Bhutan - The fulfilment of a long-held dream! (The hike to the Tiger's nest!)

Tiger's nest monastery

The most anticipated day of the trip for me was here at last! We would be hiking up to the famous Tiger's Nest monastery today. The picture of Tiger's nest, the quintessential picture that defines Bhutan was imprinted in my mind. The cliff-hanging monastery has an edge-of-the-world feeling to it, and I've always marvelled at the how it must have been actually built.

The quintessential Bhutan picture! PC: Sameer Bhide

We woke up quite early, had a light breakfast, and reached the parking lot by around 7.45 am. There is a ticket counter where one has to buy tickets at Nu/Rs 500/- per head. After that was done, I also rented a sturdy bamboo stick to help me navigate the slopes (sticks available at Rs 50/-). Having done one Himalayan trek the previous year, there was some amount of apprehension as to how the hike would be. During the last trek, I was pretty unfit and had sustained an injury, which had me struggling throughout. This time however, I had prepared myself for this hike. The monastery is situated at a height of approximately 10,000 feet and the total hiking distance is around 4.5 km one way. Mules are available till the halfway point marked by a cafeteria. Beyond this point, one has to hike. The slopes are pretty steep till the cafeteria.

Down and then up to the Tiger's nest! PC: Sameer Bhide

We started hiking with a bunch of Japanese tourists. The path is pretty straight-forward and well-marked. We soon left those tourists behind and were really enjoying the hike. A family of Bhutanese nationals was with us for the most part of the trek. The tourists are advised to wear "respectable clothing", which usually means collared T-shirts, full-sleeved shirts and long pants. The Bhutanese nationals though are required to wear the national dress- gho for men and kira for women. I was marvelling at the way the ladies were climbing effortlessly, wearing the kira, which has a pretty long skirt. The husband and I took a lot of short-cuts and were at the half way point in about an hour. We did not stop at the cafeteria, but marched straight on to our final destination.

Prayers wheels on the way. PC: Sameer Bhide

Soon, we reached the point where the stairs begin: there are approximately 700 stairs, half of them going down and half of them going up. The monastery is very much visible from here, the sight just egged us on to keep moving. Right before the final climb, there is a water-fall, where we filled our bottles and enjoyed the delicious cold mountain water. I was pretty impatient to reach the monastery, and started running up the final flight of stairs. The feeling of actually getting there cannot be described in words! It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to climb up; all things considered, it wasn't bad at all ( other reviews mention anywhere between 1.5 hours to even 6 hours!!) ! I remembered the Hemkund Sahib trek from the previous year, where I had struggled to reach the top and on reaching, all I wanted to do was just sit. But this was a totally different experience. I had enough energy and enthusiasm for the hour-long guided tour of the temples.

Across the bridge and up the stairs we go! PC: Sameer Bhide

Inside the Tiger's nest! Drawn from memory

We had a great guide here and he took us through the various temples. Right at the entrance, there is a stone with a depression and if you manage to press your thumb into depression with your eyes closed, you supposedly obtain enlightenment. We were both asked to step three feet away and close our eyes. The husband, the lucky dawg that he is, managed to actually press his thumb into the impression at his very first try, whereas yours truly missed by millimetres at each of the three tries! At one temple, he asked us if we would like to meditate and we agreed. I don't know whether it was the endorphin-high I was experiencing from the trek or what, but meditating there was one of the most peaceful feelings ever! We could totally understand why those ancient gurus chose this place to meditate! The BEST part of the trek however, was going into the cave called the "Tiger's nest". The tigress consort of Guru Rinpoche was supposed to have meditated here. The cave-like enclosure is more of a gap between two cliffs and one has to climb down into the cave by means of a wooden plank and a ladder. At the end of the cave is a painting of the tigress consort, and a butter lamp is the only source of light. It felt totally UNREAL! After finishing the guided tour and filling our bottles with holy water, we started the descent.

Making up the calories lost! @Mountain Cafe. PC: Sameer Bhide

Met a Punjabi couple on the way down. The guy was 73 years old and his wife was 69 or something, yet both of them had hiked up! Major respect!! After chatting with them for a bit, we hurried down as it looked like it might start raining again. We reached the parking lot in 1 hour 15 minutes and drove back to the hotel.

Paro National museum. This 7-storey structure was closed for renovation. PC: Sameer Bhide

We were however not done for the day yet, and decided to visit the Paro National museum. The museum was under renovation and only four categories of exhibits were displayed in the administrative building. Enjoyed a superb dinner at Mountain Cafe. The trip was almost at an end and we had made so many superb memories! We would be heading back to Phuentsholing the next day, after visiting the Kichyu Monastery.