Laya-Gasa Trek - 19 Days

Today you will enter the Land of Dragon. You have options to fly from several cities to Paro. You can fly from Bangkok, Delhi, or Kathmandu to Paro. The flight to Paro is beautiful as the aircraft comes closer to Paro, we get to see snowcapped Himalayan peaks and just after entering Paro Valley the view of Paro Dzong overlooking Paro River is great to view. On our arrival at Paro, we are cordially welcomed by our representative in Bhutan who will escort you to your hotel in Paro.

After breakfast, today we are going on a hike. A five-hour hike to and fro to a cliff-hanging monastery is probably the biggest highlight of the Short Cultural Tour of Bhutan. Taktsang Monastery is also known as Tiger’s Nest because of the myth that states the visit of Guru Rinpoche on a Tiger back nestles on a cliff that hangs 90m above Paro. We hike up to the monastery, explore around and hike back down to Paro for the lunch.

Post lunch, we visit Ta Dzong, the National Museum of the Kingdom. The monument was originally a Watch Tower. However, since 1967 it is a National Museum holding a huge collection of arts, artifacts, thangkas, and postal stamps. The final destination of the entire Short Cultural Tour of Bhutan is Ripung Dzong which also has a long significant history in Bhutan. Overnight in a hotel at Paro. Originally built as Watch Tower in 1967 it is acting as the National Museum of the country and holds a fascinating collection of art, artifacts, thangkha paintings, and Bhutan’s exquisite postage stamps. Then walk down the trail to visit Rinpung Dzong which has a long and fascinating history. While having a sightseeing tour of Paro, we would be preparing for the trek starting tomorrow.
Overnight in a hotel at Paro.

To begin the trek, we drive to Drukyel Dzong, which is a very short drive. As the Laya-Gasa Trek kicks off from Drukyel Dzong 2575m, it winds downhill along the wide-open trail. Further, we trek up through the wonderful landscapes that have beautifully carved terraced fields of rice and millet. Savoring the scenic view of Bhutanese farmlands, we come across the pleasant apple orchard, and beyond the orchard, our trek begins to traverse through a beautiful tropical forest. Trekking through the forest, we emerge at a wide valley and soon arrive at the Army Post at Gunitsawa (2810m). This Army post lies in close proximity to the Tibetan border. We continue to trek uphill to Sharma Zampa 2900m, which caters to many ideal campsites after the first day of the Choholhari Trek. Overnight in camp.

As we begin our Laya-Gasa Trek today, first we slide down to Paro River. Then we begin to trek upstream along the river. Climbing up and sliding down quite a few times through a beautiful forest comprising pine, oak, and spruce we cross the bridge over Paro River and get to a wide space on its left bank, where we have a picnic lunch. Post lunch, we continue to trek along the trail beside the river. At a point, we climb up into the wonderful rhododendron forest to listen to the pleasing gush of the Paro River. No wonder, we again descend down to the river and cross a bridge over it to reach our campsite at Soi Thangthanka. At the end of Day 2 on the Laya-Gasa Trek, we walked almost 20km, which is a challenging accomplishment. Overnight in a camp.

The third day of the Laya-Gasa Trek in Bhutan is yet another long day. Today we trek 19km. Starting the trek with the ascending uphill climb that extends for a couple of hours takes us to the Army Camp. Beyond the Army Camp, the walk is very pleasant. We chase the trail on the river bank, which has a beautiful treeline right above it. The striking views of the Himalayas including Mt. Choholmari come into our sight. We will enjoy our lunch in a well-located yak herder’s camp. After lunch, a wonderful hike through the wide valleys brings us to our campsite in Jangothang. The views of Mt. Jichu Drake and Mt. Choholmari are stunningly impressive from the campsite. Overnight in camp.

Jangothang is also known as Choholmari Base Camp. We rest at the camp for acclimatization. Acclimatization is required because next, we are getting as high as 4700m to the top of Nye-le La Pass. We can explore Tshophu Lake, and see around the yak herder’s camp in close proximity. Ask your guide for the best-suited option on this day.

After the rest day at our camp in Jangothang, we resume the Laya-Gasa Trek towards Lingshi. An 18km walk today is going to be fun. Beginning the trek, we hike along the trail at the bank of a gentle stream for almost thirty minutes to a bridge. We cross the bridge and get to the other bank of the stream. Crossing the stream an uphill climb on the ridge awaits us. We savor the magnificent views of Chomolhari, Jichu Drake, and Tserimgang while ascending over the ridge. After the strenuous ascent, we come across a leveled valley. Trekking along the valley floor, we gradually begin to gain altitude to the top of Nyele-La Pass 4700m. From the top of the pass we see the wonderful view of the valley we trekked to a few hours ago, mountains seem equally beautiful and the view of Lingshi Dzong is simply superb. We descend down from the pass to our campsite in Lingshi. Overnight in a camp

Relatively, the Laya-Gasa trek today is easier. Yesterday’s endurance to scale the elevation high up to the Lingshi Dzong, where we settled our camps savoring the magnificence of nature has granted us an easier trek day. Trek to Chebisa is wonderful to hike traversing through the villages and a few yak herder’s camps. We will enjoy our lunch in an open pasture and post lunch a short walk will bring us to Chebisa. We will set our camps on the bank of the small stream.

