By road
Crossing into Bhutan at Phuentsholing
The Jaigaon–Phuentsholing crossing, hour by hour: what documents you need, where the permit office is, how long it takes and why you should not arrive on a Sunday.
On foot · What the walk is actually like
The Tiger’s Nest climb
Paro Taktsang sits at about 3,120 m, roughly 900 vertical metres above the valley floor, on a path a little over 4 km each way. Most reasonably fit people take two to three hours up and an hour and a half down, so four to five hours in total plus time inside. It is a steep, sustained walk on dirt and stone — not a climb, and no equipment is needed — but it is the single most physically demanding thing on any standard Bhutan itinerary.
The three parts of the path
The walk divides into three quite different stretches, and knowing where you are in them makes the whole thing feel shorter.
Base to the cafeteria
About an hour and a quarter of steady uphill through blue pine, wide track, no exposure. Horses can be hired for this section and this section only. There is tea and a toilet at the top of it, and the first proper view of the monastery across the gorge.
Cafeteria to the viewpoint
Another forty-five minutes or so, narrower, with prayer flags and the classic photograph. This is where most people stop for ten minutes and where the altitude starts to be noticeable.
The staircase
The last stretch drops several hundred steps into the gorge past a waterfall, then climbs an equal number back up to the monastery gate. It is the hardest part and it comes last, which surprises people.
The staircase is the thing to know about in advance. Everything before it is a long walk. The staircase is a leg workout at 3,000 m, and it has to be done twice — down and up on the way in, down and up on the way out.
When to start, and what to carry
Leave the hotel at 7am. Two reasons: the path is in shade for the first two hours, which matters more than the temperature suggests, and you are ahead of the coach groups that arrive from 9am onward. The monastery is quieter and the photographs are better.
- Broken-in shoes with real grip. The dirt is loose in the dry months and slick after rain. New boots bought for the trip are the most common avoidable mistake anyone makes in Bhutan.
- Two litres of water per person. There is one refill point, at the cafeteria.
- A layer you can take off and a layer you can put on. It is cold at the gate at 7am and warm by 10am.
- Long trousers and covered shoulders — the monastery is an active religious site and you will be turned away otherwise.
- Sunscreen. At 3,000 m the UV is unforgiving even under cloud.
Cameras and phones stop at the gate
Bags, cameras and phones are left in lockers at the entrance. Photography is permitted everywhere on the path and outside the buildings, and nowhere inside them. Nobody makes an exception, so there is no point in asking.
Horses, and what they do and do not solve
Ponies are available at the base and are negotiated on the day, in cash. They carry you as far as the cafeteria and no further — the upper path and the staircase are on foot for everyone, without exception.
They also only go up. Riding down a steep dirt path is worse than walking it, so the horse solves roughly the first third of the ascent and none of the descent. For someone who is fit but slow it can be the difference between finishing and turning back. For someone who genuinely cannot manage 900 m of stairs and gradient, it is not a solution, and we would rather say so than sell it.
If you are not going to make it to the top
The viewpoint before the staircase is a perfectly good destination and the view from it is the one on every postcard. Walking to the cafeteria, having tea and turning round is also a fine morning. We build Taktsang as the last full day of most itineraries precisely so that nobody has to hike it on day two with the altitude still unfamiliar.
Who should think twice
Nothing about Taktsang is technical, but the combination of sustained gradient, hundreds of steps and 3,000 m of altitude is real.
- Anyone with a heart condition, uncontrolled blood pressure or a recent surgery should ask a doctor before booking the trip, not before the walk.
- Knees dislike the descent more than the ascent. A pair of walking poles, which can be bought cheaply in Thimphu, makes a large difference.
- Children from about eight upward generally do it easily and faster than their parents. Below that, one adult should plan on turning around early.
- Do not attempt it on your first day in the country. Give yourself two nights at altitude first — every itinerary we run does this by design.
Done sensibly it is the best day of the trip. Done on four hours of sleep, in new shoes, with a flight to catch that afternoon, it is the worst.
Written by the Evergreen Travels team · published
Common questions
How hard is the Tiger’s Nest hike?
It is a sustained uphill walk of about 900 vertical metres over roughly 4 km each way, finishing with several hundred steps down into a gorge and back up. No technical skill or equipment is needed, but it takes four to five hours return and is the most demanding part of a standard Bhutan itinerary.
How long does it take to hike to Tiger’s Nest?
Two to three hours up and about an hour and a half down for most people, plus twenty to forty minutes inside the monastery. Start at 7am to walk in shade and stay ahead of the groups.
Can you ride a horse to the Tiger’s Nest?
A pony will carry you as far as the halfway cafeteria, uphill only. The upper path and the final staircase must be walked by everyone. Ponies are hired at the base on the day and paid in cash.
Can children do the Tiger’s Nest hike?
Children from around eight years old usually manage it comfortably, often faster than the adults. For younger children, plan on one adult turning back at the cafeteria or the viewpoint, both of which are good destinations in themselves.
Can you take photos at Tiger’s Nest?
Yes on the path and outside the buildings, no inside them. Phones, cameras and bags are left in lockers at the monastery entrance, and the rule is applied to everyone.
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