Day 01:: Arrive Paro
Arrive Paro where you will be met by our representative. Transfer to hotel. During lunch you will review your travel plans for the next two weeks and exchange ideas for photo opportunities and equipment.

Your first excursion will be to the National Museum, once the watch tower for the Rinpung Dzong, located high on a promontory overlooking the Paro Valley. This is to familiarize you with the cultural and natural history of this amazing kingdom in the clouds. TheNational Museum is the very best way to learn the culture since it houses everything that is Bhutanese, in a very different museum style that will delight you. Constructed in 1645, the Rinpung Watchtower was converted to the National Museum in 1968. While photography within the museum is not allowed, there are numerous photo ops of the exterior and the valley below.

Drive 10 miles up a narrow mountain road to the Drugyel Dzong, a historic fortress built in 1646 to commemorate the defeat of Tibetan invaders. Though reduced to ruins by fire in 1950, Drugyel holds great historical significance, for it was from this site that the Bhutanese repelled numerous Tibetan invasions in the 17th and 18th centuries. Drugyel translates to, "Victorious Bhutanese Fort." From here, we will photograph panoramic views of Jumolhari Mountain (Mountain of the Goddess) above and the upper Paro Valley below.

Drive back to Paro for afternoon tea in a local restaurant, then walk along the Paro Chu (River) to take pictures of Rinpung Dzong and the watchtower above. Here you will have photo ops of the covered foot bridge over the river, the huge wooden gate leading to the bridge, and the interior of the dzong. Built in 1645, this massive building now houses the District Administration Office and the Monk Body. A flagstone path leads to the dzong, rising gradually from the bridge that is abutted by two guard houses. The central tower, called the "Utse" of the Dzong, is clad in superb woodwork and is considered to be the nation's most beautiful tower. Dinner and overnight at Hotel.

Day 02 :: Paro - Thimphu
Early morning departure to Chelila Pass (45 mins) at 12000 feet. This pass provides a panoramic view of the northern and western Himalayan mountain ranges as well as Haa and Paro Valleys, and with the magic light of sunrise breaking over the Himalayas, you canll photograph the spectacular mountain and forest scenery. After packed breakfast at the pass, take the road to Thimphu, a 2-3 hour drive. After lunch at your Thimphu hotel, stop at the weekend open-air market where farmers and merchants meet to sell their crops and wares. The market is alive with photo opportunities: red hot-peppers weighed on centuries-old scales; a weathered old man spinning a prayer wheel while he hawks strings of rock-hard yak cheese; a mother feeding watermelon to a baby strapped to her back.

Late in the afternoon you will visit the National Takin Reserve, where a herd of Bhutan's national animals reside. Legend has it that the takin is a cross between a goat and a buffalo, but biologists agree that its nearest relative is the arctic musk ox. This bizarre beast looks as if it was assembled from parts of several animals and vaguely resembles an American bison tinged in golden fur. Male takins have been known to hide by laying spread-eagle on the ground! Since many publishers search for images of rare and endangered species in their natural habitat, this opportunity will excite photographers who look to sell to stock houses and publishers.

Dinner with Sonam (your local host) at her residence. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 03 :: Thimphu
Take an early morning walk from your hotel to the Zangtoepelri Temple (Paradise Temple) in the center of Thimphu. Here you will photograph pilgrims who have labored on foot over high mountain passes to worship and seek blessings from Buddhist monks. Local residents flock here in the morning to chant their daily prayers as they walk clockwise around the Temple, spinning prayer wheels as they pass fragrant columns of smoke from smoldering juniper branches that carry a stream of prayers to the mountain deities. Bring a tripod and fast film--sunlight doesn't hit here 'til late morning.

After breakfast at the hotel, leave for Tango Monastery, the residence of the Druk Desi Gyaltsen Tenzin Rabgye, a nine-year-old spectacled boy who is the reincarnate of the 16th-century monk who built Tango. Be prepared for a vigorous 45-minute climb into the clouds. From the top of Tango (means horse, for the horse-head-like rock formation on the side of the mountain) you will photograph distant monasteries through a forest of colorful prayer flags and the interior courtyard of the monastery. (Horses are available for those who don't feel they want to make the climb.) After your descent enjoy a boxed lunch on the banks of the Thimchu (Thimhu River) next to the picturesque Cheri Zam (Cheri Bridge.) This covered wooden footbridge is one of only a handful of traditional suspension bridges left in the Himalayas.

