Hike up to the Iconic Tiger Nest

The one excursion that every visitor to Bhutan has on their wish list is the half-day hike up through pine forests to Taksthang Goemba, the iconic Tiger's Nest Monastery, in the upper Paro Valley. The spectacular gold-roofed temple sticks miraculously to the side of a dramatic cliff and centers on a cave that Buddhist saint Guru Rinpoche meditated in for three months after flying to the site on the back of a tigress. The temple is a two-hour uphill hike, so try to make the climb in the morning when the sun is less strong, and leave it until the end of your trip when you are better acclimatized.

Detour: Fit hikers can continue above Taktshang to explore the timeless collection of shrines and temples that look down dramatically over the Tiger's Nest for a different perspective on the site.