Festival tour · 8 days, 7 nights

8 Day Haa Summer Festival Tour: Nomad Culture, Food and Games in the Haa Valley

The festival once known as the Haa Summer Festival now takes place in spring as the Haa Spring Festival. This trip takes you to it, with Chele La, the Tiger’s Nest and Thimphu.

3 days

Length of the festival

2,700 m

Haa valley, about

3,988 m

Chele La pass, about

2002

Haa opened to visitors

Trip overview

The Haa festival, from summer to spring

For more than a decade the Haa valley held a festival every July to show off its highland life: yak herding, local food, folk songs, archery and games. It was introduced with the support of the national tourism authorities in the early 2010s and became known to travellers as the Haa Summer Festival. In 2024 the Haa district administration moved it to spring and renamed it the Haa Spring Festival, because monsoon rain made July travel hard and spring brings better weather and flowers.

The festival now runs for three days in April on the Yangthang ground near Haa town. The third edition was held from 7 to 9 April 2026, opened in the presence of Her Majesty Gyalyum Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. It is a cultural and tourism festival rather than a religious tshechu, so instead of masked cham you see yak and horse displays, local cattle, food stalls with buckwheat dishes such as hoentay, traditional sports and performances about Ap Chundu, the valley’s guardian deity. The 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing; we confirm them with the district as soon as they are.

Haa is one of the least visited valleys in western Bhutan, even though it is only a few hours from Paro over Chele La. This trip pairs the festival with the Tiger’s Nest, Thimphu and the drive over Chele La, at about 3,988 metres, one of the highest road passes in the country.

Highlights

Highlights of the trip

Haa Spring Festival

Highland culture, games and food on the Yangthang ground.

Yak culture

Herders, yaks and horses from the high pastures.

Haa food

Buckwheat hoentay dumplings and local cheese.

Lhakhang Karpo

The White Temple of Haa.

Chele La

A high road pass with views of Jomolhari.

Tiger's Nest

The cliff monastery above Paro.

Itinerary at a glance

Eight days at a glance

The festival is held in April. We fix the exact days once the Haa district announces them.

Day 1: Arrive in Paro

Land in Paro, Rinpung Dzong.

Day 2: To Thimphu

Drive to the capital, sightseeing.

Day 3: To Haa

Drive to Haa via Chhuzom.

Day 4: Haa festival, day one

Opening day on the Yangthang ground.

Day 5: Haa festival, day two

Games, performances and a village walk.

Day 6: Over Chele La to Paro

Drive over Chele La, Kila Goemba option.

Day 7: Tiger's Nest

Hike to Paro Taktsang.

Day 8: Depart

Transfer to Paro airport.

Day 1

Arrive in Paro

Your guide meets you at Paro airport. After lunch you visit Rinpung Dzong and walk across the cantilever bridge below it, then stroll through the town. The first day is easy so you can adjust to the altitude.

Day 2

A day in Thimphu

You drive to Thimphu and visit the Memorial Chorten, the Buddha Dordenma, the National Institute for Zorig Chusum and Tashichho Dzong. Spring is a good time in the capital, with blossom on the trees and warm afternoons.

Day 3

Down the river to Haa

You drive from Thimphu to the river junction at Chhuzom and then up the Haa Chhu, about three and a half hours. In the afternoon you visit Lhakhang Karpo and Lhakhang Nagpo, the White and Black temples, which by legend were founded in the 7th century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.

Day 4

The festival opens

You spend the day at the festival on the Yangthang ground, just outside Haa town. The programme changes every year, but usually includes an opening ceremony, folk dances, displays of yaks, horses and local cattle, and food stalls run by the gewogs of Haa. Your guide helps you try the local dishes, including hoentay, buckwheat dumplings filled with turnip leaves and cheese.

Day 5

Games and village life

The second day is often about games and competitions: archery, khuru darts, and the traditional sports and contests the valley is known for. In the afternoon you walk to a village above the valley, past farmhouses and prayer wheel houses, and visit a family for butter tea.

Day 6

Over Chele La

You drive up to Chele La, at about 3,988 metres, where prayer flags cover the ridge and, on a clear day, Jomolhari and Jichu Drake stand to the north. If you have the energy, you can walk down a steep path to Kila Goemba, a small nunnery on the cliffs below the pass, before driving down to Paro.

Day 7

Hike to the Tiger's Nest

The hike to the Tiger’s Nest takes five to six hours return through blue pine forest to the monastery on its cliff at about 3,120 metres. In the evening you can book a hot stone bath.

Day 8

Fly home

After breakfast your guide drives you to Paro airport for your flight home.

Where you stay

3-star hotels in Paro and Thimphu, and a farmhouse or small hotel in Haa.

Nights	Place	Where you stay	Why we chose it
1, 6 and 7	Paro	3-star or 4-star hotel	Upgrades available
2	Thimphu	3-star or 4-star hotel	Central
3, 4 and 5	Haa	Farmhouse or small hotel	Close to the festival

Haa has only a handful of hotels. Farmhouse stays are simple and warm, with home-cooked meals.

