Nabji Korphu Trek

Flights to Bhutan from Bangkok/Singapore/Kathmandu/Delhi to Paro: It’s always advisable to reach Subharnabhumi Airport 3 hours before departure. The Airport is 45 45-minute drive from the main city of Bangkok.

Upon check-in, make sure you have the Bhutan Visa printed to show while boarding the plane from Bangkok. The flight is approximately 3.5 hours. On this flight, you can see breathtaking views of the Great Himalayas as you start approaching Bhutan. Arrive at Paro, where you will be welcomed to the Kingdom by your guide from the Company.

Thimphu, the capital and largest city of Bhutan, is home to over 100,000 people. The day begins with a visit to the Institute for 13 Arts and Crafts, where students demonstrate traditional Bhutanese skills.

Next, explore the Folk Heritage Museum—a 150-year-old, three-story mud house featuring a water mill, millet field, and kitchen garden—offering a glimpse into Bhutan’s traditional lifestyle.

In the afternoon, visit the Post Office, where you can create your own personalised stamp. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

 

 

Today is a long journey from Thimphu to Trongsa. On the way stop at Dochula Pass(10500ft), one of the Scenic passes in Bhutan where you are greeted with a panoramic view of the snow-capped Himalayas. The journey also includes the view of Wangdiphodrang Dzong perched on top of the hills. After lunch drives further to Trongsa. Trongsa is a very important district in Bhutan.

All the Kings of Bhutan have to become Tongsa Penlop (Honorary post of Governor) prior to being crowned as the Druk Gyalpo (King of Bhutan). Visit Trongsa Dzong built-in 1648. The Dzong is the only connecting route between the eastern and western sectors of Bhutan.

Tongsa Penlop was able to control the whole eastern region very effectively for many centuries. Visit the ancient watchtower (Ta-Dzong), which is situated just above the town. Continue to Trongsa. Overnight Yangkhil Hotel/Resort overlooking Tongsa Dzong and the watchtower. There is also Trongsa Festival that takes place annually.

Nabji Korphu Trek Begins

Ascent/Descent:
The trek route follows the Jangbi village. The guide steers you down to the Mangdi river where you cross a suspension bridge. The first day brings you in contact with the Monpas who are believed to be the first inhabitants of Bhutan. A glimpse on their lifestyle further validates their ethnicity, coupled by mythical legends about their origins. The campsite in Jangbi stands on the valley sill, which offers a resplendent view of the Mangdi valley.

Ascent/Descent: After breakfast visit to the Orchid Garden where you see varieties of Orchids. Further hike to kudra provides a nuance of jovial atmosphere because this part of the trail meanders along stone imprints of Guru Rinpoche’s footprints, dagger and phallus, festooned by stories that espouse Guru’s praxis. Lunch is served just before you reach Ugyendra, a steep cliff below Phrumzur, one of the few villages of the Monpa communities scattered around the trail. With renewed energy from lunch, you could visit the village lhakhang and then proceed to the campsite in Kudra.

Ascent/Descent: The route also offers the view of rare bird species Rufous-necked hornbill. You wake up with the distant call of the Rufous-necked hornbill. This part of the trek is a collage of streams, waterfalls and thick forests that will give you an invigorating feeling of being out in the wild. The Great Himalayan Squirrel, Rhesus Mecaques, and small snakes are often spotted along the trail. Unseen but present, are Himalayan black bear, Red pandas, tigers, Clouded leopards and many more. Upon arrival at the holy tree in Nabji, the people will give you a heartwarming reception. Nabji is a beautiful village with endless paddy fields demarcating the valley and surrounding the campsite.

Ascent/Descent: En route to Korphu, the Nabji temple is located in the middle of the paddy fields. Inside, there remains a stone pillar on which Guru Rinpoche, while traveling through Bhutan in the 8th century, brought consensus between two warring kings: King sindha Gyelp of Bumthang, and King Noeche, by imprinting their thumbs on each side of the stone. Korphu is situated on a mountaintop at an altitude of 1,500m. The most striking thing about Korphu is that the people exemplify hospitality almost treating you like ‘A King on accession to throne’. You could also pay a visit to the village temple that houses the sacred relics of Pema Lingpa, the famous ‘Treasure revealer’ of Bhutan. The village campsite provides a spectacular bird’s-eye view of Nabji and surrounding areas.

Ascent/Descent: The hike from Korphu to Nyimshong is pleasant and arguably the best birding spot which can boast a bird list of more than 395 species, with among others the elusive Rufous Necked Hornbill who has its nesting holes adjacent to the trail. The walk is mixed with waterfalls and, streams and cantilever bridges. The evening brings you to Nyimshong, a village with its reticent architecture and lifestyle. The women of Nyimshong have a penchant for singing and dancing and a cultural show would be ideal to express certain euphoria to end your trek. Of course this is optional.

Ascent/Descent:
If you are lucky, the Golden langurs will lead you to the exit. You descend down to the Mangdi river again to see some herons and River-lapwings. An hour’s steep ascend to the road and your driver will drive you back to Trongsa for Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast drive to Gangtey and Phobjikha valley. Phobjikha valley has been declared as the first eco-tourism destination of Bhutan by the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN). The valley falls under the Black Mountain Natural Park. Phobjikha valley is the winter home to rare and endangered Black Necked Cranes (Grus Nigricllis), which migrate, in large flocks to Bhutan from Tibet & Sikang, Yunnan and Tonkin in eastern China. For centuries the cranes have captured the human imagination with their intelligence, poise, sociality, beauty and freedom, which have given rise to several myths, legends, folktales and songs.

You will have the opportunity to see these most beautiful birds. There are also lots of other wild animals in the surrounding valleys like wild boar, barking deer, Himalayan black bear, red fox, leopard and many species of birds. Also included are visits to the Nature Education center, the carpet factory and the Sacred Gangtey Monastery, which dominates the valley. Continue to Punakha for Overnight at Hotel.

Punakha was the winter capital for over 300 years until the time of second King. Punakha Dzong, which dominates the whole area, was built in 1637 by Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel, and established the central monastic body with 600 monks. Today, Punakha is still the home for Je Khempo (Chief Abbot) and the central monastic body. Punakha Dzong is one of the most impressive Dzongs in the Kingdom. Afternoon, transfer to Paro for Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Paro Airport for flight to Bangkok. Tashi Delek!!!