Paro Tshechu: Masked Dances of Bhutan

Paro Valley · Bhutan

Moderate8 daysAsia~£2,800 est.

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Overview

For five days each spring the courtyard of Paro's Rinpung Dzong becomes a swirl of silk and drums as monks perform the cham — masked dances that retell the deeds of Guru Rinpoche, watched by half the valley in their finest kira and gho. The climax comes before dawn on the final day, when a four-storey embroidered thongdrel is unfurled down the dzong wall; simply seeing it is said to cleanse a lifetime's sins, and the queue of pilgrims moves past it in candlelight before it is rolled away at sunrise. Around the festival you climb to the Tiger's Nest monastery, clinging to its cliff 900m above the valley floor, visit the seventh-century Kyichu Lhakhang, try your arm at archery and end a day in a farmhouse hot-stone bath. Bhutan requires booking through a licensed operator and payment of the US$100-per-night Sustainable Development Fee, which is what drives the price: expect around £2,600–£3,000 for eight days, land cost, plus the Drukair flight. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar — usually late March or early April — and Paro's hotels fill a year out, so commit early.