kingdom of Happiness – the Last Shangri-La – the Land of Thunder Dragon – Nation that prefers Gross National Happiness to GDP – the Nation that believes modernisation need not be westernisation – the nation that has no traffic lights and the nation whose priority is to promote village and community culture.

Contentment, Happiness, Compassion and in Harmony with natural elements – everywhere.
Well many in the World believe that every Nation in the world should aspire to be Bhutan. There is nothing like a simple journey through Bhutan. And on a motorcycle ride – well there is no match to that.

If you are a person who is looking to an off-beat holiday destination – with family or as solo, Bhutan is an exceptional destination for a week to 11 days. And of course, far from the maddening crowds, exploring Bhutan on a Motorcycle is a cut above rest of the experiences.

We bring you a 13 day motorcycle expedition through the Royal Kingdom of

westernisation – the nation that has no traffic lights and the nation whose priority is to promote village and community culture.

Contentment, Happiness, Compassion and in Harmony with natural elements – everywhere.
Well many in the World believe that every Nation in the world should aspire to be Bhutan. There is nothing like a simple journey through Bhutan. And on a motorcycle ride – well there is no match to that.

If you are a person who is looking to an off-beat holiday destination – with family or as solo, Bhutan is an exceptional destination for a week to 11 days. And of course, far from the maddening crowds, exploring Bhutan on a Motorcycle is a cut above rest of the experiences.

We bring you a 13 day motorcycle expedition through the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan. In this ride, we cover 2000+ kilometres.

10 Paths of Happiness 

We encourage everyone to get their own bikes or else we will provide a rental Royal Enfield or a KTM Duke 390, which will be transported from Delhi. There are no good bikes that can be locally hired. In case you have a pillion or a family who wants to come along in a car or a SUV, we could arrange that for you. Please feel free to ask for any customisation that you may need – we are Bespoke and thats our forte.

Start – Bagdogra, Siliguri

Finish – Bagdogra, Siliguri

ITINERARY

From our vast mileage in Bhutan, this is one of the best plan to immerse in the un-paralleled himalayan landscape. We are however open to hand craft a travel plan for you to suit your needs. This tour is family friendly – the ladies are most,

welcome to join in. To discuss things with our Bhutan expert Gp Capt Ram or ‘Kat’ can be reached on +91-7024 142 707.

Day 1 : Bagdogra Airport – Arrival, Briefing, Ride to Dooars

This is the day we receive the riders at Bagdogra airport and bring them to hotel in Siliguri. Once everyone has arrived, we allot the bikes – your horse of next two weeks or so. We then do a ride and traffic briefing. We then ride through the thick forests of the famous Himalayan foothills – the Doors. In the evening we do some essential paperwork for your Bhutan Immigration formalities. An interesting Indian dinner awaits you today.

Day 2 : Dooars to Phuntsholing

On this day the ride would start early morning by 7 am, from Siliguri hotel for the border town of Phuentsholing. This is the day you ride through the thick jungles of famous Dooars – the foothills of Himalayas. You’ll ride through enchanting woods, rivers and streams and cross lush green tea plantations –

known to the world as Darjeeling tea. An amazing landscape through jungles and tea gardens is a fun thing to do. We would have a tea halt at an awesome location in Dooars. With some more ride you through typical North Bengal towns we take a turn off thWe depart early morning by 7 am, to ride from your hotel in wilderness to the Bhutan border town of Phuntsholing.  We will stop for some local tea flavours enroute, and then ride through typical North Bengal towns to reach Jaigaon or Phuntsholing. We plan to reach Bhutan by 10 am. This is also the day to complete border formalities and vehicle permits. We will stay overnight at a hotel in Phuntsholing. The change in culture and of course traffic conditions would drastically change as you step into Bhutan.

Day 3 : Phuntsholing to Thimphu

Its a day we ride with our packed breakfasts. You’ll embark on the journey – through the misty and winding roads. It could rain through some or more part of your ride. That adds to the mystical and nature filled destination you are now entering. On the way we’ll make a few stops at local tea houses and Dantak.

canteen. There are a few places your permits will be stamped. Once closer to Thimphu – you slow down and ride into the capital city. All going well and weather on our side and not too bad, we should be in our hotel by late afternoon. There are no traffic lights in Bhutan and hence some circuitous routes to your hotel would be evident. Thimpu is also a place to obtain permits for your journey into central and eastern Bhutan in days to come.

Day 4: Thimphu Local Tour and a Ride to Paro

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we ride to some tourist spots in Thimphu and then in athe afternoon we ride off to beautiful Paro valley. We check in to our hotel and take a trip to the National Museum located at Paro. Rest of the evening is free to explore the local market, archery or dart games. Paro is a beautiful valley with some nice cafes and bars …

Day 5 : Paro – Tigress Nest Trek

This is not a riding day, but a day to trek and hike up the Tigeress Nest and be back by afternoon – this one activity we strongly recommend for everyone – it is the number 1 ‘Do’ in Bhutan and the most reverred seat of Buddhism. For those who are not taking the trek- you could ride around the town seeing Paro Dzong. Or just laze around the beautiful resort, sit by the gushing mountain stream, watch the plane landing on Paro airport or just read a book. Its a day at leisure

Day 6 : Paro to Punaka

This day begins with a good ride into hills back to Thimphu on the way to Central Bhutan. This time we would not enter Thimphu but would take a bye pass road to Dorchula. You’ll stop over for some photo ops at Dorchula Pass – 108 Chortens – a war memorial built to commemorate the victory over Assamese insurgents. On a good day you get the best of Bhutan himalayan views from here. It’s then a nice ride all the way to Punakha Dzong – the most photogenic Dzong in Bhutan. Before reaching Punakha we would take an.

interesting detour to the Temple of the Mad Lama – Chimi Lakhang – and listen to the story of flying phalluses.

