Darjeeling & Bhutan - The Last Himalayan Kingdom - Himalayan magic & mysteries

Himalayan magic & mysteries

The contrasting British Raj cities of Kolkata and Darjeeling bookend an unforgettable visit to an extraordinary Himalayan Shangri-La. Join this very special small-group tour to one of the most remote corners of the world. Spend a week in the tiny but mesmerising country of Bhutan, where success is measured in Gross National Happiness instead of GDP, and where the traditions of Buddhism are never overrun by the modern world. Explore Kolkata, a vibrant city once the capital of the Raj, and relax in the cool surroundings of the famous hill station of Darjeeling.

Highlights

Spend two days in Kolkata - capital of the British Raj
Travel through the foothills of the Himalaya
Discover Paro Taktsang - the Tiger's Nest Monastery
Take in the view of the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, from Buddha Point
Travel over Dochula Pass, with its 108 Buddhist chortens
Discover Punakha, Bhutan's ancient capital
Beautiful, riverside Paro
The unforgettable landscape as we travel to the border town of Phuntsholing
Watch the sun rise over towering Kanchenjunga
Visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Travel through the foothills of the Himalayas to Darjeeling
Kolkata's sights, including the glorious Victoria Memorial

Inclusions

11 nights' dinner, bed and breakfast accommodation at hotels in Kolkata (2 nights), Thimphu (2), Punakha (1), Paro (2), Phuntsholing (1), Darjeeling (2) and Delhi (1), plus one night on the aircraft
Six lunches
Return flights to Kolkata, returning from Delhi
Internal flights from Kolkata to Paro, and from Bagdogra to Delhi via Dubai
Air-conditioned coach travel and transfers throughout
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager

Day 1

Fly to Kolkata via Dubai.

Day 2

Arriving in the morning, meet your tour manager and transfer to the luxurious Oberoi Grand Hotel. Enjoy the chance to rest and relax, and a first dinner at the hotel. You'll land in Kolkata in the mid-afternoon. Your tour manager will meet you at the airport, and you'll be transferred to the luxurious Oberoi Grand Hotel. Take the chance to rest and relax, and, later, enjoy your first dinner at the hotel.

Day 3

Today's tour will introduce the city, known as Calcutta throughout its time as the headquarters of the British Raj. See the majestic domed General Post Office, the Marble Palace, the Victoria Memorial beside the green expanse of the Maidan, and other remnants of Empire around Dalhousie Square. See Howrah Bridge (one of the world's longest cantilever bridges) and explore the vast bustle of the Malik Ghat flower market just beyond, and the Mother House - final resting place of Saint Teresa.

Day 4

Landing in Paro, Bhutan's only international airport, you'll enter a landscape unlike any you've experienced before. Brightly coloured prayer flags flutter on the hillsides, temples and white-walled dzong fortresses rise from the slopes, and the people around you wear colourful robes, embroidered jackets and long, sash-like scarves whose colour denotes social standing. Your Bhutanese tour manager will meet you at the airport and you'll follow the valley roads to Thimphu, the nation's capital. Relax or explore the city, then join your guide for a sunset drive to 'Buddha Point' in Kuensel Phodrang Nature Park above the city, where a serene 51-metre-high Golden Buddha sits overlooking the southern approach to Thimphu.

Day 5

A fascinating day in Thimpu includes private visits to a weaving centre, a handicrafts emporium and the hilltop Zilukha Nunnery. See the golden-spired National Memorial Chorten (a shrine commemorating the life of Bhutan's third Dragon King ruler) and the monumental Tashichho Dzong, the country's seat of government since 1968.

Day 6

Journey over the 10,000ft Dochula Pass, past its 108 ceremonial Buddhist chortens, and from which the clear-weather views of the Himalayan range are spectacular. Take a short hike to Chimi Lhakhang, a 15th-century Buddhist monastery dedicated to Bhutan's "Divine Madman" Lama Kunley and famous for its vivid (even graphic) decorations and unique fertility blessings. In the afternoon, you'll arrive in the former capital, Punakha, which stands in a beautiful valley dominated by the striking Punakha Dzong.

