Five days on the Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu with one night camped on the river bank
Punakha holds the two rivers guests can actually paddle, and both run warm enough for a long day on the water from March to May and again in autumn. The trip puts the river first, with a licensed river crew and a support vehicle following the bank, then adds the things the same valley does well on dry land: the prayer flag bridge, Chimi Lhakhang on its round hill, and an archery ground where the village team is happy to hand over a bow. One night is spent in tents on the bank so the river is the last thing you hear.
Groups of friends, first-time rafters, and anyone who would rather be on the water than inside a museum
Meet your guide at arrivals and take the pass road east, stopping at the 108 chortens for tea and a look at the snow line. The afternoon ends in Punakha with a flat walk to the confluence, where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu meet below the dzong.
A river safety briefing, helmets and paddles, then the run down the Mo Chhu with the dzong passing above on the left bank. Lunch is on the sand, and the afternoon is spent on the archery ground with the village team, learning why a Bhutanese bow is a long way from a tourist prop.
Walk the flat path to Chimi Lhakhang on its round hill, then cross the long prayer flag bridge over the Pho Chhu. The evening is at a camp on the bank, with tents pitched by the crew, dinner cooked over a fire, and the river running all night beside the tent.
A short morning on the water while the camp is packed up, then the road west over Dochula with lunch at the pass. The afternoon is free in Paro town, and dinner is at a farmhouse table in Lamgong.
Either walk to the Taktsang tea house early or take the morning slowly in Paro, then transfer to the terminal with your guide handling the departure paperwork.
Travel insurance strongly recommended: cover mountain medical care, altitude evacuation, and Paro weather flight delays. Read the travel insurance note
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