Bhutan - Thimphu, Punakha, Paro in 6D/5N

Well, who does not want Happiness and it's even better if it is a place !

Bhutan is such a country where "Happiness is a Place".

It is considered one of the happiest country in the world.

We chose Bhutan for a family trip of 6 persons and took measures so that it does not get hectic for our parents who are senior citizens. Also, we selected only three cities this time - Thimphu, Punakha and Paro.

Hope we will again visit soon and explore more cities of Bhutan. Bhutan is so so beautiful and definitely a happy place.

We contacted Aster Tour and Travels for a conducted tour. They helped us customise our itinerary keeping in mind of our parents and also kept the trip budget friendly.

We decided to travel by train which is obviously budget friendly and the road from Phuentsholling to Thimphu is incredible !

We reached Hasimara (which is 18 km from Jaigaon) via KanchanKanya Express. Our driver - Deepak Da received us with a big welcoming smile on his face.

The drive to Jaigaon was beautiful.

Those beautiful tea gardens, the mighty Himalayas in front of us flanked by cobalt blue skies; everything was so serene.

We had lunch at the Vatika Restaurant just at the corner of the India-Bhutan gate on the Jaigaon side.

We finally entered Bhutan - Happiness is a Place.

We walked across the India-Bhutan gate and reached the Immigration centre in Phuentsholling.

Here we noticed one thing - Bhutan traffic is pedestrian first.

If you want to cross the road, then walk across the marked zebra crossing, the traffic will stop and wait patiently for you.

I had hardly heard honking on the Bhutan roads. Well they honk only to thank for giving way. Such kind people !

Our immigration process took about 30 mins and we started for Thimphu by 2 pm Bhutan time. You may want to buy a sim card for your trip in Bhutan in case you want to keep connected when on road, otherwise most of the hotels have WiFi.

Note : Bhutan follows GMT + 6.

The drive to Thimphu is around 147 km. It took around 5 hrs to reach our hotel.

We reached our hotel - at around 8 pm. The temperature was pleasant at 12°C.

We kept the first day for resting and went to bed to start our next day with full throttle.

We woke up and had a sumptuous breakfast at our hotel.

Thimphu is so beautiful.

The floating clouds over the mountains and sun rays streaking out of the cloud gaps. And our day started.

This is a must visit place, considered one of the most visited sacred places by the locals.

The Chorten flanked by the lush green grass and the tiramisu mountain ranges is picturesque.

This is one of the oldest temple in Thimphu. You will definitely feel a positive vibe when you visit this temple.

This is another place in Thimphu and you will probably spend maximum of your time relishing the view of the whole city from the Buddha Dordenma view point.

The gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue is about 169 m high.

The status was constructed to bring upon peace and happiness all over the world.

On our way towards Punakha the next day we visited Dochula Pass.

I was just taken aback by the significance of his place.

The Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortens are red-band or khangzang chortens; they are 108 in numbers.

These were built as a memorial in honour of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in the December 2003 battle against Assamese insurgents from India.

Locals call this chortens of victory.

After a drive of around 150 km, on the sides of Thimphu Punakha highway, you will see panoramic stretches of red/white rice fields. Such a charming and incredible view it is !

You will want to stop by and take pictures of these beautiful paddy fields.

The Punakha Dzong is considered the most beautiful Dzong in Bhutan. This Dzong looks enigmatic with the Punakha valley in the background. This has served as the capital till around 1955 and all the kings of Bhutan has been crowned here.

This is the longest Suspension Bridge in Bhutan built over the Po Chhu riven. The view is breathtaking.

We entered Paro and were already feeling hungry; had droolworthy Bhutanese food for lunch at Sonam Trophel Inn.

Our next stop was this.

The Paro airport is the one and only international airport of Bhutan.

The bird's eye view point gives you one spectacular view of the Paro valley with the meandering Paro river running through its bosom.

National Paro Museum is very important of you want to know about the culture, festival and Flora and Fauna of Bhutan.

To few of us, museums can be boring at times, but this one is a must.

After having hot chicken momos at Pejorling Dhaba at the corner of Paro market, we checked into our hotel - Dorjeeling, our abode for two days in Paro.

This is one of the famous dzong in Paro and is such picturesque at daytime and even during the night. The running Paro river in front of it adds to the enigma of this place.

This was our last spot for the day and we went back to our hotel to gear up for our final day in Bhutan.

One you cover around the first 1 mile, you will see dense trees and old brown oak trees.

Usnea Trichodea Lichen or Old Man's Beard Lichen will also be visible on the evergreen trees.

We read at the National Museum the previous day that this Usnea only grown when the air is of very high quality, as this is very sensitive to sit pollution.

Being a plant mommy, I was already in awe with the trail's beauty.

I wanted to bring home every saplings I see.

"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful Destination."

Tiger's Nest is majestic, how it has been built clinging to the high ranges is a master piece.

You have to see it to believe it.

Mountain cafe is very famous in Paro so it was in my bucket list.

We had Garlic Cheese Bread, Yogurt Cake and Milk Tea.

After an hour of souvenir shopping we went to My Kind id Place for our last dinner in Bhutan.