The Best of Bhutan Sample Itinerary: Rivers, Hiking and Culture with a multi-day Drangme Chuu (River) Adventure

 NOVEMBER 19^th– DECEMBER 2^nd, 2017

Day 1 November 19th: Arrive in Paro (Bhutan) from Bangkok (or Delhi), head to hotel for lunch, afternoon hike to the stunning temple, Tigers Nest. This is where Guru Rimposhe first landed and meditated in Bhutan. After the hike: back to the hotel in Paro for banquet-style welcome dinner.

Day 2 November 20^th: Drive over scenic Dochu La pass with views of the Himalayas. On our way to Punakha, short paddle on the Mo Chhu river or short hike to visit temple above the Mo Chhu River. Night at our lovely safari-style base-camp in an orange grove.

Day 3 November 21^st: Paddle the beautiful Po Chu River with loads of fun rapids then visit Punakha Dzong. Night at base camp.

Day 4 November 22nd: Kayak/Raft Mo Chhu or cultural hike. Drive from Punakha Valley to Thimpu. Night at hotel in the city of Thimpu.

Day 5 November 23^rd: 25 minute domestic flight from Paro to Bumthang. Visit Jambay Lhakan, said to be one of the 108 temples built by Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo in 659 CE on a single day, to pin down an ogress (female monster) to earth forever.

Day 6 November 24^th: Option to kayak/raft Chamkhar Chhu River, night in Bumthang

Day 7 November 25th^: Drive from Bumthang to Mongar, night in Mongar

Day 8 November 26th^: Mongar Festival, night in Mongar

Day 9 November 27^th: Drive to Drangme Chhu River, hike to put-in (approximately 3 hours).

KAYAK or RAFT THE DRANGME CHHU (River)

Day 10 November 28^th: Paddle Drangme Chhu (River)

Day 11 November 29^th: Paddle Drangme Chhu (River)

Day 12 November 30^th: Paddle Drangme Chhu (River)

Day 13 December 1^st: Paddle Drangme Chhu (River), drive across Indian border, stay the night in Manas Wildlife Park at Bansbari Jungle Lodge.

Day 14 December 2^nd: Drive to Guwahati to catch flight to Bangkok.

Sea lions, grey whales, whale sharks, oh my!  And probably sea turtles, dolphin and much more…..Many of our Tarkio friends are curious about our time down south. Well, here it is, an opportunity to join us and see what keeps drawing us back, every year, to Southern Baja, our home away from home.  BAJA SAMPLE ITINERARY

February 12th – 18^th, 2017: SPACE AVAILABLE 

Come with us and visit our local island, Cerralvo, snorkel with the sea lions, paddle board/kayak with the grey whales and get up close and personal in the water with whale sharks; the biggest fish in the sea. “Whale shark”….don’t let the name fool you, these amazing gentle giants feed on algae and plankton. We will also have plenty of opportunities to see bottlenose dolphins, rays, sea turtles and more.

Want more challenging physical activities? We can hook you up!  We have great local mountain biking trails, you can take kiteboarding lessons, do some scuba diving,  do some surfing on the pacific side or deep sea fishing or spear fishing, if that is your style.  You can truly customize your Baja experience with our help.

Feeling intimidated and/or excited by some of the activities mentioned above?  Please take a moment to click on the links below and check out some videos other folks have posted. *Remember, you are not required to do any of these activities and you always have the option to stay in the panga boat or take a “personal day” and hang out at our beautiful “base camp” with comfortable rooms, a pool and hot tub and on-site massage available.

sea lions          grey whales          whale sharks

With glorious sunrises and sunsets, the Baja desert is vibrant and abundant with vegetation. The long peninsula is home to 120 species of cacti with half of those being endemic, only found in this area. One of our favorites is the cardón, the largest cactus in the world.  The elephant trees are also very intriguing with their bonsai-like characteristics.

We will be staying in the town of La Ventana, about 35 minutes southeast of La Paz, overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Check out a quick video of Palapas Ventana’s  property and amenities.

