PhotoTreks with Lester Ledesma

Welcome to Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Touching down at Paro International Airport, you will be greeted by your guide upon exiting the arrival hall.  After driving to Thimphu for our hotel check-in, you'll have a first taste of Bhutanese cuisine at a local restaurant. A short photography orientation on Bhutan follows before we begin our exploration of the capital. The day's subjects include the very traditional Centenary Farmers Market, and the Thimphu Dzong – a castle-fortress that is the country's seat of power. In the evening we will take a look at our images for the first or our nightly photography discussions.
 

Upon arrival at the airport, you will be greeted by staff from COMO Uma Paro who will assist with the 10-minute transfer to the property. After checking in and spending some time settling into your new surroundings, we will take you on your first foray into the Himalayan Kingdom, with sightseeing in Paro town and a temple visit. This afternoon trip allows you to acclimatise to the rarefied air at this altitude and to get to know your guide. Overnight: COMO Uma Paro

Upon arrival at the airport, you will be greeted by staff from COMO Uma Paro who will assist with the 10-minute transfer to the property. After checking in and spending some time settling into your new surroundings, we will take you on your first foray into the Himalayan Kingdom, with sightseeing in Paro town and a temple visit. This afternoon trip allows you to acclimatise to the rarefied air at this altitude and to get to know your guide. Overnight: COMO Uma Paro

We'll begin the day with a morning visit to the Changangkha Monastery. Built in 12th century, this is the oldest temple in Thimphu. It sits on a ridge overlooking scenic views of Thimphu, and houses the Chenrizig: an 11-headed, thousand-armed manifestation of Avolokitesawara as its central statue. Afterwards, we'll take a 3-hour drive to Punakha, and spend the afternoon at Punakha Dzong, built in 1637, the dzong continues to be the winter home for the clergy, headed by the Chief Abbott, the Je Khenpo. It is a stunning example of Bhutanese architecture, sitting at the fork of two rivers, portraying the image of a medieval city from a distance. If time permits, we'll set up to take shots of the Dzong as the evening light sets in. Dinner is followed by a slideshow of the images our participants have taken.
 

Today's adventure starts at the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang Nunnery. Situated on a hilltop overlooking the valleys of Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang, this magnificent structure houses a population of Buddhist nuns. Later on we'll have lunch and spend the afternoon at the farming village of Metshina, home to scenic rice terraces on a picturesque valley. We'll also do a light trek to the Chhimi Lhakhang, a 15th century temple built in honor of the ’Divine Madman’, Buddhist saint Drukpa Kuenlay. There will be a photography discussion session over drinks in the evening.
 

We'll start the day off with breakfast and a visit to the local market before starting our road trip back to Paro. One the way we'll stop by the Dochula Pass, a mountain passage which sports 108 chortens built to commemorate Bhutan’s victory over Indian militants and to liberate the souls of those who died in battle. A sumptuous local lunch will be served at Thimphu, and afterwards we will practice our street photography skills in downtown Thimphu. Later on we'll continue our road trip to Paro, with a stopover at the Tamchong Lhakhang, an ancient monastery on a hill overlooking a river. We'll arrive just in time to shoot a performance of traditional Bhutanese dances at our hotel.

Drive to Haa through Chele La (3,988m). From the pass you can see Paro valley on one side and then Haa valley on the

other. You can also have a picnic at Chele La if you like to. In Haa, some sightseeing and then goin to katsho village and

visiting the Katso Lhakhang.Then you will head back to Paro.

We've saved the best for last: a morning trek to the Taktsang Monastery, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex located on the cliff side of Paro Valley. According to legends, it is believed that Guru Rinpochhe flew to this location from Tibet on the back of a Tigress  and meditated in one of the caves. Guru Rinpochhe performed meditation and emerged in eight manifestations and the place became holy. Thus gaining the name tiger's nest. After a day of hiking we'll take it easy and explore main streets of Paro Town for some street photography and souvenir shopping. To cap off our Bhutanese adventure, we'll have our photographers' party at a traditional drayang nightclub.

Today we will bid fond farewell to this beautiful Himalayan country and take an early flight back to Singapore. We hope by now you would have made some friends and also kept many photos and beautiful memories of Bhutan! And we look forward to seeing you again in this beautiful land of endless enchantments with our Bhutan Bespoke Tours! Tashi Delek!