Paro

Paro is, for most visitors, the beginning of Bhutan — and one of its most beautiful corners. The country's only international airport sits on the floor of the broad, fertile Paro Valley, a patchwork of rice fields, traditional painted farmhouses, willow-lined streams and temples, ringed by forested mountains. It is a gentle, photogenic introduction to the kingdom.

The district's fame, however, rests on a single extraordinary sight: Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, a monastery improbably perched on a sheer cliff face hundreds of metres above the valley floor. The hike up to it is the defining experience of a Bhutan trip. Paro also holds the magnificent Rinpung Dzong, the excellent National Museum, the very ancient Kyichu Lhakhang, and the romantic ruins of Drukgyel Dzong at the head of the valley.

Paro suits every visitor to Bhutan — it is the natural first stop, rich in monuments, and the launching point for the journey deeper into the kingdom.

Paro is rewarding year-round, but spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the prime seasons. Spring brings blossom and wildflowers to the valley and generally warm, settled weather; autumn delivers the clearest skies and the best mountain views, along with the festival calendar.

Winter (December–February) is cold but often brilliantly clear, with crisp days ideal for the Tiger's Nest hike and few crowds; snow occasionally dusts the valley. Summer (June–August) is the monsoon — green and lush, but with cloud, rain and the chance of flight delays. The standout event is the Paro Tsechu, one of Bhutan's largest festivals, held in spring over several days, when masked dances fill the courtyard of Rinpung Dzong and an enormous sacred thongdrel scroll is unfurled at dawn.

Paro is the most accessible district in Bhutan. Paro International Airport is the country's only international air gateway, set dramatically on the valley floor. The town itself is small and walkable, with a single attractive main street of traditional-style buildings.

Within the district, travel is by road, and most visitors move with the driver and guide provided by their tour operator. Paro is linked to the capital, Thimphu, by a good road of about an hour and a half, making the two easy to combine. The valley's sights — the National Museum and Rinpung Dzong above the town, Kyichu Lhakhang, the trailhead for the Tiger's Nest, and Drukgyel Dzong at the valley head — are all short drives apart. The hike up to Paro Taktsang itself takes several hours round trip on a well-trodden trail, with a cafeteria at the halfway viewpoint.

• Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) — Bhutan's iconic cliff-clinging monastery, the must-do hike of any visit.
• Rinpung Dzong — a grand fortress-monastery above the town, centre of the Paro Tsechu.
• National Museum — housed in the round Ta Dzong watchtower, a fine introduction to Bhutanese art and culture.
• Kyichu Lhakhang — one of Bhutan's oldest and most revered temples, said to date from the 7th century.
• Drukgyel Dzong — the evocative ruined fortress at the head of the valley, with Jhomolhari beyond.
• Paro town — a compact, picturesque main street good for crafts and cafés.

Paro shares in the national cuisine of Bhutan, and a meal here is a good introduction to it. The national dish, ema datshi — chillies cooked as a vegetable in a sauce of local cheese — appears at almost every table; in Bhutan the chilli is treated as a vegetable, not merely a seasoning. Red rice, nutty and slightly sticky, grown in the valley's terraces, is the staple grain.

Other dishes a visitor will meet include kewa datshi (potatoes with cheese), shamu datshi (mushrooms with cheese), and phaksha paa, pork stewed with dried chillies and radish. Suja, the salted butter tea, and ara, a home-distilled spirit, are traditional drinks. Paro town's restaurants and hotels serve Bhutanese set meals alongside Indian and continental options for visitors, and the chilli-heavy local food can be ordered milder on request.

Paro is a stronghold of Bhutanese Drukpa Buddhist culture, and its valley is studded with temples, chortens and lhakhangs that remain active places of worship. Traditional painted farmhouses, with their elaborate timber windows and decorative motifs, are characteristic of the valley, and rural life still follows the rhythms of rice cultivation and the religious calendar.

The district's great festival is the Paro Tsechu, held in spring at Rinpung Dzong — several days of cham masked dances performed by monks and laymen, re-enacting Buddhist teachings and the deeds of Guru Rinpoche, culminating in the pre-dawn display of the giant thongdrel appliqué scroll, the mere sight of which is held to bring blessing. As across Bhutan, the national dress — the gho and kira — is worn, and visitors will see Paro's craftspeople, weavers and the ceremonies of village temples woven into everyday life.

• Hike to the Tiger's Nest — the steep, switchbacking climb to Paro Taktsang, Bhutan's defining experience.
• Attend the Paro Tsechu — masked dances and the dawn thongdrel at Rinpung Dzong.
• Tour the National Museum — Bhutanese textiles, art and history in the historic Ta Dzong.
• Walk to Kyichu Lhakhang — pay respects at one of the kingdom's most ancient temples.
• Cycle or stroll the Paro Valley — rice fields, farmhouses and temples beneath the mountains.