Paro

Most journeys to Bhutan begin in Paro, where the descent between forested ridges into the valley is one of the most memorable landings in the Himalaya. The Paro Chhu river runs past the massive Rinpung Dzong, a 17th-century fortress-monastery that still houses the district administration and monastic body.

Above the valley floor, Taktsang Palphug — the Tiger’s Nest — clings to a granite cliff some 900 metres above the pines. Legend holds that Guru Rinpoche flew here on the back of a tigress in the 8th century to subdue local demons and meditated in the cave around which the monastery was later built.

Paro rewards slow exploration: the 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the kingdom’s oldest temples; the National Museum housed in the circular Ta Dzong watchtower; the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong; and traditional farmhouses where a hot-stone bath is the perfect end to a day of walking.