Mount Chomolhari Trek to Tiger's Nest, Bhutan

Day 1 - Fly London to Kathmandu

Depart London on your overnight flight to Kathmandu.

Overnight: In flight

Day 2 - Arrive Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel.

You will be met on arrival and transferred to your hotel.  You might like to venture out to Thamel for your evening meal or eat in the hotel restaurant if you are tired from your journey.

Overnight: Hotel Shanker Or Similar, Kathmandu

Day 3 - Fly to Paro, 2,200m/7,218 ft. Sightseeing as time allows.

Transfer to the airport for the flight to Paro. On a clear day the panoramic views of the Himalaya are sensational, including Everest, but particularly exciting is the approach through the Bhutanese foothills and the landing, including a few steep turns, to land at the tiny airstrip at Paro. You are at the mercy of the Druk air-ticketing computer, but if there is an option, try to sit on the left-hand side of the plane.

In Paro you will be transferred to your hotel and then you will head out to see some nearby sights. The amount of sightseeing you will be able to do depends on your flight arrival time, but you may be able to fit in a visit the National Museum above the dzong and even the ancient Dungtse Lhakhang.

Overnight: Olathang Cottages Or Similar, Paro

Day 4 - Trek from Olathang to Kyichu, drive to Gunitsawa and trek to Shana, 2,788m/9,148ft - 5-6 hours.

Today you leave the hotel and walk up a hill to reach a village and the first of two ’Long Life’ temples (1½ hours). You continue trekking along forested ridges contouring around and climbing up a bit to the second ‘Long Life’ temple which is now a nunnery (½ hour). It is then a pleasant 1½ hours downhill to the ancient temple of Kyichu Lhakang, one of the oldest in Bhutan. This was one of 108 temples built by Songtsen Gampo, an important early Tibetan king, to pin down the Bon demon that was thought to hover over the whole of Tibet. The temples date back to the 7th century AD and are very impressive.

From here it’s an hour’s drive to Gunitsawa. From the road you take a short walk through the army base to cross the river on a small bridge and walk upstream to your first camp at Shana.

Overnight: Camp

Day 5 - Trek from Shana to Soi Thangthanka, 3,544m/11,627ft - 7-8 hours.

This is quite a big day! You wind up the gigantic gorge, sometimes with vertical cliffs, mostly with deep dark forest, the river rushing by in a nonstop series of rapids. There are quite a few bridges to cross, some new girder bridges, some old cantilever wooden ones. There are one or two places where it looks as if you could take ‘shortcuts’ - but this is not to be recommended. Sometimes the trail climbs high above the river, and parts of the path are stony and necessitate boulder hopping. You may be advised by your Bhutanese guide to walk with a companion on this section as there are still bears in this area. You pass a junction en route, where another trail leads north over the Tremo La to Tibet. Spencer Chapman crossed the Tremo La in 1937 on his way to climb Chomolhari from Tibet.

When you arrive at Soi Thangthankha there is a small shop which has a wood burning stove.

Overnight: Camp

Day 6 - Trek to Chomolhari Base Camp, 4,090m/13,416ft - 5-6 hours.

It is worth getting up early to photograph the dawn colours on Chomolhari, Bhutan's second-highest mountain, which is framed at the end of the valley. When you set off trekking you pass two water driven prayer wheels before entering a forest festooned with Spanish Moss. If there was a frost in the night, sunlight makes the dew in the cobwebs look like diamonds. After an hour you slowly leave the forest line and gradually climb into a beautiful valley, passing Tengethang, a winter home of yak herdsmen. A little after this there is a valley junction which apparently leads to a hermit's nest. Today you will see many peaks on the other side of the river including a distinctive pointed peak.

After about 4 or 4½ hours you come to Jangothang, a strange collection of offices and accommodation for the National Park, one of a number of small villages and hamlets in this upper valley. From here you carry on climbing. The path seems to go on forever, but actually it is only about an hour more to Base Camp, marked by a row of small chortens and some rudimentary buildings which include some toilets and a small shop/kitchen which sells a few things.

At 7,314m/ 23,997ft Chomolhari overlooks the camp. Nearby there are ruins of the old fortress which used to guard Bhutan against Tibetan invasion. Spencer Chapman’s book ‘Memoirs of a Mountaineer’ has an excellent tale of a yeti encountered by local men near Chomolhari.

Overnight: Camp

Day 7 - Rest and acclimatisation day. Possible excursion to Doug Scott’s Jitchu Drake base camp - 3 or 4 hours acclimatisation hike.

