BHUTAN PHOTO TOUR - March 25 to April 6, 2010
WITH ART WOLFE
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Thursday, March 25—Bangkok - Paro
Guests are greeted for their morning arrival in Paro, Bhutan, and transferred to their hotel. Photographing the sights of Paro selected by Art Wolfe will follow lunch and continue through the early evening.
Day 2 – Friday, March 26—Paro Festival
This is the first official day of the annual Paro Festival. With permissions, Art will position everyone for photographing the colorful dance festivities in the Paro Dzong.
Day 3 – Saturday, March 27—Paro - Thimphu
Day two of the festival takes place outside in the town square of Paro and our group will be photographing these activities through the morning. Following lunch, we’ll drive for an hour to Thimphu where Art and our guides will share special locations and subjects to photograph such as an artful array of prayer flags and valley landscapes.
Overnight stay in Thimphu.
Day 4 – Sunday, March 28—Thimpu - Gangtey
An early morning departure will start the day to capture scenic moments along the way to Gangtey. Traveling through Dochula Pass and Wangdue affords a number of stops to photograph a variety of subjects.
Two-night stay in Gangtey.
Day 5 – Monday, March 29—Gangtey
In Gangtey, we’ll visit the spring home of the black-necked cranes, which arrive in the valley in mid-October. Art will also guide the group to special ceremonies performed by monks then everyone will return to the cranes to experience conditions at different times and light.
Day 6 – Tuesday, March 30—Gangtey - Bumthang
After breakfast, the group drives further to Pelela Pass and then on via Chendibji and Trongsa filming locations and subjects along the way. In Trongsa, we’ll enjoy lunch and visit the largest dzong in the country. After lunch, we continue the drive to Yotongla Pass and gradually descend to the Chumey and Jakar Valleys.
Three-night stay in Bumthang.
Day 7 – Wednesday, March 31—Bumthang and Surrounding Towns
With Bumthang as a base, Art will take everyone to sights on the outside of town before returning back in the early evening. Special temples and palaces take up the morning filming and after lunch, everyone will be at their leisure to explore Chamkhar and Jakar towns. In the evening, those interested can go back with Art to film the candlelight prayers conducted by the local monks.
Day 8 – Thursday, April 1—Bumthang and Surrounding Towns
We’ll pack a lunch and drive to the scenic Ura Valley for the day to see rural Bhutan with scenic farm houses and communities.
Day 9 – Friday, April 2—Bumthang - Punakha
The group drives to Punakha with a lunch stop and photographing in Chendibji town. After lunch, we’ll continue on to Punakha.
Two- night stay in Punakha.
Day 10 – Saturday, April 3—Punakha
A morning visit to the local, but vibrant, weekend market starts this day and the group will move on to visiting one of the most beautiful dzongs in Bhutan, the Punakha Dzong. After lunch, we drive back through the valley to continue photographing rural sites and unique flora.
Day 11 – Sunday, April 4—Punakha - Paro
Today, we return to Paro stopping in Wangdue along the way to photograph and then Thimphu for a lunch stop. Those interested can join Art to watch and photograph an evening archery match.
Two-night stay in Paro.
Day 12 – Monday, April 5—Paro
We’ve saved the most scenic for the last and a chance to stretch our legs with a trek up to Taksang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery that the monks pilgrimage to. For those who prefer a horseback trek to this site, we can facilitate this request. The rest of the day will be at the leisure of the group to photograph in the town of Paro along with Art.
Overnight stay in Paro.
Day 13 – Tuesday, April 6—Paro - Departure
Following breakfast, our Bhutan arrangers will transport all participants to the Paro International Airport for their departures.
$8200
Bhutan Itinerary Notes:
For those departing from the U.S., we recommend routing through Bangkok, but Delhi and Kathmandu also have flight service to Paro, Bhutan. We prefer to secure your flights from Bangkok or Delhi to Paro, to insure availability as there are only single flights a day from these cities. We handle your fees for the flights in and out of Bhutan separately from the trip cost which depends on your departure city.
