Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek

Welcome to the mountain kingdom of Bhutan. On arrival at Paro airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel located in the heart of Thimphu, the modern capital town of Bhutan. The center of government, religion and commerce, Thimphu is a unique city with an unusual mixture of modern development fused with ancient traditions. With a population of about 90,000, it is perhaps still the world’s only capital city without a traffic light.
Later you’ll take an exploratory walk around the local marketplace located a few minutes walk from the hotel, where you’ll visit the local craft bazaar, offering up an abundance of genuine Bhutanese arts & crafts.

Today is the first day of your trek which will start early in the morning after taking a drive from your hotel to Genekha Village which takes about 45 minutes. Genekha village is perhaps best known for producing matsutake and chantarelle mushrooms.
You begin your trek with a short descent to the river. The trail runs through terraced fields and coniferous trees and other alpine flora. From there on, you will start with a climb after crossing the river. You will keep up the walk until you reach a rock platform. You will instantly spot a spectacular view of the valley. Two hours from there you will reach Gur (3290m). Gur is a wide area of yak pastures. After a short walk, you reach your campsite amidst an abundance of wildflowers.

Today you will begin the trek by following a trail across the high ridges. Amidst the rough and rugged landscape, you can observe the vegetation unique to Bhutan. In the spring, the best season for Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek, the wildflowers and asparagus along the way can be spotted. The rhododendron-adorned meadows are a feast for sore eyes. A huge milestone marks the first mountain pass you cross. The Paga Labsta pass is situated at an altitude of 4,250m/13,943ft. Views of Mt. Kanchenjunga are seen from the pass.

Amplifying the experience, you will start to take a descent from the pass and see the entire Dagala mountain range. Along the way, you will pass by meadows and the yak herders camps. You will descend to the Labatama valley and then climb gradually. After passing through some yak herder huts you will arrive at Utsho Tsho Lake. Utsho Tsho is also known as 'Gewa Tsho' which translates to Turquoise Lake in English. The lake sits at an elevation of 4300m/14,107ft and is famous for the abundance of Golden Trout fishes. You are lucky enough to have your campsite just beside the lake.

On this day you will be offered the next major highlight of the trek – the high-standing surrounding mountains. Today the trek begins after breakfast with a climb along the western side of Dala Tsho lake which sits at an altitude of 4520m/14,829ft. From this altitude, the views seen will mesmerize you and leave you wishing for more travel time in Bhutan. A handful number of peaks can be seen in this area. Mt. Everest situated in Nepal is also seen, perhaps the best panoramic view. Parts of Mt. Kanchenjunga, situated partly in Sikkim and partly in Nepal, comes into view. Other mountains in Bhutan like Mt. Jumolhari, Mt. Jichu Drake, Mt. Tshering Gang, Mt. Tsende Gang, Mt. Gangche Ta, Mt. Khangbum, and Mt. Masang Gang are visible.
You can climb up to an altitude of 4,720m/15,485ft for a better view of these mountains. From there you will take a descent and eventually pass through some Yak herder huts towards the Doccha Chhu river. During the winter season, the locals will have left their huts to avoid the harsh cold weather. You will stay high up on the slope while following the river until you reach Panka (4000m/13,123ft). Mind to it that there are a few ascends and descends on the way. Upon reaching your campsite you will rest and stay there for the night.

This will be the last day of the trek as you head from Panka to Chamgang. Along the way, you will be crossing many passes and the views of each of these passes are worth the pain in your muscles.
You will come across a different variety of Blue poppy, the Himalayan Blue poppy being the national flower of Bhutan. This species of flower named Meconopsis survives even in the most extreme freezing weather conditions.
You will have lunch at the point where the trail branches out and leads to two destinations; Talakha and Wangduephodrang. You will then continue your trek by taking a climb into the last pass of the trek, Tale La at an elevation of 4,180m/13,713ft. The views of the Dagala range and the modern city of Thimphu can be seen. After taking in the spectacular views, you will lead through a forest of birch, juniper, spruce, and rhododendron to Talakha Goempa. It is situated at an altitude of 3080m/10,104ft and was built in the 15th century. It is a unique ancient structure made between green highlands. From thereon you will walk through an apple orchard and into the village of Chamgang. You will be driven to Paro from here and transferred to your hotel.
After having some refreshment, you can take a stroll around the streets of Paro which are adorned with modern as well as ancient buildings. You can buy some souvenirs to take back home and also promote their local products.

After a few days of fun and excitement, the day to bid farewell has arrived. Our representatives will escort you to the Paro International Airport as per your flight time.
After the wonderful opportunity to organize this tour for you we wish you a safe and happy journey ahead.