The flight into Paro threads between ridges before the valley opens beneath you. Your guide meets you on the tarmac, and the drive to Thimphu follows the river past Chuzom, where two rivers meet. The first evening is kept free.

A morning on the Buddha Nature Trail through pine and prayer flags, then the weekend market, the School of Arts and Crafts and Tashichho Dzong at dusk. A gentle day to settle into the altitude.

Cross the Dochula Pass at 3,080 m, among 108 memorial chortens, and descend into the warmer Punakha valley. Walk through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, then stand before Punakha Dzong where the Mo Chhu and Po Chhu meet.

Return west over the pass to Paro. In the afternoon visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in the kingdom, and Rinpung Dzong above the river. Your guide checks your kit for tomorrow’s climb.

From Sang Choekor the path climbs for four to five hours through blue pine and rhododendron to the Bumdra ridge at about 3,800 m. The camp is set before you arrive. Evening brings a fire, a hot meal and, on a clear night, the whole sky.

Wake above the cloud and watch the valley emerge. The descent passes cliff hermitages and reaches Taktshang from above, often before the day’s visitors arrive from the valley. Continue down to Paro for a hot stone bath.

A day without an early start. Walk to Drukgyel Dzong at the head of the valley, share lunch in a farmhouse, and leave the afternoon open for the museum, the town or simply rest.

Breakfast, farewells and the short drive to Paro airport. You leave the valley the way you came, through the mountains.