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Paro is Bhutan's primary point of arrival, the country's only international airport, and the valley around which most first-time visitor itineraries are anchored. Home to Paro Taktsang (the Tiger's Nest) — Guru Rinpoche's most famous meditation site, and the image most strongly associated with Bhutan in the wider world. To arrive in Bhutan is, in nearly every case, to arrive in Paro, and to find the country composed in its very first valley with a kind of quiet completeness.
dzongkhag · Paro · 2,250 m
Paro International Airport (PBH) is Bhutan's only international airport and the country's principal connection to the world. The approach is one of the most demanding in commercial aviation — visual only, certified pilots only (fewer than fifty in the world), daylight only, mountain-flanked. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines are the two carriers licensed to operate the approach. Most international visitors arrive through Paro and overnight here before continuing east; the approach itself, in clear weather, is among the more memorable arrivals in commercial aviation.
Paro Taktsang (the Tiger's Nest) — the cliffside monastery, the cultural climax of any Western-circuit visit and the image every international visitor recognises; roughly four to five hours on foot round trip from the parking area at the head of the valley. Paro Rinpung Dzong — the dzong on the spur above the valley floor, administrative seat of the dzongkhag, and the filming location for Bertolucci's Little Buddha. Kyichu Lhakhang — one of the two oldest temples in Bhutan, dating in tradition to the seventh century, built by Songtsen Gampo. Drukgyel Dzong — built by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal to defend against Tibetan invasion, ruined by fire in 1951, now partially restored. Ta Dzong (the National Museum) — the country's principal museum, in the watchtower above Rinpung Dzong. The Chele La pass at 3,810 metres — the highest motorable point in the western country, the road south to Haa, with views to Chomolhari on a clear day.
Paro valley is broad and agricultural — terraced rice paddies on the floor (the country's principal red-rice region), pine forest on the surrounding slopes, the Pa Chhu river running south through the valley. The valley climate is cool-temperate; winter days are sunny and crisp, summer is mild and wet (July is the wettest month). Paro town (population approximately 20,000) sits on the valley floor at 2,406 metres; the principal premium lodges (Amankora Paro, COMO Uma Paro, Six Senses Paro, Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary) are distributed across the upper and southern valley. Most premium Bhutan itineraries start and end with 2-3 nights in Paro.
The annual Paro Tshechu (March or April, dates set by the Bhutanese lunar calendar) is one of the country's most-attended festivals — three days of masked dances at the Rinpung Dzong courtyards, with the great Thongdrel unfurled in the early-morning darkness on the final day. Many visitors plan itineraries around it. See the [[paro-tshechu|Paro Tshechu festival page]] and the [[bhutan-paro-tshechu-spring|spring Paro Tshechu journey]].
Visiting
Common questions
Journeys that visit Paro
A Singapore March-school-holiday trip
Bhutan from Singapore for the March school holiday — pre-Paro Tshechu shoulder, six nights, family-friendly Bhutan, spring rhododendron.
6 nights · from USD 5,000
A Singapore year-end trip
Bhutan from Singapore for the year-end — Clear-Sky Bhutan, the National Day window, six nights Bhutan, Drukair direct.
6 nights · from USD 5,000
Sunday out, Saturday back — six nights between the board meetings
Six-night signature-tier Bhutan journey for Singapore senior executives. Drukair Sun–Sat rhythm, Bhutan, named guide, no working-day loss.
6 nights · from USD 28,000
Five questions. A bespoke draft back within a day or two.