The Last Himalayan Kingdom: Beautiful Bhutan
A 1,200-kilometre loop through Bhutan, from Thimphu’s capital to Gangtey’s glacial valley, then Punakha’s fortress-monastery before returning to Paro – eleven nights through the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
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The Last Himalayan Kingdom: Beautiful Bhutan
Tell us your trip details and we'll put together a complimentary Stradora Expedition Pack for the journey.
11 nights through Bhutan
Eleven nights in a loop from Paro, guided, 1,200 kilometres across Bhutan on a Royal Enfield.
Bhutan is the point. The country admitted its first tourists in 1974, still measures itself by gross national happiness rather than output, and limits visitor numbers with a daily fee, so riding a motorcycle across it is not something that can be arranged independently.
Thimphu comes first, the only capital in the world with no traffic lights, then Gangtey in a glacial valley where black-necked cranes winter, which is unusual country for the Himalaya: wide, flat and open rather than steep. Bumthang follows in the central valleys, the religious heart of the country with the oldest temples in it, then Tingtibi and Gelephu down on the Indian border, and the climb back over the highest pass in Bhutan to Punakha, where a fortress monastery sits on a spit between two rivers. Paro closes the loop, with the walk up to the Tiger’s Nest, a monastery stuck to a cliff nine hundred metres above the valley floor.
Accommodation in inns, campsites and hotels in single or double rooms, the airport transfers, the Royal Enfield, all the meals, two professional guides, first aid, a chase vehicle with a driver, mechanic, tools and spares, all the fees and permits, the monument entrance fees, the drinking water, the Bhutan visa and a local SIM with data are all included; flights to Paro, medical insurance, gratuities, alcohol and any damage to the motorcycle are not, and a five-hundred-dollar bike deposit is required. Spring and autumn are the seasons.
The Last Himalayan Kingdom: Beautiful Bhutan (2 of 3)
The Last Himalayan Kingdom: Beautiful Bhutan (3 of 3)
Images selected by Stradora to represent the journey.
What's included
- Single or double occupancy luxury accommodation in inns
- campsites and hotels
- airport transfers
- a Royal Enfield motorcycle
- all meals
- two professional guides
- first aid
- chase vehicle with driver
- mechanic
- tools and spare parts
- all fees and permits
- entrance fees to all monuments
- all drinking water
- Bhutan visa
- a local SIM card per person with a 2GB starting data package
Not included
- Flights to Paro
- medical insurance
- phone/internet charges beyond the included SIM allowance
- driver/guide/mechanic gratuities
- motorcycle damage (USD500 bike security deposit required)
- alcohol
Ready to drive it?
11 days, from £5,435pp
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