Hike to the Tiger’s Nest monastery in Bhutan

What the experience is

Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest, is a group of temples built into a nearly vertical rock face about ten kilometres north of the town of Paro. It stands at 3,120 metres, roughly 900 metres above the valley. There is no road. Every visitor walks.

The site is sacred to Padmasambhava, the teacher credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan. According to legend he flew to the cliff on the back of a tigress and meditated in a cave here. The cave was used for meditation from the ninth century, and the monastery around it was built in 1692 under Tenzin Rabgye, the fourth secular ruler of Bhutan. A fire on 19 April 1998 destroyed much of the complex. It was rebuilt and the restoration was completed in 2005.

The walk

The trail is about four kilometres each way and the round trip takes four to five hours. It climbs steadily through pine forest hung with prayer flags, past a water-driven prayer wheel near the start. At about the halfway point a cafeteria gives the first full view of the monastery across the ravine. Mules can be hired as far as this point. Beyond it the path reaches a viewpoint level with the temples, then descends more than 700 steps into the gorge, crosses a bridge below a 60-metre waterfall and climbs a last flight to the gate.

Inside are four main temples and several caves, linked by stone stairs. Bags, cameras and telephones are left in lockers at the entrance, and no photographs are taken within.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the best months. Start early: the cliff is in sun in the morning, the trail is cooler, and the temples close for an hour at midday.

Good to know

The walk is not technical, but the altitude makes it tiring, and it is wise to leave it to the end of a journey in Bhutan, when the body has adjusted. Shoulders and knees must be covered to enter. An entry fee is charged to foreign visitors, and the monastery is reserved for Bhutanese worshippers on certain days of the lunar calendar, so a guide should confirm the date.

Why OKYTO recommends it

It is the one sight in Bhutan that everyone knows, and it is better than its photographs, because the approach on foot is part of the meaning. Combine it with a festival, as described in Attend a tshechu festival in Bhutan, or with a section of the Trans Bhutan Trail. Our page on Bhutan covers the rest.