Our Featured Trips combine the classic elements of our Travel Programs with an added focus or theme that may fit your unique interests. Please see below for our current selection.

 

These Featured Trips offer the best cultural highlights of Bhutan with a twist that opens insight into not simply the landscape of Bhutan but the philosophy and world view that shapes the region. From an in-depth insight into Vajrayana Buddhism and Terton Pema Lingpa's "hidden terma" tradition with longtime teacher- translator (and close family friend) Sarah Harding to a Yoga expedition through the dramatic landscape of Bhutan with perhaps a short trek thrown in, these trips are wonderful opportunities for understanding the Bhutanese way of life.

Into Bhutan's Sacred Heart features a classic itinerary that takes us from the year's popular annual Tshechu festival in Western Bhutan to the spiritual heart of the kingdom.

The short October Interlude is designed for those short on time. We have put together the trip with as many of the highlights of the season as is possible without making the trip simply an exercise in travel freneticism. The Birds of Heaven bring us to Bhutan at a time when the elegant Black Necked Cranes return to their winter home in the Serene Phobjikha Valley. The year-end Sacred Birds and Mythic Tales is a great way to close the year with a splash of color and festivity amid the glittering Himalayas.

When you travel with us you are not merely passing through, but making intimate connections with Bhutan and its people. We take pride in crafting personal itineraries that reflect the widest, most enriching experience of Bhutan possible. Our adventures are authentic travel experiences that come from the heart and the spirit. Travel to Bhutan offers a lifetime opportunity to experience a way of life that is vanishing from the rest of the Himalayas. These journeys validate that opportunity.

Features: This is a wonderful opportunity to travel with a highly articulate and compassionate teacher. One of the first western women to be fully ordained as a lama in the Himalayan Shangpa Kagyu tradition, Sarah Harding lived much of her life in the region, studying with the renowned teacher Kalu Rimpoche. Her recent book The Life and Revelations of Pema Lingpa is available from Snow Lion Publications.

Into Bhutan's Sacred Heart

Features: The Thimphu or Wangdue Tshechu with an overland journey to the central valleys of Bumthang. A Trekking option is available for those seeking to combine this vibrant cultural journey with a classic Himalayan expedition. A comprehensive insight into the Bhutanese way of life, including festivities, remote villages and meetings with Bhutanese people from various walks of life.

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Yoga in the Himalaya

Features: Our Yoga Teacher Richard Manuputy has practiced and taught Hatha Yoga for over 25 years. His sparkling intellect, compasssionate spirit and quiet strength are living proof of Yoga's emotional, spiritual and physical benefits. Richard makes Yoga accessible in a way that is hard to find among today's studio-trained "gurus". Richard lives and teaches yoga in the multi-dimensional way it was meant to be.

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An October Himalayan Interlude

Features: This journey was originally designed for some friends who wanted a short journey with an opportunity to enjoy Bhutan at a tranquil break between festivals while taking advantage of the best weather of the season. Highlights include the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro, a stay in the beautiful valley of Phobjikha and an opportunity to visit the spectacular Gangtey Monastery.

Birds of Heaven

Features: Scheduled for late fall, this journey allows us to visit the home of the endangered Black Necked Cranes following their return from the Tibetan Plateau. We join locals, conservationists and bird lovers in a festival celebrating their gradual return to population stability. Includes an opportunity to speak with Bhutanese crane conservationists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature.

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Sacred Birds & Mythic Tales

Features: The spectacular year-end Trongsa festival, in the spiritual home of Bhutan's kings, the sacred cranes of Phobjikha and the valleys of Bumthang and Jakar. Experience the Bhutan Himalayas when the great peaks are at their glittering best. May be combined with a mid Himalayan trek into the bio-diversity rich Jigme Singye Wangchuck nature preserve.

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The Late Fall Festivals of Bumthang

Features: Seasonal festivities in Central Bhutan, hikes to burning lake, the Castle of the White Crane.