Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek – 18 days

Welcome to Paro! On arrival in Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek, your staff will pick you up at the airport.

You are only a few minutes away from your hotel, where you can rest and get over your trip.

When time allows, we can walk around Paro town during the evening, exploring the traditional architecture of Bhutan on the streets.

Your guide will inform you about your next trek, the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek, and get you all the required permits and equipment.

Have a welcome dinner of Bhutanese foods and have a good night’s rest in the hotel. The adventure in Bhutan is really starting tomorrow!

This day of the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek is focused on the process of acclimatisation and sightseeing of the most popular place in Paro.

In the morning, we walk to the famous Tiger Nest Monastery, which is located on a rocky cliff at an altitude of 3,120 m.

The hiking path goes up through a pine forest and a prayer flag trail and takes approximately 4-5 hours round trip.

We will go at a slow pace to enable your body to acclimatise to the altitude. When you get into the perspective, you will see the monastery hanging from the rock face. We enter the monastery and get to know about Guru Rinpoche and his legends.

The afternoon is at liberty after the descent and can be spent on some light sightseeing around Paro, like Paro Dzong or the National Museum. This acclimatisation day is to prepare you for the further days of trekking.

We have an early breakfast and then drive to the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong in the Paro Valley, which is the starting point of our trek. Here we find our trekking party and carry the equipment.

Our Bhutan Laya Gasa trek starts with a formal start, and firstly, after following a gently rising path along the Paro Chhu (river).

The road passes through fields of rich agricultural land and isolated hamlets and enters a pine and oak forest.

The road is also picturesque as the bird sings, and we can occasionally see snowy white mountains in the background.

Towards the end of the afternoon, we arrive at Shana, a clearing on the river. Your first night in camp will be with the starry Bhutan sky, and the sound of nature will put you to sleep.

The trail on this day of the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek goes upstream along the Paro River. Our beginning is by a valley of a river with rhododendron, birch, and fir.

The ground is now somewhat stiffer. There will be a few brief steep rises and a few sharp footings here and there where the path is rocky.

We eat a packed lunch by the river along the way. As we increase in elevation, the vegetation starts to become thin.

Assuming clear weather, we may get our first glimpse of Mount Jomolhari in the distance on the way.

We continue walking until we get to a meadow at Thangthangka. You’ll see there is a little hut of stone and a clearing, which is our camp. Mount Jomolhari may occasionally be spotted on a clear evening here in the sunset.

We begin our morning slowly climbing up, and as we come out of the tree line, the valley appears. Paro Chhu flows now in a broad U-shaped valley, and it is not unusual to see yaks grazing on scanty vegetation.

We pass Tegethang Valley, which is a winter refuge of nomadic herders, and we can see small yak herder huts. Watch out for the shepherds of blue sheep in the mountains, as the places are prone to wildlife sightings.

Within a few hours, the great mountain Jomolhari (7,314 m) enters the sight of view. By afternoon, we reach the base camp of Jomolhari, which is Jangothang.

It is a very beautiful campsite on the trek, and the Jomolhari and Jichu Drake mountains can be seen here.

We set up camp at about 4,040 m. Our hot meal is taken, and we are off to bed with majestic mountains behind us on our Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek.

We will have an acclimatisation day at Jangothang today. You can rest in bed and unwind, enjoying the fantastic mountain scenery, or you can go on a little excursion to become more acclimatised.

A common excursion is a walk to a ridge or a point of view that commands extensive views of Jomolhari and other nearby mountains. An alternative is to walk up to Tshophu Lakes when you feel like being active.

Always drink lots of water and have your rest. During the evenings, you can go to the camp of a yak herder in the neighbourhood, or you can just sit and watch the quietness. Tomorrow, fresh and new, we are carrying on our way.

The morning will be mostly an even ascent to our first high mountain pass on this day of our Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek. On the way up, move slowly, and enjoy the views as they change. Nyile La Pass at 4,890 m is reached around midday.

On the summit, the vistas are quite wide with the views of the Lingshi basin and the mountains around. The road that leads down the pass is switchbacking and somewhat steep in some spots.

In the Lingshi valley, we descend on the slopes of grass towards the village of Lingshi. The great Lingshi Dzong can be seen in the distance and was used to protect this trade route.

Late in the afternoon, we reach our Lingshi campsite. We will find some native people here and may even have a warm cup of butter tea.

Our day begins slowly because today the distance covered is less. We pass a village, Gom Yu, which is located between the ridge of the rocks, and then proceed through hilly land.

Close to Chebisa, there is a beautiful waterfall that flows down a limestone cliff, and the village is famous for it. It is early afternoon before we arrive at Chebisa.

Chebisa is a little village of rocky dwellings and acreage—a picturesque place that reminds one of the olden days.

Once you are in camp (around 3,850 m), there is time to have a look around. You may explore a local family or hike to the bottom of the waterfall to see excellent scenery.

Spend the night in a serene setting, with the relaxing natural noise during the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek.

We leave Chebisa and immediately begin to climb a steep uphill, which takes us to Gogu La Pass (about 4,400 m) during our Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek.

The climb over the grassy, hilly slopes may not be easy, but we do it slowly and steadily.

Rest here at the summit of the pass and have a glimpse at the scenes—as you look over your shoulder, you see Chebisa with a green bowl in it below.

We have lunch in a picturesque place and proceed with some ups and downs over ridges.

Late in the afternoon, we arrive in Shomuthang and pitch our camp. You can also view a fragment of the next big pass in the distance as seen from the campsite.

We start with an ascent through the alpine mountains after breakfast to Jare La Pass (4,785 m).

The line of trees disappears, and the grasses of the Alps take their place. As you arrive at the pass, you will be welcomed by prayer flags blowing in the wind.

