Dagala Thousand Lake Trek

Day 01: Arrival in Paro

Your flight to Paro will offer you a beautiful mountain views. On this flight the views of the Everest, Kanchen Junga and other Himalayan peaks, including the sacred Jhomolhari and Jichu Drakey in Bhutan are awesome. On arrival in Paro our guide will receive you and check you into your hotel. After lunch we will see the rich history of Bhutan exhibited in the 17th century National Museum. The Paro Dzong, a massive fortress built in the 17th century now houses the monastic body. A tour of this beautiful Dzong will introduce us to the unique aspects of the Bhutanese Buddhism. A lovely stroll downhill from the Dzong over an old cantilever bridge wraps up an eventful first day in this magical kingdom.

Overnight: Paro | Altitude: 2200m

Day 02: Taktsang hike (Tigers Nest)

Taktsang or the tiger’s nest temple is the most revered temple to the Buddhist. This magical temple clings to a vertical granite cliff 800m above the valley. Legend has it that in the 8th century, Guru Rinpoche, a tantric master flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave around which the temple is built. A hike to this temple will take up most of our morning. In the afternoon, we will host a special Buddhist prayer ceremony at the beautiful 1200-year-old Kyichu Lhakhang Temple, to bring us good luck for the rest of the journey.

Overnight in Paro

Day 03: Paro – Genekha (1 Hr) – Gur

Distance: 8 km
Walking time: 6 hours
Sleeping altitude: 3710 m

The trek begins with the little village of Genekha. Today you will see many varieties of alpine flora and also some animals and many birds. After two hours of walking gradually uphill, rest at huge rock platform, from which there is a picturesque view of the valley below. After another two hours the trek ends for the day. Camp at Gur, where flowers are abundant in spring.

Overnight: Camping 

Day 04: Gur – Labathama

Distance: 9 km
Walking time: 4 hours
Sleeping altitude: 4300 m
Pass to cross: Pagalabtsa la, 4200 m

Today’s trek takes us across meadows where wild asparagus and other small plants grow, and if taking this trek in the spring, you will feel you are walking over carpets of flowers. The first pass, marked by a large cairn gives a spectacular view of the whole Dagala range, alpine meadows and yak herders’ camps. We will lunch at a nearby yak herder’s camp. After lunch we will walk across hills and over meadows, ending the day at Yutsho Lake.

Overnight: Camping 

Day 05: Labathama (Halt)

A day halt in Labathama is worth visiting the lakes and hiking up to the top of the pass for the breath taking view. One a clear day, one can see the world’s third highest mountain, Mt. Kanchenjunga and Mt. Jumolhari, the highest mountain of Bhutan.

Overnight: Tent 

Day 06: Labathama – Pangkha/Khere Gewa

Distance: 11 km
Walking time: 6 hours
Sleeping altitude: 4050 m
Pass to cross: Labajong La, 4400 m

Walk for 20 minutes upwards before beginning the descent at around 4,460m. There will be splendid views of the Himalayas on the descent. Your guide will help you in identifying individual peaks such as Everest, Kanchenjunga, Jumolhari , Jichu Drake, Tserimgang, Khangbum, Masagang, Tsendegang and Gangchenta. Himalayan monal pheasants are a common sight. 

Overnight: grassy meadow at Pangkha.

Day 07: Pangkha – Talakha

Distance: 7 km
Walking time: 5 hours
Sleeping altitude: 3100 m
Pass to cross: Tale La, 4185 m

This day involves the crossing of several increasingly impressive passes. You will see several varieties of the blue poppy (if trekking June-July) and also many mountain birds along the way. After lunch, an hour’s gradual climb brings us to the top of the last ridge on the Dagala range from where there is a spectacular view of Thimphu valley below. 

Camp: Talakha monastery.

Day 08: Talakha – Thimphu (trek ends)

Distance: 4 km
Walking time: 2 hours

We walk through mixed vegetation and apple orchards, finally reaching the main motor able road to Thimphu where our transport will be waiting for us. Our transport will meet us just as we start emerging from the forest and drive to Paro for our departure flight next day. The drive will take slightly more than an hour.

Overnight Paro

Day 09| Departure

In the morning transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Our tour staff will bid you farewell at the airport. We wish you safe flight back home and hope to see you again. Thanks for traveling with us. 

Some useful Bhutanese phrases

Hello: Ku-zu-zam-po-la (meaning good health)
Thank You: Ka din chey la
See you: Lok jey gay
Good bye: Lus la “or” Laso la

Maximum Elevation	4720 m
Minimum Elevation	2250 m
Difficulty	Medium
Season	April, May, June, September and October
No of days	6 days

. Walking poles for hikes 
ADDITIONAL TREK INFORMATION 
For a trek at this level, fitness is important and you may wish to optimize your fitness before departure to get the most out of the experience. A detailed pre-departure information sheet designed to help you prepare for your adventure will be sent out with your booking confirmation. 

Packing Essentials: warm jacket, good leather or waterproof fabric boots or shoes with good soles, waterproof jacket, sunglasses, warm hat, sunhat, sunscreen, torch, and backpack. 

Packing Recommended: trekking pole, binoculars, gloves, tracksuit or thermal underwear, lip balm, a sufficient supply of any medication you are taking. NB. Camera film is rare in Bhutan so bring your own in your carry-on luggage. 

Travel Insurance 

It is strongly recommended that you be insured against medical and personal accident risks (including repatriation costs, air ambulance and helicopter rescue services) and that you also take out cancellation insurance. You should be aware that some policies restrict coverage or do not cover travel to Bhutan and may not cover activities such as trekking (and mountain bike). Please ensure that your policy provides a sufficient level of protection and covers you for the activities involved. You must carry proof of insurance (e.g. your insurance certificate) with you to Bhutan. 

Please Note 

This overnight camping trek is only available from March to May and from September to October and requires a minimum of two people. 

Happiness Journey Bhutan requires that our guest checkout of there rooms for the camping nights and will store guests’ nonessential trekking luggage. 

We offer our guests with walk-in tents, with raised camp beds and camping armchairs for luxury camping only. Bed tea and hot washing water is delivered to each tent in the morning and generous portions of healthful cuisine for dinner and breakfast. For more details please refer to our pre-departure information sheet for 

Trekking. 

This itinerary is intended as a guide only. Local conditions and weather may necessitate variations to the programmed, which can affect the availability of views and panoramas described. Please be aware that all times stated are approximate, and may vary with individual and group fitness and interest levels. 

Happiness Journey Bhutan provides complimentary drinking water for all guided itineraries. If you have any special dietary requests, please let us know in advance. 

Throughout your stay you have the option to participate in a range of extra Outdoor Activities at an additional charge. 

Travel to Bhutan: Happiness Journey Bhutan handles the whole booking process on your behalf, including Druk Air & Bhutan airline flights. However, the price of Druk Air and Bhutan airline is not included in the package and it is therefore advisable to book well in advance to secure seats. We also handle visa application processing (included in the package). It normally takes 2 to 3 weeks to process the visa but under some circumstances, we can accelerate the process.