Tales of Bhutan Tour

Menu

Hiking Tiger’s Nest Monastery – Taksang Hike, the most iconic site in Bhutan

Let me take you to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery – Taktsang Goenpa – The most iconic site in Bhutan!
Things to know before we hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery/Taksang Goenpa:
 
About the trials: It’s the mountain trails, uneven, with switch back turns until the highest point and than we have almost 760 steps along with the railings to the security check point of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. Among 760 Steps, 465 steps are down and 295 steps up. 
 
Mode of Transportation: The only ways to reach Tiger’s Nest Monastery is on foot, but we have an option to ride the horse until half way up to cafeteria. 
 
Distance covered: 5.1 Kilometers to the temple (10.2 Kilometers To – and – fro)
 
Packing suggestion: The important things to include in your day packs are; Sunglasses, sun-scream, trekking pole, handkerchief or tissues, hand sanitizer, hats, energy bars and water of course. The roof-sack has to be much lighter for the successful trek!
 
Dress codes: Long sleeves (for round neck T-shirts) and polo shirts are accepted but however the jackets with the sleeves will work out and long pants of course (same for the women) or long skirts. On the way any intended dresses are considerable.
Difficulty Level: Grade 2+ (Moderate)

Shall we start our hike to the most holy and revered Buddhist temple in Bhutan known as Tiger’s Nest Monastery?

We have to start it quite early morning, specially if we are traveling with the group, because we may not know the pace of our companions. Therefore sometime we even make a pack sandwiches and start immediately. Starting early can also avoids the crowds and get sometime for taking mediation at the top, otherwise it is so crowded and congested. There are even the mountain pennies walking up the same way, therefore if you are hiking up on foot, we must start early.

The pictures above is taken from the car parking. The myth has it that the whole of the granite looks like the face of the powerful deity, known as Guru Dorjee Drolo, the wrathful appearance of Guru Padmasambhava to scare the demon.
Our car will drop us at the parking and than we hike up along with our tour guide to the temple and back. We have to take our own pace and should not hurry for any reason. Always slow and steady wins the race. Hike at a pace where you can talk while walking.
If you want to hire the horse up to the cafeteria, you should do it from the car parking itself.

This is a view from the half way, cafeteria. After 1 hours or so, we will be able to reach the half way cafeteria, where we have the best view of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. If you have any health issue or breathing problem you should rather stay here and rest, enjoying the view of the temple, because the whole group may get delayed. If our fitness level is high and energetic, we should not stay too much at the cafeteria because the hit of the sun makes it difficult for us to climb, however tea, coffee or lunch on our way down is must.

In the spring and late summer, there are lot of beautiful flowers and easily attracts lots of birds around the cafeteria. The must common visitor among the birds here is Yellow Billed Blue Magpie, they are such a lovely long tailed bird. There are lot of red blooms of rhododendron alongside the trials making it worth hiking up.
cafeteria would be our meeting point if in case in the big group if anyone is using the mountain ponies. The ponies can come until the cafe point, hereafter everyone must walk on foot for another 1 and half hours or so.

In the late autumn, the tree creeper plants looks different in their autumn colors. Its amazing to walk when the vegetation changes as we gain the altitude. The different shapes and size of the mountain brown oak with loosely hanging lichens would be another attraction on our way up after our cafeteria.
First half is difficult than second half of the trail, however the trails keeps ascending further for next 20 minutes and improves.

The lichens are the sign of the fresh airs without pollution, anyways Bhutan is blessed with the carbon negative! After we cross this densely populated mountain brown oak by next 15 minutes or so, we will be at the highest point of the trail, about 3050 meter above the sea level. The view here is such a breathtaking, you will finally get to feel that it’s worth hiking. We will feel such a relief! However the picture is not over! The stone stair ways downhill will starts here with the railing in the side. almost 465 steps descends down to the stream, where we will see the waterfall in between the two granite cliff. If you make down few hundreds steps down, the view is even more breathtaking! indeed it’s awesome!

These are the steps down from the highest point until the waterfall, but believe me each of these steps are worth taking picture of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, the most iconic site of Bhutan, which is seen literary hanging on the sheer granite cliffs. 

This is the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, the most revered temple in Bhutan. It is amazingly constructed on the granite cliff. Hundreds of devotees visit this holy Buddhist site each day. Here’s the unique statue of Guru Padmabhava, which is commonly known as ‘Spoken statue’, the Guru Sungjem. Therefore, not only the history but also the idle and relics here is the most unique among all. 
Later after we cover 465 steps, now we have another 295 steps ascending up till the entrance, where we have the security check point and few more steps to the inner shrine even, which we consider as ‘Stair ways to heaven’. 
Reaching here at the security check point of the temple, non of the visitor is allowed to carry your electronics like cameras, cell phones and bag packs excepts our offering money. Therefore, we have the safe locker here, where our guide will help us to deposit it safely. 
There are more than eight different shrines inside but the most important among all is three different shrines, which everyone shouldn’t escape this after your full climb. 
 
I as a tour guide, i have done this hike surely more than 500s of time by now and we have hundreds of stories to share with you all about the hiking experience from different groups. Therefore, i must say you this that, while in Bhutan you must visit Tiger’s Nest Monastery, it surely makes you feel incomplete with out this hike but decide upon your own health fitness level. 
 
Later after our short mediation, we will start retracing our journey same way back but now our way back for the first 30 minutes would be quite challenging with those 465 steps uphill and rest of the way would be perfectly fine but always we should be more cautious downhill than uphill. 
 
We may decide to have our lunch on our way down at the cafeteria. Slowly after our lunch we will start our second half downhill carefully, before the rain starts. If the weather doesn’t favor us, with the rain or snow, the trials will so muddy and slippery, of course dangerous to some extend. 
 
Lets hike Tiger’s Nest Monastery, while in Bhutan…! Cheers….