Day 7

Head back through the breath-taking Himalayan scenery to the Paro Valley. We'll spend two nights here, exploring a landscape dotted with temples, dzongs and elegant wooden houses. After lunch, enjoy guided tours of the National Museum of Bhutan, the fascinating Rinpung Dzong and the Seventh-century Kyichu Lhakhang monastery - one of the oldest temples in Bhutan.

Day 8

One of your tour’s most indelible memories will come on today's hike to see Taktsang Lhakhang, the Tiger’s Nest. Clinging impossibly to the cliffs, 900 metres above the forested valley, the monastery is Bhutan's most iconic, sacred landmark, and was built on the spot where the Guru Rinpoche, who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan, is said to have meditated after arriving on the back of a flying tigress. As we descend back into the valley you'll stop at a nearby farm for the chance to take traditional butter tea with a Bhutanese family.

Day 9

Spend another day travelling through Bhutan's verdant, mountainous countryside. We'll stop for lunch before continuing south to Phuntsholing, where the ornately carved and coloured Bhutan Gate marks the border between the mountain kingdom and India.

Day 10

Crossing back into India, we'll wind our way through the foothills of the Lesser Himalaya to Darjeeling. Here, amid the green patchwork of tea-plantations and beneath the distant vastness of some of the world's highest mountains, this elegant, genteel, Victorian watering hole continues to welcome visitors from across the globe. Check in to your hotel, then perhaps take a stroll around Chowrasta, Darjeeling's traffic-free mall, before dinner.

Day 11

Weather permitting, you'll have the chance to take an early morning trip to Ghum, this morning, to round of your tour of the Himalayas with the astonishing sight of the sun rising above distant Everest, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill. After breakfast, we'll board the Toy Train and ride to Ghum's ancient monastery, before returning to Darjeeling for the afternoon. Why not finish your time here by paying your respects to the grave of Sherpa Tenzing at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, or shop for local handicrafts at the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre, where you can buy handicrafts from crafts-folk or simply take tea in an elegant garden?

Day 12

Today we'll head to Bagdogra Airport and fly west across India to Delhi where we'll spend our final night in a comfortable overnight hotel close to the airport.

Day 13

Transfer to the airport to board your day-time flight home via Dubai, arriving back in the UK late this evening.

Further Information

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately one hour.

Passports and visas for India

British citizens require machine-readable passports when travelling overseas. Your passport must contain two blank pages and be valid for 180 days after your return date from India. A visa is also required for entry to India. Full details of how and when to apply will be sent out about eight weeks before departure. British CITIZENS and some other European nationals satisfying certain conditions may use the online e-Tourist Visa application process at a cost of $75 (US) per person. Other British passport holders, who are not British CITIZENS, must apply for a full visa which costs £112. You may also, at extra cost, use the services of CIBT, our recommended visa handling partner, who will handle the whole process for you. Note that all travellers of Pakistani descent, regardless of citizenship, will generally be subject to more detailed processing by the Indian authorities, which can take up to four months from application.

Passports and visas for Bhutan

We will take care of your visa application for entry to Bhutan and will require a colour, scanned copy of the photo page of your passport, which must be valid for six months after your departure from Bhutan. Please email this to aviation@newmarket-group.co.uk.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

On your flight

On-board meals will usually include dinner and breakfast on outbound flights, and lunch and a snack on the flight home. Drinks are complimentary.

Luggage allowance

You are permitted to take one suitcase per person on the aircraft, which should not exceed 20kg.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made. In many developing countries access is sometimes not as easy as at home. Should you have walking difficulties, getting around monuments and attractions may be harder and, in some cases, impossible. Should you have any concerns whatsoever please do contact us prior to travel.

Travel vaccinations

Requirements and advice can vary over time, and from person to person, so please contact your GP about eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or any other preventive measures.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Road Conditions

In developing countries road networks are continually being improved and expanded, which can mean that, from time to time, roadworks and rough road surfaces can extend journey times. Some journeys are made on winding mountain roads and passes, which may also make for slow travelling - although the scenery is usually worth it! Many roads do not have separate pavements or safety barriers, and great care should be taken when crossing or walking alongside roads.

Changes to your hotels

Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.

Room 1

Room 2

Room 3