Seven nights across the valleys.

We begin at Bagdogra and cross into Bhutan at Phuentsholing, where our team handles your permits before the road turns upward. The 165-kilometre climb to Thimphu takes around six hours, the plains of India falling away as forested ridges rise on every side. By evening you are in the capital — time enough to wander the local market and feel the pulse of the city.

OvernightThe Drukyul, Thimphu

Thimphu reveals itself slowly, and today we give it room. We visit the fortress-monastery of Tashichho Dzong, seat of the King and the central monk body; the Memorial Chorten, forever ringed by pilgrims; the Folk Heritage Museum and Royal Textile Academy, where Bhutan's domestic and artistic life is preserved; and Kuensel Phodrang, where the vast golden Buddha Dordenma watches over the valley from his hilltop.

If your visit falls on a weekend, the Centenary Farmers' Market is a joy — mounds of red rice, fiery chillies, discs of datse cheese, and the easy chatter of villagers who have come in from the hills to trade.

OvernightHotel Drukyul, Thimphu

The road east climbs to the Dochula Pass, where 108 chortens crown the ridge and the whole Himalayan skyline opens up on a clear morning. We pause for tea at the Druk Wangyel café before descending into the warm, green Punakha valley.

Here we visit the exquisite Punakha Dzong at the meeting of the male and female rivers, and the small hilltop temple of Chimi Lhakhang, blessed by the wandering "Divine Madman." As the afternoon cools, there is white-water rafting on the Mo Chhu for those who want it — a bright, laughing way to see the fortress from the water.

OvernightPunatsangchhu Cottages, Punakha

A three-hour drive lifts us into Phobjikha, a broad glacial bowl and one of Bhutan's most protected landscapes. In the colder months the rare black-necked cranes arrive from the Tibetan plateau to winter here, and the whole valley seems to hold its breath around them. We walk the valley floor, unhurried, before returning to Punakha as the light softens.

OvernightPunatsangchhu Cottages, Punakha

We transfer to the historic Paro valley — barely an hour and a half of scenic road. After settling in, we explore the ruined ramparts of Drukgyel Dzong, once a fortress guarding against invaders from the north; Kyichu Lhakhang, among the oldest temples in the land, said to have been built in a single night; and the National Museum, its round watchtower packed with the treasures of the kingdom.

OvernightHotel Tashiling, Paro

Today is the one every traveller remembers. We hike to Taktsang — the Tiger's Nest — a monastery impossibly perched on its cliff, wreathed in cloud and legend. The ascent takes the better part of the day, with ponies available for the first stretch and a cafeteria at the viewpoint for a well-earned rest. Back in the valley, we soak away the miles in a traditional hot-stone bath.

OvernightHotel Tashiling, Paro

This morning belongs to the tshechu — Paro's great masked-dance festival, where every whirling costume and drumbeat carries centuries of meaning. We watch the sacred dances unfold in the dzong courtyard, then lunch in town before visiting the museum and leaving the afternoon free for shopping and slow wandering.

OvernightHotel Tashiling, Paro

Our guide and driver see you back across the mountains to Phuentsholing and on to Bagdogra for your onward journey — the plains returning, the peaks receding, and Bhutan folded carefully into memory. Tashi Delek.