The Paro Valley is where most journeys to Bhutan begin, home to the country's only international airport and one of the most beautiful valleys in the Himalaya. Wide and fertile, dotted with whitewashed farmhouses and terraced red-rice fields, Paro blends easy access with an extraordinary concentration of things to see and do.
Its crown jewel is Taktshang, the cliffside Tiger's Nest Monastery clinging to a sheer rock face some 900 metres above the valley floor — the iconic day hike of any Bhutan trip. Below sit the 7th-century Kyichu Lhakhang, the fortress-monastery of Rinpung Dzong, the National Museum in the round Ta Dzong, and the romantic ruins of Drukgyel Dzong beneath snow-capped Mount Jomolhari.
Every spring the Paro Tshechu fills the dzong courtyard with masked cham dances and thousands of pilgrims in their finest dress. With gentle valley walks, farm visits, riverside picnics and some of the best boutique lodges in the country, Paro rewards first-time visitors and returning travellers alike.