My preferred photo spot was at the second platform area, but please be careful if you decide to sit here... and def give me a shoutout if you copy my prayer flag pose!
So the Tiger’s Nest temple in Bhutan is on your bucketlist, eh? Well guess what, it’s a lot harder to get to it than you may think? Well, maybe you do think it’s hard to get to, considering it’s perched on the side of a sheer cliff.
Anyway! Not only is Bhutan slightly hard to get to, but the Tiger’s Nest temple requires quite the hike! And at a high altitude! Here’s my travel tips that usually no one tells you about this unique destination!
But first!
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The real name is “Taktshang Goenpa”, and the nickname “Tiger’s Nest” was derived from the story about how Guru Rinpoche (a reincarnation of Buddha who can change forms) flew up to the mountain’s ledge on the back of a flying tigress to subdue a local demon, and build a temple. That being said, since the tiger flew like a bird, they called it the “Tiger’s Nest Temple”.
As the name implies…it is a temple, obviously, but it is also a monastery, where many monks live and train. There are seven temples inside, all of which have statues of Guru Rinpoche, along with other gods and deities.
It is an extremely important holy site for Buddhists, and now one of the most famous images in the world!
Tiger’s Nest Temple is located in Bhutan, which is a small landlocked country in the Himalayas. It is located in the district of Paro, on the edge of a sheer cliff, at an elevation of around 3100 meters.
Even as someone who travels full time, and to remote ares of the world, I found Bhutan a little tricky (and expensive) to get to.
At first I tried using Skyscanner to find flights there, but later on I realized that their main airline isn’t listed on Skyscanner. So basically what I would advise, is to search for flights to either Delhi or Singapore from where you’re coming form.
Then use the Druk Air website to find flights to Paro from either Delhi or Singapore.
Nope, you sure can’t! Not as a tourist anyway. Bhutan has strict regulations on tourism to ensure that their culture and holy sites remain well preserved.
Therefore, you can only go to Tiger’s Nest if you book a tour of Bhutan. I went with Daj Expeditions on an incredible 8 day tour, and I would highly recommend them!
Bhutan is expensive due to their “high quality, low impact” mentality of tourism. As I’ve mentioned, they want to preserve and protect their culture and holy sites, so they make visiting there at a higher cost in order to attract only the most dedicated of travelers.
That being said, as of 2022, there is a $200 per day fee just to be in Bhutan, and additionally, you are required to have a tour guide. A quality tour like the one I did, with higher end hotels, is around $2500 for the week, and this includes meals as well.
Don’t forget to factor in flights! I mentioned above how to find them, but be prepared for another $1k-2k for those!
For some reason, I was not aware of how much hiking is involved in Bhutan, and especially for Tiger’s Nest Temple.
Naively, I thought you could just drive up to a viewpoint to see it, but definitely nope, not the case. The hike up takes around two hours, and there is an easier option that takes a bit longer, and a “short cut”, which is a lot steeper, but faster. I’d only recommend the faster option if you’re pretty fit, and determined to get photos before crowds of people.
The hike starts through a beautiful pine forest, then turns more rocky and dusty the higher you go. At the halfway point, there’s a really nice tea house you can stop at. It has clean bathrooms and a nice view of the Tiger’s Nest from far away.
As you get closer to the top, you can see small streams of water (some thought to be holy), and breathtaking views of the valley below.
Once you finally get to the viewpoints, you can take your photos before finishing the hike with over one hundred stairs. Then, you’ll finally get to the actual temple.
You’ll probably spend close to one hour in the actual temple, before taking the same route back, which will likely take around 1.5 hours or less.
The token photo spot for Tiger’s Nest Temple is actually a small platform that easily gets crowded. You have to wait your turn for photos, otherwise other people will be in them. Luckily I went in low season, and I only had to wait for one person to take photos before me.
I kind of preferred the second photo spot more though. Hardly anyone stopped there, and it was much larger, I can’t fully recommend sitting or standing on the stone wall like I did, because the rocks are a little shifty and there’s a sheer drop below, but maybe just stand there and smile.
Also, I can’t really recommend bringing an outfit change like I did. You’ll have to carry it up, and if you take a long time changing or taking photos, it might irritate other guests. I only did it because there was literally no one there when I went.
Nyope. Just like all of the other temples in Bhutan, you cannot take photos or videos inside of Tiger’s Nest. In fact, you can’t even take your phone, camera, or bag inside! You have to put it in a locker outside!
As you can probably guess, there are temples inside of Tiger’s Nest. There were seven that I saw, and perhaps more that were closed off. Each temple has ornate gold statues of the Guru, Buddha, and deities.
One temple has a stupa in it that is also the grave of…someone who I forgot but will look up later. And you can also see areas where the caves of the mountain are. There’s also a “butter candle room” where you can make a donation to light a butter candle and say a prayer or wish.
The best time to go to Bhutan depends on what your goal is for the trip. Most tourists go in Spring or Fall, because that’s when all of the cultural festivals are. During March-April and September-November are the peak seasons.
It also gets really hot in March-April, which might not be ideal for hiking. And May-August is usually when monsoon season is, so maybe avoid that time.
January and February are winter, and it gets quite cold at night or if the sun isn’t out. But like, not to brag, but I went mid-February and had blue skies and sunshine the whole time, and virtually no other tourists!
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xx, Alyssa
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