Bhutan

Paro: Awaken your Spirit in Bhutan

When

February - June & September – November

Price

From £4,200pp excl. flights
(based on 2 ppl sharing)

How long

5 nights ideal length

Allow us to introduce Bhutan. This is a close as you can get to total peace and quiet without packing it all in and becoming a monk. Our six day experience will whisk you far way from the daily grind as you breathe in fresh Himalayan air, sleep under the stars, and relax with spa treatments to make you feel as good as new. And forget running out of the door with breakfast in hand, let alone staying awake until the wee hours of the morning. In Bhutan you’ll begin each morning with yoga rituals and end each day with meditation sessions. Calm, tranquil and rejuvenating, you’ll be sure to leave a different person

Yoga galore

Arriving into Paro, you’ll be whisked away to the Uma Paro Hotel, your bolthole for the next five nights, where you’ll meet your personal yoga instructor just in time for lunch. Together, you’ll put together the perfect yoga and meditation programme to suit your level, before picking your personal Como Shambala juice. Designed by Uma’s Raw Food chefs, these juices are made to replenish, detox and energise after a yoga workout. From tangy juice concoctions to very berry smoothies, you’ll be hooked from day one.

Nunnery blessings

Part of this experience is to delve deep into the wonders of Bhutan’s spirituality. So in between yoga rituals and meditation sessions, use your time to explore. After your first day settling in, hike through Paro’s stunning rhododendron forests, passing shaggy yaks and fluttering prayer flags, where you’ll find an ancient nunnery, Kila Goemba, sitting pretty on a craggy patch of a mountainside. Here Buddhist nuns study, pray and meditate and, if you’re lucky, will give you a blessing you before you descend back into Paro. And as if your prayers were answered, a mountain bike will be waiting for you to free-wheel straight down through the valley. Talk about an easy ride.

Happy camping

If you think camping only ever involved getting lost, spending hours pitching a tent and baked beans for tea, then you’re in for a treat. Setting off from Uma Paro with your yoga instructor and guides in hand, you’ll hike through blossoming apple orchards, small villages and ancient pine forests before reaching a yak pasture surrounded by a whaleback ridge. While your guides help set up camp, why not continue your trek up the ridge and pop in at Jele Dzong, a crumbling temple where monks still live today, or simply sit back and admire the beauty of Bhutan’s Himalayas as a feast is prepared for you by the campfire. And what better way to end this day than with a silent meditation under the starry night sky. Bliss.

Spiritual Wonder

Arising in your camp to the smell of hot brewing tea, enjoy a yoga session in the shadow of the Himalaya Mountain range before being picked up by car to return to Paro Valley. Stop off along the way to pay respects at Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan where a magical orange tree bears fruit all year round. Arriving back at Uma Paro, indulge your self in Uma Paro’s signature Como Shambala massage or hot stone bath. After all, you’ll need it for the next day’s trek to Tiger’s Nest. One of Bhutan’s most sacred places to visit, this experience is guaranteed to give you a completely new (calm) outlook on your busy life. We guarantee you’ll return home a more serene, centred version of yourself.

Where to rest your head

COMO Uma Paro

An understated coupling of escape and adventure, mixed with awe-inspiring landscapes and Buddhist tradition, provide the exceptional (and pretty much unrivalled) hotel experience that is…
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