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Festival & Event Tours 2026

Experience Bhutan's festival season, cycling race routes, Black Necked crane, and sacred tshechus.

Choose the original September festival circuits, Tour of the Dragon race packages, October tshechu tours, or November Black Necked Crane Festival journeys.

Plan Festival JourneyView Festival Routes
Original festival routes
Tour of the Dragon 2026 cycling packages
October and November festival tours for international and regional guests
Bhutan festival hero
© Unseen Himalayas
Sep-NovEvent Season
DragonRace Packages
4-12Day Route Options
14Curated Packages
Festival Itinerary Library

Choose a September festival circuit, Tour of the Dragon package, October tshechu route, or November Black Necked crane festival journey.

Filter by duration, select a route, and view the full day-by-day journey.

Choose duration14 festival routes available
Festival Route 01

4-Day Dechenphu Tshechu Short Festival Tour

A short Dechenphu Tshechu route with Thimphu cultural sightseeing, the local festival at Dechenphu Lhakhang, Paro transfer, and airport departure.

Duration4 Days / 3 Nights
Dates19-22 October 2026 or 20-23 October 2026
CoverageParo • Thimphu • Paro
Dechenphu TshechuThimphuParoShort Festival Tour
Day-by-day festival journey4 travel days
Day 01

Arrival in Paro – Thimphu

  • Arrival at Paro International Airport
  • Traditional welcome with khaddar
  • Drive to Thimphu, approximately 1.5-2 hours
  • En-route stop at Tachogang Lhakhang bridge if time permits
  • Visit Buddha Dordenma
  • Evening walk around Thimphu town
  • Overnight in Thimphu
Day 02

Thimphu Cultural Sightseeing

  • Visit National Memorial Chorten
  • Visit Folk Heritage Museum or Simply Bhutan
  • Visit National Textile Museum
  • Visit Tashichho Dzong in the evening, subject to access
  • Optional traditional dress and archery experience
  • Overnight in Thimphu
Day 03

Dechenphu Tshechu – Paro

  • Morning attend Dechenphu Tshechu at Dechenphu Lhakhang
  • Experience local religious dances, rituals, and community gathering
  • After lunch, drive to Paro
  • Visit Kyichu Lhakhang or Paro Rinpung Dzong if time permits
  • Overnight in Paro
Day 04

Departure from Paro

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Transfer to Paro International Airport
  • Departure from Bhutan
Customize This Festival TourView Regular Tours
Booking Clarity

Festival inclusions, exclusions, reservation rules, and terms.

A separate section for the practical details guests and partners should understand before confirming a festival tour.

Before confirmation

Clear terms make festival travel smoother.

Festival and event tours need early hotel planning, route coordination, date checks, race support planning, and supplier confirmation. This section separates the business terms from the itinerary so clients can understand exactly what is included, what is excluded, and what must be reconfirmed.

Included Services

Inclusions

  • 01Accommodation in selected hotel category
  • 02Private licensed Bhutanese guide during the entire tour
  • 03Private vehicle with professional driver for sightseeing and transfers
  • 04Airport or border pickup and drop-off
  • 05Sightseeing as per the confirmed itinerary
  • 06Daily meals at selected hotels/restaurants
  • 07Visa and SDF guidance for international guests
  • 08Monument entry fees
  • 09Complimentary bottled water
Not Included

Exclusions

  • 01International or domestic flights (Available on request)
  • 02Sustainable Development Fee
  • 03Visa fee
  • 04Meals at restaurants outside our selected arrangements, alcoholic beverages, and personal expenses
  • 05Travel insurance, medical expenses, and emergency evacuation
  • 06Optional activities such as hot stone bath, rafting, or special farmhouse meals
  • 07Tips for guide, driver, hotel staff, and porters
  • 08Any service not mentioned under inclusions
Booking Process

Reservation & Cancellation

  • 01Festival and race tours should be booked early because hotel demand rises around event dates.
  • 02Booking is confirmed only after written confirmation and receipt of the required advance payment.
  • 03Final payment should be completed before the agreed deadline stated in the quotation.
  • 04Cancellation charges depend on hotel, airline, government, race organizer, and service-provider policies.
  • 05Date changes are subject to hotel availability, event schedule feasibility, and supplier price differences.
Terms to Reconfirm

Terms

  • 01Festival dates, race schedules, locations, and access should be reconfirmed before final booking because local schedules may change.
  • 02The final quotation will confirm whether SDF, visa fee, domestic flight, meals, entrance fees, race support, and taxes are included or excluded.
  • 03Itinerary timing may change due to weather, road conditions, festival crowd movement, flight timing, race rules, or guest safety.
  • 04When festivals overlap, guests may need to choose one festival experience from the same date range.
  • 05Tour of the Dragon support depends on official race regulations, road permissions, and organizer instructions.
  • 06Unseen Himalayas will provide suitable routing alternatives if a listed service becomes unavailable after confirmation.
Signature Festival Anchors

Immersive cultural festival experiences included in each journey.

These festivals are the main cultural anchors used to design the 5-day, 9-day, and 12-day journeys.

01
Thimphu festival image
© Carissa Nimah
Capital Festival Experience

Thimphu Drubchen & Thimphu Tshechu

A strong capital-based festival experience combining the evening atmosphere of Thimphu Drubchen with the main Thimphu Tshechu celebrations at Tashi Chhodzong.

17 Sept and 21-23 Sept 2026
Tashi Chhodzong, Thimphu
02
Haa or Wangdue festival image
© Kezang Choden
Choose Your Western Valley Festival

Wangdue Tshechu or Haa Tshechu

Haa Tshechu and Wangdue Tshechu take place on overlapping dates, so guests can choose between a hidden-valley Haa route or a Punakha/Wangdue cultural route.

19-21 Sept 2026
Wangduephodrang or Lhakhang Karpo, Haa
03
Central Bhutan festival image
© Scarlette DG
Bumthang & Gangtey Culture

Central Bhutan Festival Extension

A deeper route for travelers who want more than western Bhutan, including Tamshing Phala Chhoepa, Gangtey Tshechu, and the Gangtey Thongdrel unfurling.

23-26 Sept 2026
Tamshing Lhakhang, Bumthang and Gangtey Gonpa
04
Tour of the Dragon cycling race in Bhutan
© Martin Bissig / bissig.ch
Cycling Race Event

Tour of the Dragon

A legendary mountain bike race across Bhutan, designed here with acclimatization, bike checks, race support, recovery, sightseeing, and optional Tiger’s Nest.

September 2026
Bumthang to Thimphu
05
Black Necked Crane Festival route image
© Alicia Warner
Conservation Festival

Black Necked Crane Festival

A community and conservation-focused celebration in Phobjikha Valley, built around crane-themed performances and local cultural programs.

11 November 2026
Gangtey Gonpa, Phobjikha
06
Chhukha Tshechu festival tour image
© Unseen Himalayas
Land-entry Festival

Chhukha Tshechu

A practical October festival option for Indian and regional guests entering by land through Phuntsholing.

19-21 October 2026
Chhukha
07
Dechenphu Tshechu festival tour image
© Ben Richards
Short Cultural Festival

Dechenphu Tshechu

A short festival route for international guests who want Thimphu culture, Dechenphu Tshechu, Paro, and optional Tiger’s Nest.

21 October 2026
Dechenphu Lhakhang, Thimphu
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