Month: February 2013

If you love Trekking

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Taktsang MonasteryMy love for adventure is far from the regular hiking, trekking and camping activities. As lazy as I can be any activity which requires a huge amount of effort is something I am never tempted to venture into. However, as luck would have it our decision to visit Bhutan for our annual vacation was solely based on an article I read about The Tiger’s Nest. I was completely drawn to it and my adventurous husband immediately gave his approval, albeit a bit surprised with my initiative on taking this trek.

We went in the month of December, the weather was nice and cold, it was not a tourist season so the trip planned out better than we expected.  Festivals, flora n fauna, palaces and buddhism is what Bhutan has to offer during the year.

We got in touch with a local travel operator Raven Tours and Treks – who managed the trip for us and made it completely hassle free. Our visit to Tigers Nest was scheduled towards the end of our 5 night 6 days trip to help acclimatize ourselves to the low temperatures we will experience on the trek.

The Tiger’s Nest also known as Taktsang Monastery is at 10,240 ft, hanging on a cliff appearing very intimidating and scenic. It was nearly a 7 hour trek for a snail paced trekker like me – 4 hours on the way up and 3 hours back. The climb was very steep and given the season it was chilly and we could see small ice formations on leaves as we approached the top, which added to the scenic backdrop of the valley and the excitement of reaching the monastery!

Ask me to free fall from a bridge into a flowing river and I have done it, experienced a near drowning while rafting in the Himalayas and I will still do it again. But ask me to go on another trek and I can assure it’s not going come close to accomplishing this trek to The Tiger’s Nest. A once in a lifetime opportunity that came our way and I am glad it was the best!