We know this is a different kind of “Tarkio Adventure” than many of ya’ll are accustomed to. Trust us, you will get your Tarkio adrenaline fix; it will just be a different kind, involving marine mammals, “down-winders” on kayaks and paddle boards and the option to surf/boogie board on the Pacific side one of the days.  What about Backhoe Olympics?  There will be plenty of opportunities to physically challenge yourself or take it easy between our planned  activities. Take a look at our itinerary; it speaks for itself. Also, for some more “visual enticers” take a look at our Baja photos.  We are very familiar with the area and have the flexibility and resources to accommodate everyone. Our Baja Adventures are family-friendly trips and everyone from tots to sliver-foxes are encouraged to join us! BAJA SAMPLE ITINERARY

BHUTAN aka ‘Druk Yul – Land of the Thunder Dragon’ is a breath-taking region in the Himalayas bordered by India on the south, east and west and by the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China on the north. It has an area of approximately 46,500 square kilometers.

Bhutan has it all; culture, charming people, excellent rivers and stunning mountains. It’s the kind of place that rejuvenates the soul. With that said, we are going back for more. After two amazing trips in 2007, two trips in 2009 and two more trips 2011, we are more than ready to visit our favorite little kingdom again!

In prior years, perhaps one of the least traveled to places in the world; Bhutan is now becoming popular tourist destination. With it’s tourism policy of “low volume, high value” and a former King’s concept of “Gross National Happiness”, Bhutan offers to the world a country that has it’s environment intact (boasting a 62 % forest coverage), has protected it’s culture & heritage and is perhaps the last remaining Buddhist Kingdom in the world. See what Bhutan has to offer, meet the Bhutanese people, experience it for yourself.

 Tarkio’s Best of Bhutan: Rivers, Hiking and Culture with a multi-day Drangme Chuu (River) Adventure

Dates (in Bhutan): November 19th – December 1st, 2017

(Rafting/kayaking, hiking, cultural)

Price: $5900 + cost of Bangkok/Bhutan flight, usually around $800-$1000

 Tarkio’s Custom Advanced Kayaking Adventure in Bhutan

Dates (in Bhutan): November 5th – 17th, 2017

Advanced kayakers please contact us to discuss if this custom itinerary would be a good fit for you. 

Price: $TBA + cost of Bangkok/Bhutan flight, usually around $800-$1000 + one way in-country (Bhutan) flight

What’s Included/What’s not:  * Prices include all food, lodging, transportation, kayak/rafting equipment and river/cultural guides while in Bhutan. You are responsible for your international U.S./Bangkok round trip flight, lodging in Bangkok (pre & post Bhutan) and your Bangkok/Bhutan round-trip flight (as mentioned above).

Customize? *It is possible to customize/accommodate activities if the dates of one trip work better than the other for you and/or your traveling companion(s).

**You also have the option to rent a bike for your time in Bhutan and peddle parts of our Bhutanese journey by bike. You can peddle as much or as little as you like. There is an additional charge for the bike rental and additional vehicle for bike transportation.

You are responsible for your round-trip international flight to Bangkok and your round trip flight to/from Bhutan We handle the booking on this flight as it involves  your Bhutanese visa.  Drunk Air usually charges between $800-$1000. The current price is but is subject to change.

Tarkio Kayak Adventures will be spending October of 2012 in Peru.  Right now we are working to solidify itineraries to include kayaking and/or rafting sections of the Apurimac River along with a visit to Machu Picchu and some cultural options and day hikes in the Cusco area.  We hope you will be able to join us!

Howdy Tarkio Friends and Family-

We are back, state-side after two amazing trips in Bhutan.  Once again we have had a monumental time; memories of a lifetime.  In fact, we are already looking ahead to 2013.  We have two Bhutan Tarkio trips on the 2013 tentative schedule.  We will most likely be offering our trips during October of 2013, plenty of time to plan ahead!  We have had outstanding experiences in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011…….how can we help but look ahead and plan for 2013.  We are looking to add a bit of variety to our 2013 itineraries. For all you “repeat offenders” we are working on getting you out to some new place and rivers……and for your “first-timers”: never fear, we will make sure all the classics are covered too.

If you are interested please contact us.

Hey All-
Check out the link below; the king of Bhutan just married!  This short news clip is worth viewing to get a taste of Bhutan.   We will be visiting the Dzong/temple where the ceremony was held…..and if you are coming to Bhutan with us, you will also be visiting the Dzong seen in the clip!

Our friend and Bhutanese outfitter, “Yougs” (Ugyen) is good buddies with King Khesar and has been very busy the last few weeks with wedding preparations and festivities.
Sending happy thoughts-
Erica and Land

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44887923#44887923

Our new website has launched. Hopefully we can keep up a little better with updates when we are traveling. Stay tuned for the latest news!