After breakfast, the trek begins. Today, we kick off trekking on a steep uphill climb over the ridge to Gombu La Pass 4,400m. The trek from Chebisa to the top of Gombu La Pass is a wonderfully challenging four hours hike. We will stop at the pass for a short breather and descend down through the rhododendron bushes to the stopover point, where we have our lunch. Post lunch, we traverse along the typical trekking trail in Bhutan. It goes up and down, crosses the river, follows the jungle trail and frequently emerges into yak herders’ camp all the way to Somuthang. On this part of trek, we may sight the herds of blue sheep down the pass. Overnight in a camp at Somuthang.

Today the Laya- Gasa Trek comes to the top of Jhari La Pass 4,700m and trekkers don’t have to wait long for that. We begin the trek today with the uphill climb that takes us to the top of the Pass. Let us have a short breather at the Pass and begin to descend down to Tsheri Jathang Valley. During the summer, the valley is an ideal home for Takin (Bhutanese National Animal). Beyond the valley, we cross the small stream that most of the time doesn’t have a bridge over it and begin to slide up on the left trail all the way to our campsite at Robluthang.

Accept the greeting of Gangchey Ta Peak, as you wake up in the morning, it sprawls right before your eyes. Enjoy breakfast, in the beautiful highlands of Bhutan and begin the trek. Today’s trek to Laya is incredibly wonderful. The trail most of the time winds through dense forest comprising moss and colorful singing birds. The views in the vicinity are exceptionally breathtaking and the walk itself is great fun. After 5 hours of pleasant walking, we arrive to Laya, which has the human settlement at the second-highest altitude in Bhutan. We will set our camps in an ideal location at Laya.

A free day in Laya is one of the prime highlights of Laya-Gasa Trek. We will explore the village and the vicinity. While exploring the cultural aspects of the village, you would be amazed to see the wonderful hats that the women of Laya wear. It is a conical bamboo hat adorned with different types of local ornaments. Ever smiling and hospitable people of Laya would definitely offer you the local beverage, which is pretty much effective to get high. In the evening, we would enjoy the traditional dances around the campfire with the local alcohol Ara and Chang. Enjoy the free day in Laya.

The latter half of Laya Gasa Trek continuously descends down. Today, we traverse the trail along the river valley. We trek up and down through the pleasant forest that has cascading waterfalls, gushing streams, a wide diversity of birds, and musk deer all the way down to Koina. It is a flat surface of land ideal for camping. Overnight in the camps at Koina.

We are almost at the end of Laya- Gasa Trek. Today, the second last day of the trek goes up to the top of Bari La Pass 3850m. From the Pass, the trail drops down continuously till trekkers arrive at the beautiful village of Gasa. Explore around the old Dzong in Gasa, grab a beer that has been available for weeks, and enjoy setting your camps in the open soccer field in Gasa. Then continue to slide down for one more hour to Gasa Tsachu, which has refreshing hot springs. Let all the trek exhaustion go during the hot spring bath and trek up to the camps.

The last day of the Laya-Gasa Trek continues to descend and ascend through the dense woodlands comprising wild orchids, and other beautiful flora species. Since the trek, today goes through the rainforest beware of leeches and keep your eyes open. We will trek up to Damji, from where we will be picked up in a comfortable vehicle and driven to Punakha. Overnight in a hotel at Punakha.

After breakfast, we set out to explore the city. Visit 17th century strategically built Punakha Dzong which survived several fires and earthquakes. The Dzong at the confluence of the Pho and Chhu Rivers is now absolutely restored. Explore the Dzong which holds significant history in this part of Bhutan. After a thorough exploration of the city, we drive to Thimpu, which is a 75 km drive across Dochu La Pass 3100m. On our arrival at Thimpu, we drive into our hotel in the city.

In Thimpu, we visit Trashichhoedzong, the beautiful medieval time fortress/monastery, which is now the Bhutanese government’s integral building holding many government offices and King’s throne. Trashichhoedzong is also the summer home of Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot in Bhutan. The cultural tour of Thimpu continues to the National Library which holds a wide array of ancient Buddhist texts and manuscripts. Explore Arts and Crafts School to witness the fantastic ongoing workshops of Thanka Paintings and encounter the living traditions of Bhutan at Textile and Folk Heritage Museums before lunch.
Post lunch, the sightseeing tour of Thimpu, takes you to the Handicrafts Emporium followed by a visit to Stupa of Memorial Chorten (monument built in the memory of Father of Modern Bhutan- the third king of Bhutan). After a thorough exploration of the Bhutanese capital, we drive to Paro, which is 75 minutes scenic drive. Overnight in the hotel in Paro.

Our representative will drive you to Paro International Airport on time so that you board a plane to your onward destination on time. Have a safe flight home and travel with Access Nepal.