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Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan is located on the granite cliff above Paro Valley with an elevation of 3286 meters/10778 feet. It is a sacred site for Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhists. It is one of the 13th sites of Guru Padmasambhava, who flew on the back of the Tigress from Singye Dzong in eastern Bhutan and meditated there. Another legend says Yeshe Tsogyal former wife of the Tibetan Emperor was a disciple of Guru.
She transformed into Tigrees and flew to Paro with Guru to spread Buddhism in the Himalayan country Bhutan. Guru started meditation in the cave. “Taksang” literally means “Tigeress lair”.Guru started meditating in the 8th century and also started preaching Dharma. Guru meditated and manifested into eight incarnated forms. The place turned into a holy site. Guru Padmasambhava, according to the legend, meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours.
The idea of building the cave monastery was initiated by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel(the unifier of Bhutan). Tenzing Rabgye started building the monastery in the year 1692. it was believed that Guru turned himself into Tenzin Rabgye. The people of Paro Paro Valley saw a lot of natural scenery showers of flowers, religious symbols, and animals in the sky. The monastery was built around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave.
Many saints from Tibet like Milarepa, Pha Dampa Sangye, and Thangto Gyelpo came here to meditate. Many Lamas came from Tibet to establish monasteries in Bhutan.
Tertön Pema Lingpa of Bumthang created religious-secular dance forms, which were the abode of the Guru Padmasambhava. This dance is performed in Paro during the Paro Festival every year.
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel fulfilled his dream to build a temple here during the rule of 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgye. During his visit to the sacred cave of Taktsang in 1692. He laid the foundation for building the temple dedicated to Guru Rinpoche called the ‘Temple of the Guru with Eight Names.
On April 19, 1998, a fire broke out in the main building, which contained valuable paintings, artifacts, and statues. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit and the butter lamp. A monk was also the victim of fire and died during the fire. The restoration works were carried out in full swing with an estimated budget of 135 million ngultrums. The Government of Bhutan and the 4th King Jigme Singye Wangchuck completed in 2005.
The monastery complex at Paro Taktsang in Bhutan is made up of four monastery buildings and a series of eight caves. All buildings are interconnected by the floor made of stone slab walkways. Paro Taktsang was painted with white exterior walls and red shingled roofs. You as well as golden roofs. Temples in Bhutan are built with Stonewood and red mud. In the courtyard, you can see a golden roof painted with the gold gilded stupa on the top of the main building.
You will find a lot of prayer wheels, which monks turn every morning to start the day, and even guests coming there. The interior of Paro Taktsang features golden ceilings, golden idols, and the Hall of a Thousand Buddhas, where a statue of a large tiger can be found. You can see eight manifestations of the Guru.
The total distance of the hike: 4.27 km /2.65 miles
Tigers Nest Bhutan elevation(Base camp) is at 2602 meters/8535 feet. The highest elevation of the Monastery is 3286 meters/10778 feet.
The monastery is located 10 kilometers from the main Town of Paro. A taxi from Paro to the Taksang parking area and back to Paro town will cost around $25 including a waiting fee. It is located north of Paro on the right side of the Paro River. It is very near to Drugyel’s ruined fortress.
If you are coming through your tour operator you will be taken to the site within your tour package. Any tour operator of Bhutan will include the sightseeing of Tigers Nest.
Visiting Bhutan without hiking to Paro Taksang in Bhutan is like visiting Darjeeling without drinking Darjeeling tea. Don’t try to hike to Taksang coming from a long distance and immediately reaching Paro from low altitude places. Try to acclimatize for at least one day in Paro.
You need to keep one whole day for hiking to Tigers Nest. The recent update on the Taksang trail. Due to the closure of Tourism in Bhutan due to COVID-19, with collaboration from different stakeholders of the Tourism Industry, the Taksang trail was well developed by reducing the trek route by 30 minutes. There is a separate route for trekkers and horses.
There is a cafeteria in the middle of the way, where visitors can take a break. It is also an excellent place for taking photographs of the Taktsang. It takes around 2-3 hours to get to the monastery on foot.
Note: If you decide to get a horse. But you can’t take a horse to the monastery. You have to walk downhill and uphill for around 30 minutes. If you can hike better don’t take a horse. Sometimes horses or ponies create problems. It is not recommended to rent a horse on rainy days. Be advised that the horse will only take you uphill, and you will have to get back down on foot.
It operates from Sunday till Saturday. The entry fee for regional tourists (Indian, Bangladeshi, and Maldivian) is Nu.500.00 per person. Bhutanese is exempted and other International tourists paying minimum daily tariff who are traveling into Bhutan through Bhutan Tour Agency with a valid visa for Bhutan are exempted. It is inclusive of the package tour.
Monastery: open from 8 am-4 pm daily
Taksang Cafeteria is located below the Taksang Monastery and above basecamp of the base camp of the monastery. It takes nearly 45-1 hour to reach the cafeteria. It is a beautiful spot to get a shot of the monastery. Here you can refresh your body take a rest and have tea and coffee.
Most of the tourists take a rest and have a refreshing mind to refresh for a steep hike to reach the sacred site. After returning from the Monastery tourists take a rest out here. But they don’t take orders after 3 pm daily. Your guide will order the lunch and after returning you can have a hot lunch here at TaksanCafeteriaia.
Bumdra Trek is near Paro Taksang. The 3-day trek starts from Sangchoekhor Buddhist College to Bumdra base camp and finally to Paro Taksang Monastery. After completing the trek you will be visiting the Taksang monastery. It is a lovely and easy trek if you want to do an easy trek in Paro and as well as visit the Tiger Nest Monastery in Bhutan.
Drukgyel Dzong is another sightseeing near Paro Taksang. The best suitable time would be after Hiking to Taksang or if you want to have lunch outside Drukgyel Dzong. Dzong is a ruined fortress and is suited 2-3 kilometer drive from the Taksang base parking area.
Taktsang or Tiger’s Nest monastery is at an elevation of 3286 meters/10778 feet. It is 900 feet above Paro Valley. It is one of the topmost sacred sites in Bhutan. You can escape the visit by traveling to Bhutan. It is a 2-hour uphill hike to reach the monastery and a downhill ll to reach the base camp of the Monastery.
The hike takes between 2 to 6 hours depending on your endurance. Reaching to Taksang cafeterias is easy but after crossing the cafeteria it is quite steep. The total length of the hike round trip is about 6 km/4 miles. Don’t start late because the monastery will close for visitors after 4-5, depending upon the timings.