Mystical ShangrilaTravels · Thimphu, Bhutan
8 days · 7 nights · Festival

Tshechu Festival Tour

A tshechu is a religious festival and a family day out. Monks and laypeople perform masked dances that have hardly changed in centuries, and whole villages come in their finest clothes. This trip times your week around the Paro Tshechu in spring or the Thimphu Tshechu in autumn.

Plan this trip See the itinerary
Duration
8 days, 7 nights
Style
Private, with your own guide and driver
Activity level
Easy
Highest point
3,120 m at Tiger's Nest
Best season
Paro Tshechu (spring) or Thimphu Tshechu (autumn)
Starts & ends
Paro International Airport
  1. Paroarrive
  2. Thimphu2 nights
  3. Punakha1 night
  4. Paro4 nights · festival

Highlights

  • Masked cham dances in the courtyard of Rinpung Dzong
  • The dawn unveiling of the giant thongdrel on the last day
  • A guide who explains what each dance means as it happens
  • Punakha Dzong and the Dochula pass
  • The hike to Tiger's Nest

Day-by-day itinerary

Every trip is private, so we can change the pace, add a rest day or swap a hotel. This is the route we recommend, and a starting point for yours.

  1. Day1

    Arrive in Paro, drive to Thimphu

    Meet your guide at Paro airport. Afternoon at the Memorial Chorten and Buddha Dordenma.

    Drive about 1 hour · Overnight in Thimphu

  2. Day2

    Thimphu

    The traditional arts school, the Royal Textile Academy, the takin preserve and the weekend market. This is a good day to buy or borrow a gho or kira for the festival. Locals are delighted when visitors wear one.

    Overnight in Thimphu

  3. Day3

    Thimphu to Punakha

    Over Dochula to Punakha Dzong and Chimi Lhakhang.

    Drive about 3 hours · Overnight in Punakha

  4. Day4

    Punakha to Paro

    Morning walk to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, then drive back to Paro for the opening days of the festival.

    Drive about 4–5 hours · Overnight in Paro

  5. Day5

    Festival day

    A full day at the tshechu. Dances include the Black Hat dance, the dance of the stags and hounds, and the Dance of the Lords of the Cremation Grounds. The masked atsara clowns tease the crowd between dances. Your guide finds a good spot, explains each dance as it happens, and knows when to slip away for lunch.

    Overnight in Paro

  6. Day6

    Tiger's Nest

    A break from the crowds with the hike to Paro Taktsang. Go back to the festival in the late afternoon if you like.

    Walking 4–6 hours return · Overnight in Paro

  7. Day7

    The thongdrel at dawn

    Before sunrise on the final day, a thangka several storeys high is unrolled on the wall of the dzong. Seeing it is believed to bring merit, and the courtyard fills in the dark. Later, visit Kyichu Lhakhang, with a farewell dinner in a farmhouse.

    Early start · Overnight in Paro

  8. Day8

    Depart Paro

    Transfer to Paro airport.

    Transfer about 15 minutes

Tshechu dates follow the lunar calendar and change every year. Paro Tshechu usually falls in March or April and Thimphu Tshechu in September or October. Hotels and flights book up months ahead, so tell us early. For the Thimphu festival we reverse the route.

What's included

  • Bhutan tourist visa processing (visa fee USD 40)
  • Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) at the current government rate
  • Licensed English-speaking Bhutanese guide for the whole trip
  • Private vehicle with an experienced driver
  • Accommodation in government-certified hotels, twin or double room
  • All meals while in Bhutan, plus drinking water
  • Entrance fees for every monument and museum on the itinerary
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure

Not included

  • International flights to and from Paro (we can book them for you)
  • Travel and medical insurance
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Tips for your guide and driver
  • Laundry, phone calls and other personal expenses
  • Single-room supplement, if you travel alone

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Start planning your Tshechu Festival Tour trip

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