from $6,550* per person	14 Days	March, April, September, October
Boutique accommodations		Exertion level: 4
Operator: Geographic Expeditions		18 people max

Bumthang is extraordinarily beautiful, even for Bhutan. Its four high valleys are draped with forests that embrace small monasteries, chortens, traditional stone houses, and markets. Elevations on trek stay below 12,000 feet, and each day’s walk is steadfastly unhurried. After arriving in Paro, we zig zag up to the revelatory Dochu La, then descend to Punakha for a nice day’s walkabout and a visit to its sterling dzong. Then we’re off to Bumthang, Bhutan’s most sacred valley, hallowed 1300 years ago by the visits of Padmasambhava (the great Buddhist master, called Guru Rinpoche, or the Precious Teacher). Our four-day trek takes us through forests and farmlands and over trout streams to remote villages in which the rest of the world’s last couple of centuries are dim and not particularly enticing rumors. Few treks offer such an intimate look into Bhutan’s delicate and charming daily life.