Pricing
Departures: Throughout the year as a private journey.
Price:
Per person sharing room from $6,990 for this 12-day sample itinerary. Upgrade to Aman hotels is at additional cost; for details, please speak to an R. Crusoe tour specialist.
For more information, to book, or to speak to an R. Crusoe & Son tour specialist, please call us at 800-585-8555.
Local Flavor
A very important message: If you want to see Bhutan as it's been for centuries, go now. Right now.
King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has given up his day job, and the nation
has held its first election as a constitutional democracy. Change is
imminent, so don't delay.
In the meantime, the king has been very cautious. It's not that he's not a progressive thinker (on the contrary—the change in government was his idea). In fact, he's the first in a line of recent Bhutanese kings to open his kingdom up to foreigner visitors. But King Wangchuck is also intent on maintaining the integrity of his people's culture, protecting the pristine mountainsides on which they live, and preserving nature's delicate balance here.
Which explains why you need an invitation from the king himself to cross into Bhutan's border (at least for the time being). R. Crusoe is on his short list.
Deeper Inside Bhutan.
This ius a 12-day sample itinerary. Remember that R. Crusoe can create a Bhutan journey of any length to meet your exact specifications.
Join us for an unusual custom, guided tour through of one of Asia's most untouched countries. Arriving in tiny Bhutan is like stepping into a time machine. Things are done pretty much as they have been for centuries—and the Bhutanese are a pretty happy lot.
Welcome to the top of the world.
This R. Crusoe tour gives travelers the opportunity to examine fully Bhutan's nature and authentic culture. This journey begins just as the eight-day does: in Paro and Thimphu. Then we're off to the Phobjikha Valley, whose rough-hewn beauty is reminiscent of America's Southwest. This is home to a rich assortment of wildlife. During your holiday here, be on the lookout for rare black-necked cranes, red pandas, Himalayan bears, and other creatures on the ground and overhead.
In Jakar, also known as Bumthang, experience Gangte Goemba Monastery, founded by one of the kingdom's most significant religious figures.
Pele La Pass leads us to Trongsa. Altitude: 11,000 feet. Here Buddhism took root in the kingdom. See where it all happened centuries ago. Likewise, in the Bumthang Valley, Guru Rinpoche touched down and changed the course of local history. In the village of Zungney, see wood carvers and wool spinners do what they do best. Over the Yoto La Pass (at 11,150 feet) to Wangdi or Punakha, depending on the high-end hotel you favor. There are dzongs to explore before we enter Anim Dratsang Nunnery to meet female monks in their home.
Finally, choose an adventure: a trek to Tiger's Nest Monastery, dramatically perched on a steep slope, or a visit to Dzong Draka, a somewhat easier walk.
Get cozy in Paro. Spend time in the National Museum, walk the city street, see monks chanting in a temple.
Then home, your Bhutan vacation a road to enlightenment.
If you can't spare this much time, please have a look at two other Bhutan journeys from R. Crusoe, our shortest Bhutan tour and our medium-length Bhutan tour.
To request a detailed itinerary for this journey (and others), click here.