What the price covers

Included and not included

Included

Bhutan visa (USD 40) and the Sustainable Development Fee for every night
Hotels as listed, 3-star as standard, with 4-star and luxury upgrades on request
All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
A licensed English-speaking guide for the whole trip
Private car or SUV with a Bhutanese driver, and all transfers
Entry fees to dzongs, temples and museums
Bottled water in the car

Not included

International flights into and out of Paro (we can book them for you)
Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend
Drinks, laundry and other personal costs
Tips for your guide and driver
Anything not listed under included

Price on request

Tell us your budget and we will send our best price

We don’t publish one fixed price, because hotels, season and group size change the total a lot. Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the budget you have in mind. We will reply within 24 hours with our best price for this Haa festival tour.

How we price

What decides the cost of this trip

Government fees

The SDF is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027, plus a USD 40 visa. These are fixed by the Government of Bhutan and paid through us.

Hotels you choose

Hotel style and group size change the total most.

Season and dates

Festival weeks are the busiest of the year. Booking early holds better rooms and seats.

Group size

Guide and car costs are shared, so the price per person drops for two, three or four travellers.

We send a written, itemised quote before you pay anything. No booking fees.

Good to know

Planning your Haa festival trip

Summer or spring?

Some websites still advertise a July Haa Summer Festival. As far as we know from the district and from Bhutanese news reports, the festival has been held in April since 2024 under the name Haa Spring Festival, and no July edition has been announced. If a summer event is announced again, we will tell you and plan around it. If you want Haa in the green season anyway, July and August are lovely, but wet.

About the Haa valley

Haa lies close to the border with Tibet and was only opened to tourists in 2002. It sits at about 2,700 metres, with forests of blue pine and fir, wide grazing land and villages of large farmhouses. People here farm wheat, barley, potatoes and buckwheat, and herders take yaks to high pastures in summer. The valley’s protector deity is Ap Chundu, and its festivals, both the spring festival and the Haa Tshechu on 6 to 8 November 2027, honour him.

Food at the festival

Haa is known for buckwheat. At the festival you can try hoentay, steamed or fried dumplings made from buckwheat flour and filled with turnip leaves, cheese and chilli, as well as buckwheat pancakes and noodles. Local ara, a spirit made from grain, is usually on offer too. Vegetarians eat well in Haa.

What to expect at the festival

This is a district festival with a relaxed, fair-like feel. There is little seating and little shade on the ground, so bring a hat, sunscreen and a jacket for the cold mornings. Photography is open, but ask before taking close-up photos of people. The festival is included in our price, with no separate ticket.

Best time to go

March to May brings rhododendrons and warm valley days. October and November have the clearest skies and the best mountain views. December to February is cold, bright and quiet, with cranes in Phobjikha. June to August is the monsoon: green and peaceful, with rain most afternoons. Our month-by-month guide has more detail.

Temple etiquette

Cover shoulders and knees in dzongs and temples, take off hats, and walk clockwise around chortens and prayer wheels. Photography is not allowed inside shrine rooms. Your guide explains each place before you go in. Read more in our Bhutan travel rules guide.

Altitude

Paro sits at about 2,200 metres and Thimphu at about 2,300. Most people feel fine after a slow first day. Drink plenty of water, go easy on alcohol at first, and tell your guide about headaches or poor sleep. The Tiger’s Nest, at about 3,120 metres, comes later in the trip for this reason.

Visa, SDF and guide rules

Every visitor except Indian nationals needs a visa, which costs USD 40 and is issued online before you fly. The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027, with half rates for children aged 6 to 11. A Department of Tourism notice from April 2026 confirms that visitors travel with a licensed guide. We file the visa and pay the SDF for you. Read more in our Bhutan visa guide and SDF guide.

Flying into Paro

Only Drukair and Bhutan Airlines fly into Paro, mainly from Bangkok, Delhi, Kathmandu, Kolkata and Singapore. Pilots land by sight between the ridges, so morning flights are the most reliable. We suggest a night in your hub city on the way in. Our flights to Bhutan page lists every route.

Haa festival tour: questions

How much does the Haa festival tour cost?

It depends on your hotels, group size and dates. Tell us your budget and we will reply within 24 hours with our best price, including the SDF, visa, hotels, meals, guide and car.

Is there still a Haa Summer Festival?

The festival moved to April in 2024 and is now called the Haa Spring Festival. No July edition has been announced since.

When is the Haa Spring Festival in 2027?

It is held over three days in April. The 2027 dates had not been announced yet; we confirm them with the district.

Where is it held?

On the Yangthang ground near Haa town.

Is it a religious festival?

No. It is a cultural and tourism festival, with food, games, yak displays and performances.

How do I get to Haa?

By road from Thimphu or Paro, about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, over Chele La or via Chhuzom.

Can I stay in a farmhouse?

Yes. We can arrange farmhouse nights in Haa.