- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Festival tour · 8 days, 7 nights
8 Day Ura Yakchoe Festival Tour 2027: Masked Dances in a Bumthang Village, 18 to 22 April
See Ura Yakchoe in the stone village of Ura from 18 to 22 April 2027, with Bumthang’s oldest temples, a flight across the mountains and the Tiger’s Nest in Paro.
- 8 days, 7 nights
- 15 to 22 April 2027
- Ura Yakchoe 18 to 22 April
18 to 22 Apr
Ura Yakchoe 2027
3,100 m
Ura village, about
2
Festival days on this trip
Private
Guide and car
Trip overview
A village festival in Bumthang
Ura is a village of stone houses and narrow lanes at about 3,100 metres in the Bumthang district, set in a wide valley of fields and pine forest. Its festival, Ura Yakchoe, is one of the most loved village festivals in Bhutan. It is held in the courtyard of the village temple each spring, and in 2027 the tentative dates are 18 to 22 April.
The festival centres on a sacred relic kept in the temple, which is brought out and shown to the public during the festival. People come from all over Bumthang to see it and be blessed. Around it are days of masked dances by monks and villagers, songs, offerings and picnics. Because the courtyard is small, you are close to the dancers, and the crowd is mostly local families rather than tour groups.
This trip flies you from Paro to Bumthang to save two long days on the road. You spend two days at the festival, a day visiting Bumthang’s oldest temples, and finish in Paro with the hike to the Tiger’s Nest.
- Two days at Ura Yakchoe, close to the dancers
- Bumthang's oldest temples
- Domestic flight saves two days of driving
Highlights
What you will see
Masked dances
Monks and villagers dance in the temple courtyard.
The sacred relic
Shown to the public during the festival.
Ura village
Stone houses and lanes unlike anywhere else in Bhutan.
Jambay Lhakhang
One of Bhutan's oldest temples.
Kurjey Lhakhang
Guru Rinpoche's body print in the rock.
Tiger's Nest
The cliff monastery above Paro.
Itinerary at a glance
Eight days around Ura Yakchoe
Flight days decide the exact order. We adjust around them.
Day 1: Arrive in Paro
Land in Paro, Rinpung Dzong, Kyichu Lhakhang.
Day 2: Fly to Bumthang
Domestic flight to Bumthang, Jakar Dzong.
Day 3: Bumthang temples
Jambay Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang, Tamshing.
Day 4: Ura Yakchoe
Drive to Ura, first festival day.
Day 5: Ura Yakchoe
Second festival day, picnic with the crowd.
Day 6: Fly to Paro
Return flight to Paro, Paro town.
Day 7: Tiger's Nest
Hike to Paro Taktsang.
Day 8: Depart
Transfer to Paro airport.
Day 1
Arrive on 15 April
Your guide meets you at Paro airport. In the afternoon you visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, and Rinpung Dzong across the old covered bridge.
- Overnight: Paro
- Meals: lunch and dinner
- Note: spring weather is mild
Day 2
Fly to Bumthang
You fly from Paro to Bumthang, about 30 minutes over the mountains. If the flight is not running, we drive instead over two days via Punakha and Trongsa. In the afternoon you visit Jakar Dzong above the Chamkhar valley.
- Overnight: Bumthang
- Flight: about 30 minutes
- Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3
The temples of Bumthang
You visit Jambay Lhakhang, said to date from the 7th century, Kurjey Lhakhang, where Guru Rinpoche left the print of his body in the rock, and Tamshing Lhakhang, founded in 1501 by Pema Lingpa, with some of the oldest paintings in Bhutan.
- Overnight: Bumthang
- Walking: easy village walks
- Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4
Ura Yakchoe begins
You drive about an hour over Shertang La to Ura for the opening of the festival on 18 April. Your guide finds you a good spot and explains each dance. Between dances, you walk the stone lanes of the village, unusually close together for Bhutan.
- Overnight: Bumthang
- Festival: 18 to 22 April 2027
- Drive: about 1 hour each way
Day 5
A second day at the festival
A second day at the festival lets you settle in. Local families picnic around the courtyard, and your guide can help you join in. Later in the festival the sacred relic is brought out for blessings; your guide will tell you which day it is shown this year.
