Bhutan Luxury Trip for Families

Begin your extraordinary journey in Paro where you’ll meet the private guide who will accompany you for your entire trip. En route to your lodge, stop at Dungste Monastery to receive a blessing from a high lama; an auspicious ritual that's just one of many more to come. Settle into COMO Uma Paro, clasped by towering pines and evoking a traditional dzong. Dinner is served fireside in the ambient, timber pavilion dining room. 

Drive to Haa, a remote, ethereal valley visited by fewer than three per cent of all Bhutan travelers. Stop at Chelela Pass to hang prayer flags, then hike into the valley to enjoy a lunch of homemade hoentey (dumplings) in a family home. Later, arrive at your own exclusive-use camp, welcomed with song. Here, a dedicated hospitality team caters field picnics, gourmet dinners, and a bonfire Bhutanese whiskey tasting.

Use Haa Sangwa Camp as a base for cultural and outdoorsy adventures such as traditional darts and archery, and ranger-guided hikes. Soak in a natural hot spring, receive a personalized astrology reading, go catch-and-release fishing, track wildlife after dark, or joyride in an antique royal bodyguard jeep. This evening, watch a special Chendu Dance that depicts a Bonism deity, performed by the few remaining elders who still know it.

After a gentle morning bike ride, drive to Thimphu, Bhutan’s quirky capital—notably absent a single traffic light. A place where modernity collides with ancient spirituality, you might see crimson-robed monks walking past trendy coffee shops. Tour buzzing markets, stand in reverence before the Great Buddha Dordenma, or hike the Takin Trail to see Bhutan’s national animal. Join nuns in evening prayer before unwinding at the forest-fringed Postcard Dewa. 

Drive to Punakha, a lush, rice-terraced valley thread by two glacial rivers. En route, pause at Dochula Pass where 108 stupas memorialize fallen Bhutanese soldiers. Make andBeyond Punakha River Lodge your luxe refuge for the next three nights, sharing a spacious family villa. Between outings, enjoy on-site dotsho (hot stone baths) and archery. After sunset, gather for dinner served in a scenic spot outdoors.

After breakfast, cross the 590-foot-long Punakha suspension bridge, adorned in fluttering prayer flags. Then hike through serene fields and forests to reach the whimsical Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten where you’re rewarded with valley views. Later, your guide leads you through the hushed halls and courtyards of Punakha Dzong, widely considered Bhutan’s most photogenic monastery. Don’t miss a visit to the infamous Chimi Lhakhang, a fertility temple blessed by The Divine Madman.

This morning, grab a paddle to raft the Pho Chu River on an earned family adventure. Navigating the rapids, pass forested hillsides and the striking Punakha Dzong for a privileged, up-close view. Your afternoon is at leisure. Pedal mountain bikes through villages preserved in time, meet the nuns of Sangchhen Dorji Lhendrup Lhakhang, or connect with Bhutan’s next generation at Gakhid Village School.

Drive to Gangtey. Your first stop is Gangtey Goenba Monastery, seat of the Pema Lingpa Terton tradition. Trail your guide through candlelit prayer rooms and decorated halls, meeting the young minds studying to become Nyingma monks. This afternoon, settle into the soulful Gangtey Lodge, perhaps visiting the spa. Post up on the terrace for breathtaking Phobjikha Valley views: a broad valley floor of meadows, wetlands, and streams hugged by conifer-blanketed hills. 

After breakfast, a family walk along the Gangtey Nature Trail winds through the valley, traces boardwalks, and dips into tranquil pine forest. In season, spy revered black-necked cranes wintering in the valley. Otherwise, meet Pema and Karma, residents of the Black-Necked Crane Centre. Later, you’re invited into a monastery for a monk-led blessing ceremony and butter lamp offering. Family dinner is privately served in a rustic woodshed, warmed by a Bukhari stove. 

A half-day drive returns you to Paro, with a scheduled pause in Lamperi Park to plant tree saplings with Green Bhutan, a non-profit. Your two-night sanctuary is Zhiwaling Heritage Hotel, laden with hand-painted woodcarvings, ornate patterns, tapestries, and a fantastical facade. Attend a Bhutanese tea ceremony, practice yoga in the meditation house, or splash in the heated pool. This evening, dine privately as a family at Gawa Restaurant. 

Clinging to the side of a cliff thousands of feet above the floor of the Paro Valley, Tiger’s Nest Monastery is one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world. A moderately challenging hike leads your family to the monastery and rewards with spectacular views.  Upon arrival, enter the sacred cave, take tea, and enjoy high lama-guided meditation. Back at the hotel, soothe your muscles with an herb-infused hot stone bath. 

Your journey into this mountainous kingdom comes to a gentle close. Your family is collected at the lodge and transferred back to the airport. Part ways with your Bhutanese guide-now-friend. Board your international flight home or continue your onward journey.