Five days beyond the four passes, to one of the most secluded and least visited valleys in Bhutan.
Highlights
Chele La, Bhutan's highest motorable pass
Haa Dzong and the apple orchards
Lhachag Karpo Lhakhang on the cliff
The Singye valley approach
What is included
Licensed guide and private vehicle
Four nights in Haa valley lodges and farm stays
All meals, including local apple and buckwheat dishes
All monastery fees, permits and SDF
Chele La and the four Zonglab passes on the drive
Mask dance performance visit arranged with the community
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 01 — The four passes to Haa The longest drive in Bhutan: from Paro over the Zonglab passes of Chele La, Kalela, Yaks Arang La and Lao La into the Haa valley. Across all four the road climbs above the tree line into bare, windswept rock, and the silence at the top of Chele La is the point of the day. Night in a Haa valley lodg…
Day 02 — Haa Dzong, the apple orchards and the Lhakhangs A walking day in the valley: the Haa Dzong above town, the apple orchards that made the valley's name, and a series of small temples along the road. The Lhakhag Karpo Lhakhang is the memorable one, set right on the edge of a cliff with the valley falling away beneath the shrine room.
Day 03 — The Singye valley approach On foot into the Singye valley to the Peling Singye Nga Ga monastery, the Eve of the Hanging Glacier, which ordinary visitors cannot reach without a local blessing — arranged for you in advance. The walk takes three hours each way through open pasture with the peaks turning pink above the trees.
Day 04 — Mask dance in a village courtyard A performance arranged with the community rather than staged for tourists: cham mask dances in the courtyard of a family temple, with the elders and children of the valley in attendance. An afternoon of tea, red rice and conversation afterwards, and a night in the lodge to recover from the passes.
Day 05 — Back over the passes to Paro A last morning in Haa before driving back the way you came, stopping at the viewpoints that only make sense in this order. Lunch on the road at Chele La, then the descent into Paro and the transfer to the airport for the flight home.