Fliar

Going to Amankorea in October next year. Can't wait!

SP03

On day 5 of my journey and the last full day in Punakha.

I had the Aman holistic massage that came with the Journey. It was relaxing with smoothing music and good pressure. I'm not really a massage person, so can't really comment on how amazing it was.

Afterwards, I had the cooking class. It was set up in the old farmhouse kitchen, which was pretty cool. The chef had everything prepared when we arrived after the massage. We made momos from rolling our own dough to folding them using the fillings already prepared. While it was steamed, the chef made chili sauce, green chili, chili dip, and chili cheese. It was a fun experience and they put everything together afterwards for a dinner in the farmhouse kitchen.

For dinners here, there are outdoor seatings, which is pretty popular especially since the weather is pretty warm. There are two large communal tables inside, which I rarely see people using. Then there are three private dining rooms upstairs. For some reasons, when we arrived, we were told that we had already reserved one of the private rooms and she took us there for both nights. It's a really special and intimate dining experience vs the large dining room at Thimphu

This morning, we did the drive to and hike back from Khamsum Chorten. The roof top view is specular, and the hike back was really enjoyable through the rice paddies. Our driver was waiting for us halfway down with cold towels and drinks for a refreshing break.

We had the riverside BBQ lunch today. The view was just incredible. You are sitting in the shades with a lovely breeze. And I was surprised how amazing the food tasted. It was probably the best grilled chicken I've ever had, and all the grilled vegetables were perfectly charred.

In the afternoon, we decided to take the bikes out for a ride to the Punakha Dzong and the suspension bridge. There were some small hills, and you are biking on a fairly narrow road with cars going by. It wasn't the easiest, but definitely doable. Roads are nicely paved. The Dzong is likely on everyone's itinerary. Our guide did a great job explaining the story of Budda from the wall paintings. While we were biking, our drivers followed us closely. He would look after the bikes when we went into the Dzong or to the bridge. We had a water bottle on the bike and everytime we came back, I noticed that our driver had refilled the water to full!

surfmom

Thanks for the report from the field!

we are planning a trip to Bhutan in January of 2025 - I’m sure everyone will think it is crazy, but it is a quick add-on to a trip in India. We are planning 3 nights in Paro primarily to hike Tiger’s Nest. (I want two full days as options to hike in case of poor weather).

I am pricing out - and comparing - Amankora Paro and Six Senses Paro. Our flights will come from DEL.

We are planning about a 24 hour layover in DEL after our India trip concludes and also before our return flight home to US. Looks like Bhutan Air and Druk Air both fly DEL - Paro.

Anything else I should be aware of?

sfoactuary

How's your level of fitness and ability to acclimate to high altitude? That's the only things I would consider for a short trip where you'd be doing the hike (potentially) as soon as the day after arriving.

SP03

On day 9 of my Journey and just made it to Bumthang. Spent the last 3 nights in Gangtey.

Gangtey is the smallest of the 5 lodges with only 8 suites. We got to know the other people pretty quickly since there are only two large communal tables inside. The weather is warm enough to have breakfast and lunch outdoor. Either way, you'll have a beautiful view of the monastery from anywhere.

Most people get there in the early afternoon. There doesn't seem to be any planned activities for the first afternoon, but there is an 1-1.5-hour loop around the property you can walk around on your own. They have a map in the room with some landmarks, like the primary school. It's an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

The second day, we decided to do a long hike from the Pelela Pass. Our guide started us about 30 mins further out than the typical starting point. The hike was moderately difficult and ascends to 3700 meters. There were still some snow at the top of the mountain and it was a pretty enjoyable hike. The descend was very rapid as you are on pretty steep switchbacks, but you have a beautiful view of the valley (and Aman) at a distance. We had picnic lunch with a gorgeous view of the valley. Once we got down, the bikes were waiting for us. This was my first-time mountain biking, and it was a bit scary at first since even the seemingly flat valley is full of rocks, dips and bumps. Once you get past the valley, you bike past the monastery back to Aman on paved roads. The very last bit was uphill and quite challenging if you are not used to it. We were back by 2 for some desserts.

We had the hot stone bath in late afternoon and the potato shed dinner at 7 pm. I would highly recommend not to miss either. I won't spoil the surprises, but they were definitely the highlight of the trip.

The next day we did the valley loop. There are many variations it seems; depends on how much you want to hike. It seems most people drive up to the monastery then hike down. We took longer route from the lodge through the pine forest to the black neck crane center first. Then they drove us to the end of the Natural Trail, to go up the hill in reverse direction. It seems like we were the only ones going in that direction. It is definitely more challenging going uphill. We had picnic lunch at the viewpoint overlooking the crane center (and the Six Senses), then went up to the monastery. The driver met us at the monastery, we had the option to take the car back or walk another 30 mins back to the lodge. We were back around 1:30pm and had a second, light lunch, chatting with the other guests.

I did yoga every morning at 7. It seems like the yoga studio got progressively smaller (from Paro to Thimphu to Punakha to Gangtey, to nonexistent at Bumthang) and the yoga more challenging. If there is one critique of my entire Amankora experience so far, it's that the yoga buddies are not great at adapting to the guests. They often ask how experienced you are at yoga. Almost everyone said minimal, but they don't seem to offer options that are less challenging. One guest said she has wrist issues and has trouble with downward dog, but the yoga buddy didn't offer any suggestions for alternative poses while she struggled.

