Tiger’s Nest Hike in Bhutan – A Complete Guide
In recent times, Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan, popularly also known as the Tiger’s Nest, has been the highlight of Bhutan tours. Just like no visit to India is complete without a visit to the Taj Mahal, missing the Tiger’s Nest hike in Bhutan is sure to draw sighs of regret from your friends and relatives when you recount your holiday in this lovely Himalayan country.
Perched on the south-western facade of a rocky cliff approximately 1000 m above the valley of Paro, the final ascent to this legendary Tiger’s Nest stands at a staggering 3120 m above sea level. As daunting as the internet pictures, travelogue descriptions, and the actual view from the Ramthangka base show, the hike to Tiger’s Nest is not as difficult as many make it out to be. Anyone with a relatively average fitness, and is conditioned to walk, can make the hike without any hitch. Patience and keeping an even walking tempo are probably the best advice to heed during this hike.
Hiking Overview
Many places require briefings during a tour, which sometimes can be pushed aside for an appropriate time and place. However, I cannot stress enough the importance of briefing the guests a day before the hike, even if you arrive late at night at your hotel in Paro. If you have a big group, you must make this briefing a priority before you retire to the rooms for the night, because there are many finer points that the visitors must know during their first visit to the Tiger’s Nest.
1. Everyone cannot hike to the Tiger’s Nest, but everyone deserves to see the Tiger’s Nest Monastery
While it is true that various factors may unable a visitor from hiking to the Tiger’s Nest, including medical conditions, a drive to Ramthangka basepoint to have a distant but clear view of the now world-famous monastery, should be an alternative priority.
2. Understanding the distance and the excursion particulars
While the actual distance of the hike from Ramthangka base to the monastery is only about 3 km one way or 6 km both ways, normally taking 2.5 – 3 hrs to reach, the total excursion time depends on your hotel location and the time spent exploring the temple complex. If you are located around the Paro city center, or on the outskirts, then add 30 – 45 minutes of driving, depending on your mode of transport to cover about 11 km of drivable road. Motorbikes, Cars, and SUVs take comparatively less time than a mini HiAce bus or a Toyota Coaster bus.
A ballpark estimate for the total duration of the excursion is about six hours. It is recommended to hike in the morning when the sun is not at its peak.
The temple complex opens at 9 AM. Entry fees are levied to locals and visitors and can be purchased at the ticket counter in Ramthangka. The pricing is as follows:
Adults: Nu. 2000 (approx. 22 $)
Childen (under 18 years): Nu. 1000
Children (under 6 years): Free
Horses are available for visitors to ride upto the first viewpoint col at approximately Nu. 1000 – Nu. 1500. Be warned that there are risks of getting thrown off the horseback so go with the recommendation of your local guides as they are in the know-how of recent incidents and can advise you better.
Locally made Hemlock walking sticks are available for hire @ Nu. 50 or 1$. They are colourful and can make for a great photo memory while also helping the local economy at the grassroots level.
Finally, proper hiking boots are recommended for this hike.
3. Enjoy the hike, the destination is fixed
Many visitors worry about the distance, the possibility of reaching there, the number of steps, and all the information that does not really help if you don’t move your foot forward. Therefore, don’t worry too much about reaching the destination. Take a deep breath and walk at your own pace, and focus on taking that crucial next step that will eventually bring you to the door of the Tiger’s Nest.
Caution: The horses, carrying provisions for the locals or the tourists riding them, also ply the same route until the first viewpoint. When they approach your path, please be advised to stand still on the mountainside of the trail, and not on the edge of the valley side.
4. Easy-Peasy as 1, 2, 3, and a cup of coffee
Once you embark on the hike from Ramthangka base, which guides playfully call ‘basecamp’, and after an hour or an hour and a half of steady hiking, you will come to what is known as ‘first viewpoint’, which is marked by a big prayer wheel, housed on the saddle-like spot that leads to the Taktsang Cafeteria when you take the gated path on the right. This cafeteria offers a lovely view of the Tiger’s Nest monastery. You can take a break and get yourself a cup of coffee and a delectable éclair while you admire the view. Many large groups of visitors use this as a rendezvous point to regroup and make a lunch stop after visiting the monastery.
You can also choose to proceed directly without stopping for tea or coffee from the saddle-like point, following the continuous trail from the left side of the gated path. Alternatively, if you stop at the cafeteria to use its toilet facility, you can use the path from the cafeteria that connects to the main trail.
5. The 2nd Viewpoint
After you have had that mesmerizing view of the monastery from the first viewpoint, you will begin to appreciate the dense forest cover that protects the trail from both sides of the hills. You suddenly realize that this thick woodland of blue pines and hemlocks has been your silent friend all along the way, protecting you from the sun’s heat, helping you breathe easily, and giving you a pleasant view of the landscape as it acts like a canvas on which the rock facade with a beautiful temple has been drawn.
As you near the second viewpoint, you will pass by a small cave on the left side of the path, which now has a small temple-like structure. This is the birthplace of Geshey Gendun Rinchen, the 69th Je Khenpo of Bhutan.
The second viewpoint and the descending terraced stairs that begin from the viewpoint offer closer views of the monastery and its magnificent, glittering golden Sertogs.
6. The Stairway to Zangdopelri – the Paradise of Guru Rinpoche
The descending stairs lead to a small bridge, which gives a fantastical view of the cascading waterfall, Shelkar Zar, as if pouring from the sky, connecting the ascending stairs to the main temple. On the left, there’s a set of steep and narrow stairs that leads to the cave of Yeshe Tshogyal, the spiritual consort of Guru Rinpoche, who manifested into a tigress that brought the Guru to Bhutan. The staircase on the right continues to the main monastery.
During the briefing, the guide would have already informed you that you will not be allowed to take your backpacks, walking sticks, mobile phones, and cameras inside the temple. There is a police booth to check and enforce this rule. However, there is also a facility of decent lockers to keep your belongings. They come with locks and keys, but additional locks from your end can be helpful in case the lockers are not vacant. In this case, you can keep your bags and belongings tied up and locked in the available spaces around. Since the area is under CCTV observation, there is no need to worry about the safety of your belongings. You can, however, take your money purse, wallets, and passports with you.
Stairs never seem to end during the Tiger’s Nest hike. The main stairs to the entrance of the temple have a set of steps that are bigger and higher than the rest, and require an extra stretch for Smallfoots like me.
Inside the monastery complex, there are four main Lhakhangs and several shrines dedicated to Guru Rinpoche and other deities like Dzambhala and Tara. However, the most important is the Taktsang Phelphug, where the meditation cave of Guru Rinpoche is housed. Although the shrine is open for visitors, the cave remains closed, and is opened only once a year for the pilgrims to get its blessings. The other notable shrines are the temple of Guru Sungjonma – “the statue that spoke”, the reliquary which houses the Kudung Chorten of Langchen Pelkyi Sengye, the Guru Tshen Gye shrine, and the Vajrakilaya temple. There is also a butter lamp offering room adjacent to the Vajrakilaya temple. From the right side of this room, there is a way to the actual Tiger’s Nest cave. However, caution should be exercised, as the steps are narrow and some sections are accessed by wooden staircases leading into the cave.
There is a balcony at the extreme south-east end of the courtyard, below the Dzambhala temple, from where you can get a picturesque view of the valley below.
7. The Rendezvous Point
On the way back, collect your backpacks and other belongings, and get ready for the rendezvous by the Taktsang Cafeteria below!
Vishal Eli Chamling
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