Bhutan: The Kingdom of Dragons

Start your holiday in relaxed fashion with included UK airport lounge access before flying overnight from the UK to Paro, Bhutan. 

Your private chauffeur guide will meet you at Paro for the transfer to Thimphu, passing rolling rivers and roadside stupas adorned in Tibetan, Nepalese and Bhutanese styles. On your first evening, a guided walking tour will introduce you to the capital. Over the next two days, scratch beneath the surface of Bhutan's famously insular culture as you visit the National Library and the Institute for Zorig Chusum, known as the Painting School, as well as the King’s Memorial Chorten, a monument to world peace and prosperity. More of the country's complexities will be unravelled at Trashi Chhoe Dzong, the fortress of the glorious religion, originally built in 1641. 

Stay: Postcard Dewa (Deluxe)

With your private driver, cross the Dochula, a high mountain pass offering crystalline Himalayan views and the chance to get lost in the landscape and daydream. Stop for a walk through rice fields to visit the divine Chimi Lakhang, the 'temple of fertility', situated on a hillock in the centre of the valley and a pilgrimage point for Bhutanese seeking to pray for a child. The next day, head to the gleaming central apex of Khamsum Yuelley Namgel Chorten, built to remove negative forces and promote peace and stability – it dominates the upper Punakha Valley, with commanding views across the Mo Chhu River and up the mountainous peaks of Gasa.

Stand in the presence of a true phoenix when you visit the Punakha Dzong – destroyed by multiple fires since its construction in 1637, the king has restored this religious and administrative hub at the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers. Gain a new perspective on Bhutanese Buddhism at the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang nunnery, and find clarity in its pristine white-domed stupa.

Stay: andBeyond Punakha River Lodge (Deluxe)

Journey today to the Phobjikha Valley, passing through dense forests of bamboo, oak and rhododendron. Amble through the stepped village of Gangtey to visit its eponymous gompa, the only Nyingmapa monastery in the region; the village of Phobjikha lies just down from the monastery on the valley floor. This secluded spot is the winter home of the black-necked crane, an elegant visitor and Tibetan Buddhist symbol of peace. Your stunning accommodation in Gangtey, with its sweeping valley views and cosy fireplaces, will immerse you in Bhutanese culture.

There's everything from traditional archery and darts games to meditation courses and mountain biking among the included menu of activities. Or, join morning or evening prayers with the monks of the Gangtey Shedra Monastic School.

Drive across the 3,300m Pele-La Pass, where the breadth and majesty of the Himalayas spreads out before you like a world in the clouds. Visit the 17th-century fortress at Trongsa, where an imposing sweep of white walls belies its labyrinthine interior. Continue across the Yutong-La pass to Bumthang, where an overnight stay allows you to explore the many temples and monasteries of the Bumthang Valley and trek to the Tibetan Lhodrak Kharchhu Monastery. Here, colourful thangka paintings inspire visitors to raise their thoughts above the everyday.

Your accommodation tonight is at the Amankora, the region's most luxurious hotel where spa treatments and fine dining are framed by cutting-edge architecture and sweeping valley views.

Fly from Bumthang to Paro for a private tour of its Ta Dzong watchtower. Now the National Museum, its collection includes everything from antique thangka paintings to textiles, weapons and even household objects. The Rinpung Dzong, or 'fortress of the heap of jewels', offers an inspiring walk along wooden galleries replete with artists' renditions of age-old Buddhist stories. Your final day in Bhutan will be spent exploring the Taktshang, or Tiger’s Nest, Monastery, perched on the side of a sheer cliff, 900 metres above the Paro Valley floor.

Guru Rinpoche, founder of Bhutanese Buddhism, is said to have flown from Eastern Bhutan on a tiger's back, spreading his teachings and stopping to meditate on its dramatic precipice. Hike up to this monastery-in-the-mist with your private guide, later descending to meet your chauffeur for a scenic drive past the fortress of Drukgyel Dzong and the 7th century Kyichu Lhakang Temple. 

Enjoy your last, leisurely morning in Paro, before a private transfer to the airport. for your overnight flight home.