| Cost From: | $5095 |
|---|
| Length: | 13 days |
|---|
| Activity: | Hiking / Trekking, Cultural Adventures |
|---|
| Difficulty: |
|
|---|
Fantastic trip with rigorous hikes, beautiful campsites, and lots of exposure to the culture, which added a nice dimension.A. Keating—New York
Receive our e-newsletter, sent 5-6 times a year, announcing new adventures and special offers.
Indochine Photoshop Workshop with Ben Wilmore
This unique journey combines a Photoshop workshop featuring renowned Photoshop guru Ben Willmore with unforgettable cultural exploration and photography adventures in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, including magnificent Angkor Wat.
Mount Chomolhari (23,997'), sacred abode of the goddess Chomo, stands as a mighty sentinel on Bhutan’s Tibetan frontier, reigning over countless icy summits and deep, magical forests where snow leopards and Himalayan blue sheep roam. Our fantastic 9-day trek brings us through traditional hamlets, wild rhododendron forests, and alpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers to Jangothang (13,250'), right at the base of Chomolhari, with a return route through the remote Yaksa Valley (“Valley of Yaks”). The Bhutanese are fiercely conservative of their natural heritage, and their mountains are truly pristine, preserving a wealth of flora and fauna unrivaled in the Himalaya. With Wilderness Travel’s famous full-service camping, this is a chance to experience superb Himalayan trekking in a magical realm.
$5095 (10-16 guests)
$5395 (6-9 guests)
Single supplement: $1175
Single supplement: $1175
Internal airfare: $865 (subject to change)
Prices are for 2009 dates
Oct 26-Nov 7, 2009 Kinley Gyeltshen
Apr 18-30, 2010
Oct 24-Nov 5, 2010
The government of Bhutan has announced that they are rolling back the cost of the daily tariff for visitors to the kingdom. In addition, they are extending a discount for trips spending 8 or more days in Bhutan. As with all cost decreases, we are happy to pass the savings along to you. The savings for this trip are $300 per person and noted above.
$4795 (10-16 members)
$5095 (6-9 members)
Reading list, click here.
We fly to Bhutan’s emerald-green Paro Valley, where shrines dot the landscape. Our warm-up hike brings us up to the famed monastic retreat of Taktsang, the “Tiger’s Nest,” built into a sheer cliff face above the Paro Valley. Overnights are at the serene Zhiwaling Hotel, a deluxe tribute to Bhutan’s traditional architecture.
Few travelers ever have the privilege of even visiting Bhutan, let alone trekking in its pure mountain realm. With our Bhutanese camp staff and horsemen, we ascend a beautiful river valley and hike along rushing streams through deep forests of rhododendron, pine, and oak. We head up into high country where herdsmen graze their yaks in lush alpine meadows. Reaching Jangothang (13,250') at the base of Chomolhari, we enjoy an exploration day to savor the Himalayan grandeur all around us. At Jangothang, the ruins of a medieval fortress, built to guard Bhutan against invasion from Tibet, add to the mystique of the setting, and we may be able to spot wildlife including musk deer and blue sheep. The mighty ramparts of Chomolhari, Bhutan’s second highest mountain, seem almost close enough to touch here. This sacred mountain remains unclimbed from the Bhutanese side, off limits to mountaineers. Near it rises Jichu Drake (22,700'), another Himalayan giant. Our return trek takes us over the 15,620-foot Bhongtela Pass. On Day 11, we head to our deluxe hotel, the Taj Tashi in Thimphu.
In Bhutan’s bucolic capital, our explorations include the National Memorial Chorten, built in memory of the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, as well as Bhutan’s school for traditional arts. At the Taj Tashi or Zhiwaling Hotel’s spa, we can try optional hot-stone baths, a Bhutanese tradition, to soothe our trekking muscles. Depart via Paro on Day 13.