It is highly advisable that you do some sort of walk involving height gain today to help with acclimatisation. There are several excellent walks to choose from. You may hike up towards the Chomolhari glacier, climb the grassy ridge just north of the base camp to reach a small peak at 4,760m/15,617ft for great views, or for an easier option walk up the valley towards Jitchu Drake base camp 4,420m/14,500 ft. The latter option gives fantastic views and is approximately 3.7 mls/6 kms and a 3 hour round trip.

You should also have spare time to thoroughly explore the old, ruined castle.

Overnight: Camp

Day 8 - Trek to Soi Yaksey Valley, 3,800m/12,460ft, crossing the Bonte La Pass, 4,890m/16,040ft - 8-9 hrs.

The walk today is fabulous. An initial steep climb takes you up a wide, grassy hanging valley used by yak herders in the spring. There are marmot burrows everywhere, and you may well see blue sheep on the steep rocky hillsides. It is well worth stopping several times as you climb up the side of the valley to look back at the stunning views of Chomolhari and Jitchu Drake. Towards the top of the valley are the remote and beautiful Tso Phu Lakes. The path leads up the side of the valley for an hour or so, with great views down to the lakes. Once you reach the top, the views open out with stunning peaks and wild countryside all around, and the ascent becomes more gradual. It is another couple of hours beautiful walking before you gradually climb to reach the actual pass, marked by a square chorten. There are all round views of big mountains including the Basingthang Peaks.

The route now descends to the dramatic steep-sided Soi Yaksey valley, dominated by huge cliffs at its head. You may well see yak herders on the upper grassy slopes, before the exciting descent to the green valley far below. In the past, large herds of blue sheep have been seen here. You cross the river and camp on the other side.

Overnight: Camp

Day 9 - Rest day or explore Dhumar Valley. Visit large old house at the end of the valley, south east of the Basingthang Peaks. 3 or 4 hours round trip.

After a tough day yesterday, the relatively low altitude of the Soi Yaksey valley makes this a good place for a rest day, as well as the chance to do some washing. But we do recommend you make time for some exploration.

 If you wish, you could arrange to take a packed lunch with you. A side trip up the valley is particularly recommended. There are numerous scattered farmhouses and small hamlets up here, but in particular, the fine old house at the very end of the valley, which once belonged to the ‘king’ of this small princedom, merits a visit. This house is not occupied all year round, but if the family happens to be in residence they may invite you inside for salt-butter tea, such a visit offering a privileged and fascinating glimpse into Bhutanese history and a way of life in such a remote setting.

Overnight: Camp

Day 10 - Visit Sey Dzong. Descend to cross river on bridge at 3847m/12,709ft, climb to cross the Lalung La pass 4,599m/15,088ft and trek to yak pasture camp, 4,318m/14,166ft - approximately 6-7 hours.

From the yak pasture camp it is a short distance on a gradually rising mountain path to arrive at the best viewpoint below Sey Dzong. What an amazing sight Sey Dzong is! It is said the ‘Treasury’ was finally abandoned near the end of the last century and was left as it was, complete with cooking utensils. The main structure is reputed to be connected by tunnels to meditation caves. There is one gigantic log, jammed into a massive cleft in the 300m rock face, and the three-storey building is supported mainly on this log. The very steep ladder/staircase which gave access is now mostly disintegrated. Legend has it that the dzong was built by a local Chieftain to keep all his treasure in. The story goes that one day he could see a big party in full swing further up the valley. He set off to investigate, and while he was away a band of robbers stole all his treasure. Truly Sey Dzong is like something out of a magical fairy story. An amazing place!  

You drop down to the stream far below which is crossed on a good timber bridge. Now begins the long climb up and round into a ravine, crossing two more bridges. The further up you go, the more expansive the views are, looking back to distant mountains; one in particular has a strange, pointed rock tower on its summit. You can see Sey Dzong for a long time until it becomes a small dot and disappears as the path winds round and above a higher altitude valley. You will pass a single yak herder’s hut above and to the left. Up ahead, three more yak herder huts lie on the other side of the river. Your climb continues, and you leave them behind. Ahead you climb, up and up, and around the flank of a mountain (shown on maps as the Lalung Pass, 4,480m/14,698ft) to take you out and above a large series of flat grazing meadows used by yaks in the summer. You drop down into this high meadow land to camp, within sight now of Sonam La. Your camp here is enclosed by a semi-circular ring of peaks and ridges. Stunning Himalayan peaks are seen to the south, mostly unnamed. The largest is Chataraka, 5,570m/18,274ft. Another has a spectacular summit capped with a rock spire many hundreds of feet high.