In the afternoon return to Thimphu where your guides and drivers are available to take you (individually or in small groups) anywhere you desire. You can visit the textile museum, incense-making factory, paper factory for handmade paper or Trashichhodzong, the impressive secretariat building which houses the throne room and the central monastic body. You can also just roam the main streets to discover the small shops. All of these "factories" and shops are very small with only a few employees.

Evening dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel

Day 04 :: Thimphu - Punakha/Wangdue Wake up early if you wish, roaming the streets of Thimpu, perhaps returning to the Paradise Temple. After breakfast at 9 am (we schedule a late breakfast so you can roam the streets, on your own or with a guide, taking photographs.), you begin your journey to the East, en route stopping at Dochula Pass (10500 ft) for tea and biscuits and enjoy your first view of the eastern Himalayan mountains. In this district it is common to see yaks and their herders, which are great subjects in the sun or shrouded in clouds.

Then it's on to Wangduephodrang--shortened to Wangdue by the locals--where the most prominent feature is the Wangdue Dzong, visible from your hotel room window as it sits on a mountain spur commanding an archer's view of two rivers. Check in at Dragon's Nest Resort.

After lunch, visit Punakha Dzong where we have obtained special permission to photograph the interior. Built in 1637 between the confluence of the Po Chu (male river) and Mo Chu (female river), this fortress is the winter residence of Bhutan's spiritual leader, the Je Khenpo or Head Abbot, and the central Monk Body (350 monks in total). It is fronted by majestic jacaranda trees that should be in bloom during spring season, with purple flowers framing the dzong's elaborately hand carved and painted windows.

On the way back from Punakha, hike to Chhi-Med (means "no dogs") Lhakhang in the picturesque Lobesa valley. Visit the temple of one of Bhutan's foremost saints, the Buddha Drukpa Kunley, affectionately known as the Divine Madman. The phallic paintings on the exterior walls of Bhutanese houses are attributed to the Divine Madman for his skill in warding off evil deities using ribald sexuality and outrageous behavior. Opportunities for photographing these paintings are abundant throughout Bhutan and signs of the Divine Madman's popularity are everywhere, especially around new construction sites where phallic carvings keep away harmful spirits. Dinner and overnight at Hotel

Day 05 :: Wangdue - Trongsa
After breakfast, leave for an 8-hour drive to Trongsa taking the only road that traverses the country. Along the way visit the winter residence of the second king of Bhutan and make numerous stops to photograph the rugged countryside and cultural sights that unfold at every turn of the narrow, twisting highway. Photo opportunities are endless as scenes unfold around every turn of the mountain road. Overnight at the Lodge.

Day 06 :: Trongsa - Bumthang
After an early breakfast, visit the Trongsa Dzong and its imposing watchtower. Trongsa Dzong represents Bhutan's link with its historical monarchy since it was here that the first hereditary monarch of Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuk, was enthroned in 1907. This is also the investiture site for future kings ascending the Golden Throne of Bhutan. You can photograph its remarkable succession of street-like corridors, wide stone stairs and beautiful stone court yards. Trongsa Dzong represents the very best opportunity to capture the true essence of Bhutanese monastic and parliamentary architecture. Here, 25 Lhakhangs (small temples, among which is the oldest lhakhang in Bhutan--the Chorten Lhakhang, built by Yongzin Ngagi Wangchuk in 1543) house sacred images and religious relics. Intricate wood carvings and beautiful frescos are emblazoned on the walls and pillars. With a little patience, monks will walk in and out of your frame as you photograph these remarkable and rare structures.

After lunch, leave Trongsa and head to Jakar in the central district of Bumthang, a 4-5 hour drive to the east. On the way you will go over Yotongla Pass and get your first glimpse of the Black Mountains. You can also make numerous stops to photograph yaks and their herders, alpine flowers, lovely picturesque villages, and other roadside and panoramic scenes. This drive between Trongsa and Bumthang is the most scenic and exciting leg of our journey into the clouds, as you cross rivers and streams and pass a chorten with water-driven prayer wheels and colorful rock carvings.