- Overnight: Bumthang
- Meals: picnic lunch at the festival
- Note: no photos inside the temple
Day 6
Back to Paro
You fly back to Paro. In the afternoon you visit the National Museum in the old watchtower and walk around Paro town. In the evening, an optional hot stone bath in a farmhouse.
- Overnight: Paro
- Flight: about 30 minutes
- Optional: hot stone bath
Day 7
Hike to the Tiger's Nest
The hike to the Tiger’s Nest takes five to six hours return. In April the trail is lined with rhododendrons and the days are warm.
- Overnight: Paro
- Hike: 5 to 6 hours return
- Altitude: about 3,120 metres
Day 8
Fly home
After breakfast your guide drives you to Paro airport for your flight.
- Transfer: about 15 minutes
- Meals: breakfast
Where you stay
Where you stay
Bumthang hotels fill early in festival week.
| Nights | Place | Where you stay | Why we chose it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paro | 3-star or 4-star hotel | Near town |
| 2 to 5 | Bumthang | 3-star or 4-star hotel | Chamkhar valley, an hour from Ura |
| 6 and 7 | Paro | 3-star or 4-star hotel | Near the trailhead |
A homestay night in Ura can be added for a closer look at village life.
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
- Domestic flights Paro to Bumthang and back
- 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 Ura Yakchoe 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
Domestic flights and festival week hotels are the main costs. Book early for the best rooms.
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 Ura Yakchoe trip
About Ura Yakchoe
Ura Yakchoe is a village festival held each spring in Ura’s temple. Its focus is a sacred relic, said to have been brought to the village long ago, which is kept in the temple and shown to the public during the festival so that people can receive its blessing. The masked dances are performed by monks and villagers, and the festival is as much a village gathering as a religious event.
Ura village
Ura is one of the highest villages in Bumthang, at about 3,100 metres. Its houses are built close together along stone lanes, which is unusual in Bhutan, where farmhouses usually stand apart. Women here often wear a sheepskin shawl. The village is surrounded by fields of buckwheat and potatoes and by pine forest.
Festival etiquette
Festivals are religious events first. Dress neatly, with shoulders and knees covered, and wear a jacket with a collar if you can. Stay at the edge of the dance ground, never walk across it, and keep your camera flash off. Don’t climb on walls or temple roofs for a better view. The atsara clowns may tease you; laugh along, it is part of the blessing. Read our guide to Bhutan’s festivals.
About the 2027 dates
Festival dates follow the lunar calendar. The dates on this page come from the tentative 2027 festival list published by Bhutan’s tourism authorities. We confirm them again when you book and a few weeks before you travel, and if a date moves we shift the trip with it. See our full 2027 festival calendar.
April weather
April is spring in Bhutan, with rhododendrons in flower on the passes and mild days. Bumthang and Ura are cool, especially in the mornings and evenings, so bring a warm layer and a rain jacket. Afternoon showers are possible.
Domestic flights
Drukair flies between Paro and Bumthang on set days of the week, and flights can be cancelled in poor weather. If that happens, we drive instead, which takes two long but scenic days through Punakha and Trongsa.
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.
Ura Yakchoe festival tour: questions
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.
The tentative dates are 18 to 22 April 2027.
In the Bumthang district of central Bhutan, about an hour’s drive east of Jakar.
Yes, in the courtyard. Photos are not allowed inside the temple.
It saves two long days of driving each way.
Yes, a homestay night can be added.
It is busy with local families, but far smaller than the big tshechus.
Five to six months ahead. Bumthang hotels and flights fill early.
Price on request
Ask for your best price
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and your budget. We will reply within 24 hours with our best price for this Ura Yakchoe tour.
- Share your budget, we shape the trip around it
- No booking fees, ever
- A reply within 24 hours
- Licensed Bhutanese tour operator
- +975 17533776
- +975 77495028
- info@deyabhutantours.com
- Thimphu, Bhutan
Let's plan your Bhutan journey
Tell us a little about your trip. Our team in Thimphu will reply with ideas, a day-by-day plan and a full price.
We’ll reply within 24 hours. No booking fees, and no obligation to book.