There are photographs of Tiger's Nest that you may have seen. In them, a cluster of white-and-gold buildings clings impossibly to a sheer cliff face, their reflection in temple pools below them, the Paro Valley thousands of meters beneath. You have probably thought, when looking at these photographs, that they must have been digitally enhanced — that no building could actually sit in such a position, on such a cliff, at such an altitude.
You are wrong. Paro Taktsang — Bhutan's most iconic and most sacred monastery — is real, and it is exactly as extraordinary as the photographs suggest, and in ways that the photographs cannot capture.
The monastery was built in 1692 around a sacred cave where, according to Bhutanese tradition, Guru Rinpoche — Padmasambhava, the Indian master who brought Buddhism to Bhutan in the eighth century — meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours. He is said to have flown to the cave on the back of a tigress (hence the name), and the cave itself is considered one of the holiest spots in the Himalayas.
The hike to Tiger's Nest takes approximately two to three hours from the base. The trail winds upward through blue pine forest, past prayer flags and small stupas, with the monastery appearing and disappearing as the trail turns. The altitude (the base is at around 2,200 m, the monastery at 3,120 m) means that most visitors are breathing noticeably harder than usual by the time they arrive — which, paradoxically, makes the arrival more powerful. The physical effort has prepared you for the encounter.
At the final approach, the trail descends to a waterfall and then climbs steeply to the monastery entrance via iron chains set into the cliff. Entering through a low door, you find yourself in a series of small, richly decorated temple rooms — dark with butter-lamp smoke, brilliant with gilded statues and thangkas, alive with the distant sound of chanting from somewhere deeper in the complex.
The central shrine — the cave itself, where Guru Rinpoche meditated — is accessible only to Buddhist practitioners, but even standing at the threshold and looking in, the sense of accumulated sacred energy is palpable. Pilgrims prostrate. Monks turn prayer wheels. The valley far below is a tiny green strip between massive mountains.
Positive India Journey's Bhutan Kingdom Tour includes the Tiger's Nest hike with expert guides who can explain the spiritual and historical significance of everything you encounter along the way. It is, without question, one of the most memorable experiences our guests ever describe.