This morning, we had the fumigation ritual prior to departing. I don't know if it's a must-do, but I definitely enjoyed it. It was also much longer than I had anticipated.

Some had commented on the road condition to Bumthang. Happy to report that the road condition is generally excellent. We stopped by the waterfall for tea. Then went to the Trongsa Dzongkhag and the Royal Heritage Museum. I was surprised that the other guests didn't stop at either on their journey here. The museum is huge and truly excellent. I would add that to the must do list if you are going to Bumthang. Afterwards, we had our picnic lunch at the beautiful garden outside of the museum. The view was spectacular, making the 5 hour trip worth it for me.

SP03

I haven't done the Tiger Nest yet, but our guide suggested that we could take the horses up part of the way. We asked about horseback riding while in Gangtey. He didn't think it was worth it and suggested that we take the horses up Tigers Nest instead. He seems to suggest that it's free while in Paro...

If you are only going to do one, probably Paro. It has the largest spa and you can schedule it after your Tiger's Nest hike.

surfmom

good point about elevation. We will be coming from elevation, so hoping we are acclimatized by then....

Good thought! Is that cheating though? I think the horses go about halfway from what I've read...

erik123

If you are reasonably fit horses aren't necessary and may take away from the experience. If not so fit it's a good option. Consider going a bit late as most people go early and late means you'll have the place to yourself. But many guides won't like the idea. I did the last leg down at dusk but hiked with locals.

SP03

The horses are mostly for the experience. I think someone mentioned a hut half way down from Tigers Nest. Our guide suggested a lunch there. Will report back once I’ve experienced it.

SanDiego1K

We were the first guests to be taken to the hut. We went the day that the lease was signed. The hut and the area around it are absolutely charming. And it gives Aman a private way to come down from Tigers Nest without being in he congestion of guests from all the area lodges.

surfmom

i'm deciding between Amankora and Six Senses... tie-breaker with the hut?

SP03

The service at Amankora is truly sublime.

erik123

My personal preference would be a ride in a more non touristy location where you aren't mingling with others (except Bhutanese).

SP03

On day 12 of my Journey and made back to Paro from Bumthang.

I have mixed feelings about Bumthang. The service is genuine and friendly but doesn't always hit the mark. There's been a few communication issues with food orders (more than the other lodges) and the food wasn't quite as good as the other lodges.

I'm also unsure about the design and layout of the lodge. The rooms are identical to Punakha and Paro and the rooms face the old royal palace (which is sadly closed for conversion to a museum). However, unlike Thimphu where rooms 1-4 face the courtyard but people don't walk directly outside of your windows, here there is a walkway right by the windows. So if you are in a lower room, people look directly into your bed. So sadly for those guests, I notice their window shutters were closed most of the day, which is a shame since the view is nice and room is otherwise quite dark. Thankfully, I was in room 16 with a beautiful view of the palace and the cherry tree in blossom.

Another puzzling design is the dining/living room is really small for 16 suites. There are only 6 tables. The courtyard view is nice, but the other side is just a view of a white wall. They have a set of long tables, seating 32 guests in the next room without a window. Frankly, it felt out of character from the rest of the lodge and cold/business like. They have a very small library which feels cramped. I would've much more preferred if they had combined those spaces into a more spacious dining/reading/living space, similar to Gantey.

The other major issue was the Wifi. On day two, it was so slow and frequently interrupted that it was basically unusable. I mentioned to the lodge host the next morning, and he sent an engineer to fix it right away. While more usable, the speed ranged between 1.5 to 5 mbps, compared to my room in Paro at 50 mbps right now.

The highlights of Bumtang were the hikes and monasteries/temples. We did the Bushman trail to the nunnery. Then biked down back to the lodge with a stop at the Burning Lake (which is beautiful). The bike ride was not easy as we had to ride uphill to the pass before going back downhill. The next day, we did a hike to the oldest temple and monastery with the cave (both were quite interesting) and worth a stop. We also did a name giving ceremony in the afternoon. There were two other people from Amankora there. And the monks mixed our names up.... It was a fun experience, but I'm not sure how personalized that name really is.

There are two flights leaving from Bumthang to Paro. Ours at 8 am was cancelled due to weather, so we were placed on the 10 am flight. In retrospect, you may want to ask for the 10 am flight. That would allow you to have a leisurely breakfast in the morning. Weather seems to clear up every day in mid-morning.

We got to Paro just in time for lunch then we on a leisurely walk with our guide to the Dzong you can see from the Paro lodge. It's still under construction so you can't go inside, but the view along the way is excellent.

luxefarer

Loving your journey

I feel similarly about Bumthang, it's rich with history but I think it's best for those traveling in the festive months Oct, Nov and spending more time outside of the property.

For WiFi, ask the the guest experience team or your guide if they can provide you with a 5G portable cellular box. The guides use when you are hiking/driving - that's what we did and, a little hack that solved our WiFi issues...

What I do love about that small library is all the original old aman brochures, did you get a chance to see them?? I hope they still kept them. Bittersweet to see the original photography and Aman vision circa Adrian Zecha. They have them at Gangtey too.