You then ride some nice village roads to reach the Punakha Dzong and hotel – time permitting we would see the Dzong this evening. Or else would postpone to next morning. Our resort is about 4 kms up the hill, to affford you some of the finest views of Punakha valley.

The road today would be a mixed bag due to widening of road happening all through the central and Eastern Bhutan. Overnight stay will be at the picturesque hotel.

Day 7 – Ride to Phobjikha Valley, Gangtey

This again is a rough day ride due to reconstruction and road widening happening in Central Bhutan, which may take another year or two to finish. We need to ride steady to reach the Phobjikha valley. It is world famous for the rare black necked cranes that fly here in winters from Tibetan plateau. We spend a night here immersing in the pristine nature of the valley. In the evening you could walk up to the Gangtey Monastery and listen to the fable of black necked cranes.

Day 8 : Ride to Trongsa and then Bumthang

After an early breakfast we ride towards Trongsa, the beautiful thin road that takes you to the Central Bhutan. Trongsa has a beautiful Dzong that would become visible as you ride down the hill towards the town. There will be a halt for lunch and refueling at Trongsa. You could also stroll down the Dzong – if one is keen. We then quickly ride out to another lonely, winding and nice road to be in Bumthang valley before evening. You could spot the archery practicing clubs as you ride. Getting into the Bumthang valley – is like entering the Swiss country side. A lovely ride it is through the day – roads are rough at many places, due to road widening – except at places where the widening of road is going on. If we are in good time we would ride straight to the famous Red Panda Beer Garden and see the Bumthang Micro Brewery. Overnight stay will be at a beautiful resort over looking the Bumthang valley.

Day 9 : Bumthang to Mongar

Its a long day ride today. The day would begin with an optional visit to one of the oldest temple in Bhutan. This day is really full of nature stuff. As you ride deeper into the unexplored Bhutan, you’ll find solitude – its just you and the nature and you often want to stand by the road side and soak this pristine natural environment – do not miss the classic vistas of Ura Valley and the Cloud Valley. The entire day is spent riding some of the most exotic valleys, roads and passes. The roads are mostly thin but nice today. The happiness of this untouched raw natural landscapes is part of you by now. You’ll ride to the mountain top hamlet of Mongar, your place for overnight stay.

Day 10 : Mongar to Trashigang

You have a late morning start today. Before the ride, you can walk around the town in the morning – and you would see first hand the simplicity of this bustling town, just coming to terms with modernism. On this day you ride out to the eastern most tip of Bhutan that borders Arunachal Pradesh. We cross the town over to reach our resort – one of the best location to spend the evening. Overnight we stay at this beautiful Lodge in Trashigang.

Day 11: Trashigang to Somdrup Jongkhar or Manas National Park

Today will be a long ride as you travel back to India, via the beautiful town of Deothang and Samdrup Jongkhar that borders Assam. This day we would begin pretty early. In the course of day, the weather goes from cold to cool to warm to somewhat hot n humid. You’ll cross back into India and leave Bhutan with your hearts filled with memories unparalleled.

Based on your itinerary and time of start there are various option for halts today – we may either stay at Somdrup Jongkhar or Cross border and then take a turn west on some broken village roads to Manas National Park. The road to the national park is not so good. Overnight stay is either at Manas National Park. We shall decide this before start of the ride.

Day 12 : Ride to Siliguri

This is your last day of ride. We ride out in the morning and ride long stretches to be in Siliguri by afternoon. You would pass through some of the most beautiful landscapes of rural Assam and North Bengal. We would again take a route passing through the tea gardens. Overnight stay at the hotel in Siliguri.

Day 13 : Ride to Siliguri and Fly out home

This day, we shall ride back to Siliguri, deposit our bikes and check into our hotel. transfer you to the airport for your flight back home. You could also take an add on tour to Darjeeling or Gangtok (Optional). Please let us know of this beforehand and we would be happy to organise eveything for you.

INCLUSIONS

• 12 nights stay in good mid range hotels with breakfast.
• Tea and Lunches at local hand picked eateries enroute.
• If opted for motorcycle hire from us, 500 cc Royal Enfield, for duration of ride (Please select from “Add ons” given below)
• A tour leader on motorcycle.
• A logistic support vehicle with driver.
• Repair and maintenance support with fast running spare parts.
• Transfers at Bagdogra airport to ride start point.
• Border permits and motorcycle immigration fees at Phuntsholing and inner area permits at Thimphu.
  

EXCLUSIONS

• Air tickets or train tickets to start point.
• 5% GST or royalty to non Indian tourists.
• All dinners.
• Personal, medical or travel insurances (we recommend you do it yourself)
• Laundry, tips, souvenirs, tea, snacks.
• Personal expenses.
• Costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances.
• Any damages to the motorcycle to be paid for by the rider.

Our Customers Love Us

At Caremytours.com, your opinion is truly valued.