Overnight: Camp

Day 11 - Cross the Soman La Pass 4,612m/15,131ft - 1½hrs. Cross the Doley La Pass 4,541/14,898ft. Descend into the big valley to camp at Jeuchu Pang 4,013m/13,167ft. Approximately 6 hours in total.

From camp the pass looks a dauntingly long way. In fact, you should be standing on the summit of Soman La after about 1½ hours. Distances and times can be deceptive in the Himalaya! The sun is slow to arrive as the pass faces west. There is a chorten on the pass, and the views are amazing. From here you can see Chomolhari I & II, Jitchu Drake, Tshering Kang, and even Kangchenjunga. Given clear weather you can also now see the next pass, the Doley La. In the mid-distance is a rocky mountain with a flattish top, whose cliffs are facing you. The pass itself is on the right side of this mountain. It looks like there is a path keeping high nearly all the way to the Doley La but as this route has some ‘tricky’ bits, our advice is to stay on the path the horses take which takes you down to a lower level. It should take 2½ to 3 hours from Soman La to Doley La.

There is a now whole new vista of mountains to gaze at. Trains of yaks may well pass you today and swathes of rhododendron, shrubs and pretty flowers cover the hill sides. After the thrill of passing the Doley La, in 1½ hours you ‘cross’ another tiny unnamed pass at 4,482/14,705. Another pass lies ahead, the Lamane La, but you will be pleased not to cross it today. Instead, you camp near a ruined yak herder’s stone hut just above a stream. Just below the hut a wooden bridge has half collapsed into the stream. The bridge can still be used with care. Some tents may be pitched close to the stream.

Overnight: Camp

Day 12 - Cross the river and climb to the next pass, the Laname La 4,304m/14,121ft, next to a small lake. Continue down to camp at Daluna, below Drakey Pangtsho. Approximately 5-6 hours.

The bridge below camp, which was once substantial and covered, has been wrecked but with a bit of scrambling can still be used. Ahead is a gradual climb on a good path through the acres of rhododendrons. You come to a very big rocky outcrop. You bypass this and somewhere on the climb you may stop for lunch, perhaps here. Finally, you come to a rise to find the exquisite Lamane Lake in front of you. It is magical and almost perfectly circular. Perhaps a meteor caused it millennia ago, or was it volcanic? You carry on anti-clockwise and descend on a beautiful rocky path to Daluna, located below Drakey Pang Tsho Lake, west of Lamane Lake.

Overnight: Camp

Day 13 - Visit sacred Drakey Pang Tsho. Continue to the Seytshola Pass 4,133m/13,588. Descend to Chuthana and through rhododendron forest to camp at Charkha Pang, 3,919m/12,859ft. Approximately 6-7 hours.

A gradual climb of 1½ hours brings you to one of the holiest lakes in Bhutan, but hardly known to foreigners as it is so remote. Every year hundreds of Bhutanese make a pilgrimage here. Rather like Lamane Lake, Drakey Pang Tsho is completely circular, but much larger. It is quite a coincidence that these two are so close together! The legends that surround this lake are powerful and mystic. One is that Bhutan’s most important Buddhist saint, Padma Sambhava, also known as Guru Rimpoche, hid ‘termas’ (sacred text or treasures) in the lake in the 8th century, being encouraged to do so by the guardian deity of the Paro Valley, Juwo Drake. He is not the only Bhutanese saint to have performed miracles here and it is also said that on auspicious days, depending on your karma (good merit you have built up in your lifetime) you may see ‘treasures’ appear in the lake, or hear mystical sounds. At the same time a visit to the lake will give you great merit and improve your personal karma. Drakey Pang Tsho is therefore a very holy place and any kind of impure act or thought, such as the burning of rubbish, might bring about disasters or bad weather. In fact, if there is a drought, it is said the local people do sometimes resort to suspending the flesh of a dead animal over the lake to anger the spirits and thereby bring on the rain!     

Our MD tried to make a recce of this route in 2024 but the packhorses could not cross the Soman La because of deep snow. At the end of this visit in 2024 he was given a copy of ‘Treasures of the Thunder Dragon’ by Queen Mother, Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk in which she describes in wonderful detail some of her many pilgrimages, including one to the holy lake Drakey Pangtsho. Steve says “it proved to me once and for all that the path did exist, even though it is not shown on the Bart Jordans map, and it encouraged me to attempt again to find the route”.

