Drangme Chhu Expedition

Upon arrival, hike to Tiger's Nest Monastery and head to Thimphu in the evening.
Overnight: Thimphu

Drive to Punakha and visit the majestic fortress, Punakha Dzong. Raft on the Mo Chhu River. After rafting, you will also have the option to horseback ride or trek.
Overnight: Punakha

Spend another day and night in the Punakha valley. Rafting, hiking, kayaking are all options for today.
Overnight: Punakha

Drive to Tongsa and visit the Dzong and museum. 4 hour trek across the Mangde Chhu river valley.

Paddle the Ema Datzi canyon of the Mangde Chhu River – a great stretch of whitewater in an absolutely dazzling river canyon straight out of a fairy tale with emerald green water contrasting the shiny black walls and verdant jungle. Overnight at the family Dzong of our
Bhutanese contact and friend Ugyen Dorji at Enduchholing (Palace of the first King), with a private festival for the group. This will include traditional religious mask dances and a sumptuous feast.

Drive to Bumthang and overnight in a mountain lodge. Explore the colorful town of
Bumthang.

Short drives to the mountain village of Mongar. Visit the local Dzong and trek up one of the remote valleys. Overnight at the Mountain Lodge.

Drive to Trashigang and visit the local Dzong. This section of road is absolutely stunning and changes from high passes to semi-tropical rainforest. We have timed this visit with
the festival dates there. We will camp deluxe style – tents are set up for you, lighting, and
bathrooms). Note – Very few tourists travel this Far East in Bhutan for the simple fact that it is a
long drive to go there and back. We will only be traveling one-way with our plans for river take-
out in India.

Drangme Chhu to Manas – This is the crux of the expedition! Once we leave the road access at the top of the river there is no other access for 100 km. We’ll be totally self- sufficient carrying all expedition gear on our rafts as we explore one of the last untouched rivers in the world. Although we ran the first descent in 2009, it is still relatively unknown as the monsoon floods often change rapids and we will still need to treat it as a first descent. Drive to Guhawati, India and fly to Delhi for connection home.