Breakfast will be served at 6am and we will leave the hotel at 7am sharp. Your journey ahead - enjoy a beautiful journey along a very windy but scenic drive east and after one hour reach the 10,000ft high pass of Dochula, with breath-taking views over the high peaks of the Eastern Himalayas, many over 23,000ft peaks. Quantities of prayer flags and 108 chortens mark the pass. You will have a chance to get out, take photos, walk around the chortens. Then we descend down the other side into the Punakha Valley, a long windy journey dropping over 6,000ft through leafy forests to a botanical garden for a break. Drive on to Punakha (winter home of the central monastic body), the unlikely old capital of Bhutan and visit its Dzong built in 1637, that much resembles a ship on the confluence of two rivers. The first King of Bhutan was enthroned here in 1907, and since then all the subsequent kings have received their crowns from Punakha Dzong. After lunch, we will engage in an archery match with locals using bamboo bows and arrows. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and it is played using both traditional bamboo arrows and bows as well as imported compound bows. The game will end with tea and local alcohol and we will drive to visit the local town and the sacred Chimi Lhakhang, known for blessings especially fertility. Few people including foreign visitors who could not conceive have been blessed with beautiful babies after visiting this monastery. After some refreshments, drive back towards Thimphu but stopping at Dochula pass for night halt at 10,000ft. You will enjoy unbelievable view of the Himalayas. Night halt Dochula hotel.