Having visited the wonderful Drakey Pang Tsho you now have a gradual walk of about 1½ hours to reach the Seytshola Pass, 4,133m/13,558ft. From here it is another 1½ hours to Chuthana, 3,784m/12,420ft. From here there is a great walk through ancient rhododendron forest. The trees are large and encrusted with thick layers of moss. It is about an hour from Chuthana to two yak herders’ huts at Charkha Pang, 3,919m/12,859ft, where you will camp.

Overnight: Camp

Day 14 - Climb to cross the Namgyal Pass, 4,133m/13,588. Continue pass meditation cave and ‘sky burial’ mountains to reach Bumdra, 4,071m/13,537ft. Pass. Approximately 7-8 hours.

On a clear day you will have unique views looking down at Drugyel Dzong and the top end of the Paro Valley. Your path traverses to within sight of the three mountains ahead which are still used for ‘sky burials’. You ascend a big boulder field - look out for famous Blue Poppies of Bhutan hereabouts. From camp it is roughly 2½ hours to reach the Namgyal Pass. Half an hour further on and you pass by a small ‘Meditation Cave’. Beyond, the path traverses under some awesome vertical cliffs and a seemingly unlikely path skirts around the ‘sky burial’ tops. It is not far now to the camp site at Bumdra. When you arrive you will feel a sense of elation to have completed such a fantastic path through the mountains.

Overnight: Camp

Day 15 - Rest and buffer day at Bumdra. Visit Bumdra Lakhang.

What a fantastic place to have a rest day! Bumdra is a cliff temple situated high in the mountains above Tiger’s Nest. It is remote, historic and highly atmospheric. If you are lucky, the resident lama may offer you yak butter tea, The temple itself has ancient shrines and Buddhist statues - you have to climb a steep ladder to gain entry. Bumdra Gompa is said to be where the 8th century saint Padma Sambhava (Guru Rimpoche) meditated with his consort, the Tibetan saint Yeshe Tsogyal, Legend has it that this is the place where 100,000 dakinis (female spirits) left their footprints on the cliff face as they flew off to paradise.

You could also walk up to near the closest of the three Sky Burial sites which you saw yesterday. On a clear day it gives amazing views of Mount Chomolhari. From here the realisation of your great achievement will sink in! There are yak herder stone houses not far from your campsite and occasionally the yak herder families have invited small groups to visit them. If there are local people themselves visiting the sky burial site we advise you to leave them in peace.

This will be your last night with your trek crew so perhaps the opportunity for a bit of a celebration.

Overnight: Camp

Day 16 - Trek down to Tigers Nest (Taktsang Monastery), via three other temples. Descend to the Paro Valley. Approximately 7-8 hours in total.

The walk down through the forest today is a delight. After about an hour of easy descent, through larch and silver pine, you arrive at the first of several temples. There are around half a dozen lakhangs or smaller shrines which occupy positions on the mountainside here. They are all beautiful, all different and worth visiting but you will probably not wish to enter them all – Tiger’s Nest awaits!

After a further three hours or so of descent you reach Zangto Pelri Monastery - be sure to stop at the gardens and peer over the side for your first fantastic views of the golden roofs of Taktsang Monastery on the cliff below. From here it's a steep half hour down a rock-hewn staircase to reach the famed Tiger's Nest, an approach that very few people experience.

Taktsang monastery is perched some 600m/2,000ft up on a cliff overlooking Paro Valley. It was said to be where the legendary Indian saint, Guru Padma Sambhava, flew from Tibet on the back of a tiger to defeat five demons, who were opposing the spread of Buddhism in Bhutan. If it’s open, you will be able to visit the monastery before continuing down to reach the car park where your vehicle will be waiting to take you back to the comforts of your hotel in Paro.

Overnight: Olathang Cottages Or Similar, Paro

Day 17 - Day at leisure in Paro.

Today you will have some welcome time to rest and reflect on and celebrate your achievement. There will also be time for some further exploration in Paro.

Overnight: Olathang Cottages Or Similar, Paro

Day 18 - Fly to Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel.

Today you will sadly say farewell to Bhutan. After breakfast, you will transfer to the airport for your flight to Kathmandu. This is normally an early morning flight which takes you out and over the Bhutanese mountains and past Kangchenjunga, Makalu and Everest, finally dropping down into Kathmandu Valley. You will be met and transferred to your hotel, after which there will be plenty of time to relax and gather your thoughts.

Overnight: Hotel Shanker Or Similar, Kathmandu

Day 19 - At leisure. Afternoon group transfer to airport. Depart Kathmandu.

You will have time at leisure in Kathmandu today when you may do some sightseeing or shopping, or simply relax at your hotel. Later there will be a group transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to London.

Overnight: In flight

Day 20 - Arrive London.