An hour outside of Bumthang, just after crossing the Yotongla pass, you make your first sighting of the golden-roofed Jakar Dzong, known as the Castle of the White Bird, with the Chamkar river cascading in one continuous waterfall down through the valley beneath. You will want to use your long lens to capture this scene, then use it again from Jakar looking back at the road you were just on, which is carved out of the solid stone mountain. Overnight at Bumthang River Lodge in Jakar village

Day 07 :: Bumthang
Take a 30 minute hike to Thangbi village for spectacular photography of the valley and village followed by a visit to Tamshing Monastery, where paintings and murals (that have not been touched since the 14th century) are housed. We can also arrange to schedule a rare attendance at the evening prayers and tea with monks and villagers. Dinner and overnight at Bumthang Lodge.

Day 08 :: Bumthang
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Day 09 :: Bumthang
Another day at the Jambay Lhakhang Festival photographing the masked dances and the cultural scenes and frivolity that never seem to end. You are welcome to enter the temple, roam the adjacent village, or just sit in our special ringside tent and enjoy the festival.

In the evening, visit a farm house for local hospitality. Your guides will build a bonfire and village girls will come and sit with you and your guides, exchanging cultural experiences over butter tea and Ara, the native alcoholic drink. You are invited to participate in the revelry and spend the evening dancing around the fire and singing Bhutanese folk songs. (You won't need much coaxing after a few cups of Ara!) Overnight at the Lodge.

Day 10 :: Bumthang - Wangdue
After an early breakfast, leave Bumthang to retrace your route, returning to Wangdue. Even though you are on the same road, you will be surprised to find the return drive just as interesting because new and different scenes still unfold on every turn. You will get the feeling you have not been there before because of the numerous changing scenes.

Day 11 :: Wangdue - Thimphu
After breakfast, you complete the return drive to Thimphu arriving for lunch. You are then free to take a guide and roam the streets of Thimphu, Bhutan's capital and largest city with 45,000 residents. By western standards and compared to other Bhutanese centers of commerce, Thimphu is the only center that rates being called a city.

There are no traffic lights here--one was installed and quickly removed after citizens complained--but there are two traffic huts in the center of the main road that provide shade for white-gloved policemen who wave their arms in slow motion, reminiscent of tai chi. Small shops line the street, mostly catering to the locals. There are a few "tourist shops" but you must seek them out. Enjoy the time to yourself. Dinner at a Thimphu restaurant. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 12 :: Thimphu Sightseeing
Drive to Cheri Bridge to begin your gentle climb to Cheri Monastery, another Buddhist college in the tradition of Tango Monastery. Cheri was built in 1619 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who also built the oldest standing dzong in Bhutan, Simtokha Dzong.

After lunch, visit Zorig Chuksum, the School for Thirteen Arts and Crafts. This institute was established in 1971 and students from across Bhutan come to learn the traditional arts and crafts. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel

Day 13 :: Thimphu - Paro
After breakfast, check out and drive to Paro where you spend the morning hiking or riding horses up a forested path to Taktsang Monastery, also known as Tiger's Nest. This is Bhutan's most famous and scenic icon. The climb is steep and takes about 4 hours round trip, but you will be aided by sure-footed ponies to carry our photography gear and your guides to urge you on.

An important place of pilgrimage and refuge for more than 1200 years, Taktsang Monastery clings to sheer cliffs two-thousand feet above Paro Valley. From our closest vantage point on a rocky ledge directly across from it, you will still need 200-300 mm lenses and a steady tripod to get tight photographs. This sacred place got its name when Guru Rimpoche rode there on the back of a flying tiger and meditated in a cave behind the present day monastery. In 1998, the central temple was destroyed by fire, leaving the country in mourning for their holiest of spiritual places. But religious leaders and the King quickly developed a plan to rebuild Taktsang and donations started pouring in from Buddhist centers all over the world and today, the magnificently rebuilt exterior is complete. Tiger's Nest is once again the subject of cloud-shrouded posters that say, "Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon." Picnic lunch on the mountain.

After your descent, spend a few hours roaming the small town of Paro.Visit a farm house to enjoy one of Bhutan's most unique ancestral inventions, the hot stone bath followed by dinner at the farm house. Overnight at hotel

Day 14 :: Depart Paro
Transfer to the airport for you onward flight. End of services.