We then drop down with a steep path through the forested valley of Tsarigathang, the summer playground of the takin, the national animal of Bhutan. Crossing a stream at the bottom of the valley, we have lunch and then have a little climb.

At last, we reach the rocky meadow of a river called Robluthang. This is our camp for the night.

It has been a long day, taking another pass, and we rest ourselves with a good supper and an early bed in the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek.

It is one of the most difficult yet memorable days of the Laya Gasa trek today. Our day begins very early, and we are faced with a long climb to the summit of our entire trip—Sinche La Pass, some 5,005 m.

The uphill is a tough one, and the air becomes thin. Little by little, we wade on to the summit of the pass, where a pile of prayer flags is dancing in the icy wind. The Sinche La and the nearby mountain ranges, such as Gangchhenta and other snow-covered peaks.

Then gradually we start going down. The valley then leads to a pastureland known as Lingmithang after several hours of descent. It is topped by the dramatic peak of Gangchhenta (6,840 m) as we head to camp.

Our camp is established on a field of grass near a river (about 4,140 m). Have a good dinner here in this beautiful place, and sleep after successfully crossing the highest pass.

It is not a very long distance today, and we have a unique aim to reach the village of Laya.

We go down the river in a beautiful valley. The path is running through wooded inclines, and the mosses and lichens on the trees are a hint that we are descending to a lower level.

As we approach Laya, prayer flags and some scattered huts are the signs that we are approaching civilisation once more. We cross Laya (3,800 m), the highest permanent settlement in Bhutan.

It is a lovely view with wood-and-stone houses with thatched roofs upon a hillside over the valley. We will camp close to the village. In the afternoon, you can do some sightseeing.

Layap people are warm and inquisitive; do not be surprised to see them pass by to greet you. You may go around the village and maybe come across locals dressed in their traditional wear of Layap.

We take an additional day to rest in Laya after a gruelling day of high-altitude trekking and the need to experience local culture.

It is an excellent occasion to get physically fit as well as get familiar with the Layap lifestyle. You can sleep in the morning or roam around the village.

We can go to a house in the area—you will have butter tea or aar (home-brewed liquor) and have an opportunity to witness life.

When you are in a lively mood, you can take a brisk walk about the place and have some magnificent views of the mountains and the valleys that Laya is hiding in.

Otherwise, just go and have fun in the sun and fresh air in the mountains. Trekkers usually have the time of their lives during this cultural rest day due to the memories of friendship and exchange.

Our goodbyes to our new friends in Laya send us back into the wilderness. This path out of Laya is very steep at the beginning and leads us down to the valley. We trace the path of one of the rivers (the Mo Chhu) a way.

When we lose altitude, the landscape turns green and fertile, and there are ferns and bamboo below—a reminder that we are heading to the lower, warmer regions.

Several hours later, we start ascending once more over ridge divisions that separate side valleys.

Today, there are several steep up and down climbs, so it is something of a roller-coaster walk. We reach the river at a campsite location, Koina (3,800 m), in the afternoon.

This is our farewell camp on the trek. The forest around is quite peaceful—enjoy it, and celebrate with your crew. The next day, we finished the trekking part, and off to Gasa!

Our last day of trekking starts with a consistent ascent to the last of the passes. We climb fir trees, bamboo trees, and oak until we come to a bamboo forest called Bari La Pass (or Bale La, 3,900 m). The top is marked by a little chorten and prayer flags.

The road down is a long one and may be painful to the knees, but the thought of a hot spring soak is what drives us! Our descent becomes increasingly rich in oxygen, and the vegetation becomes a semi-tropical forest.

We may have glimpses of Gasa Dzong on a mountain much below. In the afternoon, we reach Gasa Tshachu, the hot spring that is famous (around 2,200 m).

Here, trekkers have a favourite rest in the warm, mineral-bearing pools—a kind of blissful rest after two weeks of trail.

Our trekking crew accompanies us to breakfast, after which we part ways and jump into a vehicle as we drive to Punakha during our Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek. The trip by road is scenic, passing up and down mountain peaks and through forests.

When we enter the subtropical regions, we will find the climate is very different; it is more humid and warmer.

It is a few hours before we reach the former capital of Bhutan, Punakha. Go to your nice hotel and have a much-needed shower and sleep.

The afternoon will take us to the beautiful Punakha Dzong, which is one of the most beautiful fortresses in Bhutan and is situated at the meeting point of two rivers.

The sight of its great white walls and its highly painted wooden windows is worth seeing when framed by jacaranda trees.

The suspension bridge before the dzong also has nice views, and you can do a short walk.

We are going to the capital city of Bhutan this morning. Punakha roads lead to Dochu La Pass (3,100 m), whose 108 chortens (stupas) were constructed in honour of Bhutanese soldiers.

When the weather is clear, the Dochu La will provide a stunning panoramic view of the Himalayan range as the background of the chortens.

And, on arrival in Thimphu, we make a brief tour of the highlights of the city, the giant statue of the Buddha, and the Memorial Chorten.

In the late afternoon, we leave Thimphu and drive 1-1.5 hours back to Paro in another complete circle.

Have a goodbye dinner with your guide and driver in Paro. Consider the unbelievable paths that you have passed through—high mountain passes, hot springs, and Bhutan cultural heartlands. You have to be ready to go tomorrow and end our Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek here.

This is the time to bid farewell to the Kingdom of Bhutan after having breakfast. We take you to the airport of Paro International.

Say goodbye to your guide and driver and make one more glance at the surrounding mountains of Paro.

We wish that you have enjoyed the lifetime experience during the Bhutan Laya Gasa Trek. Safe journey!