BhutanBike & Culture

:: Day 1 = prologue
Start cycling
get the first feeling on the bike and the condition in a sea level of 2.200 m

:: PARO
The Paro valley is more than beautiful. it is visually stunning and historically fascinating. This beautiful terraced valley is home to many oldest temples. Bhutan's only airport is located also in this valley. The national museum located in the watchtower
The TAKTSANG monastery, on a cliff which is 900 m above the valley, is also here. It will be visited on the last day of our tour

:: RINPUNG DZONG
This is known as the fortress of the heap of jewels. It was built during the time of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1646. The approach to the dzong is through a traditional covered cantilever bridge. A walk through the bridge to the dzong, over a stone inlaid path, offers a good view of the architectural wonder of the dzong as well as life around it
The TA watch tower overlooks this dzong

:: TA DZONG
Located on a ridge, overlookingthe RINGPUNG dzong and the PARO valley, it is built as a watch tower. Unlike the rectangular shape of the dzongs, the TA dzong is conical, more like that of a European castle. Since 1967 the dzong was re-established as the national museum and holds a fascinating collection of arts, relics, religious thangka paintings and Bhutan's exquisite postage stamps
National Museum, Tuesday - Saturday, 09:00 am - 05:00 pm

:: DRUKGYEL DZONG
This dzong, with a delightful village nestling at its foot, was built in 1646 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to commemorate his victory over the Tibetan invasions. Druk means the land of the thunder dragon or the land of dragon people; gyel means victory. The dzong caught fire in 1951 and now it only remains as ruin. This dzong is built at a strategic point where the route from Tibet enters the PARO valley. Later when the invasions ceased, this route was used for trade between Tibet and Bhutan.
On a clear day, one can see the beautiful view of the majestic mountain JOMOLHARI (7.314 m) from the village, below the dzong

:: KYICHU LHAKHANG
Highlight of the day. This is one of the 108 temples built by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gyampo in the 7th century to subdue the ogress that lay across the whole of the Himalayas. Later in 1968, her majesty, the royal grandmother Ashi Kezang Choden Wangchuk , built a second temple alongside the first one, in the same style. Inside the courtyard, there is an orange tree that bears fruits, which is quite amazing because no where in the valley you can find orange trees bearing fruits with the exeption of one more temple
Songtsen Gampo was said to have magically multiplied himself and to have sent all of his emanations into the various areas of Tibet so as to erect 108 temples in one day. Towering over the heart of the demon there is the famous Jokhang-Temple in Lhasa (Tibet). The demon’s left knee is held by the JAMPEY Lhakhang of Bumthang and her left sole is fixed by the KYICHU Lhakhang in Paro

 

:: PROFILE of the first day
36 km distance, 16 km uphill, 16 km downhill
Typical time 02:30 hours - stage of tomorrow: day 2