Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek

Your guide meets you at the airport. We visit Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum in the afternoon and keep the day easy.

We walk up to Taktsang at 3,120 m, which is a useful first step in getting used to the altitude. In the afternoon your guide goes through the route and checks your kit with you.

We drive to the village of Genekha, in the hills between Paro and Thimphu, where the crew and ponies are waiting. The trail climbs through terraced fields and then oak and pine forest. Camp is in a clearing among the trees at Gur.

This is the big climb of the trek, a little over 1,000 m. The forest thins out and gives way to open ridges covered in dwarf rhododendron, which flower in spring. We cross the Dagala pass at 4,240 m and continue to camp near Utsho, the first of the lakes.

We spend the first part of the morning among the lakes around Labatamba, several of which are within a short walk of camp. The trail then climbs to a saddle with a long view of the Himalaya to the north, and descends to Panka.

The trail crosses a series of small passes, the highest at about 4,270 m, with the Thimphu valley coming into view far below. A long descent of about 1,100 m follows, through bamboo and mixed forest, to the monastery at Talakha. We camp close by.

A short walk downhill through forest brings us to the road at Chamgang, where the vehicle is waiting. We reach the hotel in Thimphu in time for lunch. In the afternoon we visit the Buddha Dordenma and the National Memorial Chorten.

We drive over Dochu La to Punakha, walk to Chimi Lhakhang and spend the afternoon at Punakha Dzong.

After a morning walk to the suspension bridge we drive back to Paro, with lunch at Dochu La. We visit Kyichu Lhakhang in the late afternoon.

Your guide and driver take you to the airport after breakfast.