Thunder Dragon Adventure

Arrive Paro. We’ll meet you at the airport and bring you to our hotel. If there’s time we’ll take a short ride to the famous Drukgyel Dzong. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and includes the National Museum, housed in an old watchtower above the palace. Possibly head into Paro town and walk around before our Welcome Dinner.

We’ve time to catch up on anywhere we missed yesterday before heading off on a short day’s ride. Setting off from our hotel we ride past the airport and follow the river valley to Chhuzom Bridge. Crossing the bridge we then follow another valley up to Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan, arriving in the early afternoon, giving us time for some sightseeing (zoo, museums, dzong, markets) and a little time for exploring on your own. We’ll also try and arrange a meeting with a member of the Royal family. Thimpu’s nightlife is not to be missed this evening!

This morning we have time to explore the capital city, and maybe take a tour of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck Memorial Chorten with a Bhutanese guide. After lunch in a local restaurant, we get on our motorcycles and climb out of Thimphu on a twisting mountain road to Dochu La pass at 3100 m. There are prayer flags everywhere on the summit and panoramic views of the magnificent Himalayas and giant peaks of Lunana. The road then descends over 1700 m in 26 km, past the Royal Botanical Gardens to Punakha. We’ll visit the Punakha Dzong and suspension bridge (for the brave) before arriving at our hotel.

From Punakha we head south on a new road to Gelephu, near to the Indian border. In the morning we set off following the river before taking a twisting mountain pass at the White-Bellied Heron Conservation Centre and down to the Indian border. The land is flatter here as we follow the border to Gelephu. This is a full day’s ride, and the scenery becomes more and more beautiful throughout the day.

We ride along beautiful, narrow, twisty roads through the foothills and along the Manas river to Panbang, with a couple of passes thrown in for good measure! Not many people venture in this direction and it is unparalleled for its nature and beauty.

Today we retrace our tracks north to Zhemgang and continue up the valley into ever-increasing hills and waterfalls, arriving in Trongsa for the night.

This morning we explore the Trongsa Dzong. Leaving the dzong, after crossing Nikka Shu bridge the road is carved out of the side of the cliff above the Mangde Chu River, rising 1500 m through forest and bamboo to Pele La, at 3300 m, where we’ll see yak grazing and views of the Chomolhari range. After cresting Black Mountain, we take a more mellow ride into the famous valley of the Black-Necked Cranes. In spring this is a flowering forest, in the autumn the black necked cranes come from Siberia to over-winter.

Continuing west, to Wangdue, we then pick up the road from Punakha to Thimpu for lunch. Our afternoon ride brings us back to Paro. We’ve ridden much of this route before, but with all of its twists and turns and changing vistas, it all seems new from the other direction.

This morning we take a ride and a hike to the world-famous Taktsang – Tiger’s Nest – Monastery. In the afternoon we have time to relax in the hotel gardens or explore the valley. We celebrate the end of this amazing adventure with our Farewell Dinner this evening.

Transfer to airport for your onward travel arrangements. You’ll have plenty of fantastic memories of your Bhutan Thunder Dragon Adventure motorcycle tour to reflect on.