Family holiday · 10 days, 9 nights

10 Day Bhutan Family Holiday: Farmhouses, Rafting, Archery and the Tiger's Nest

A slower, hands-on Bhutan trip for parents, children and grandparents: gentle rafting in Punakha, a farmhouse night, archery lessons, the takin and the Tiger’s Nest, with short drives and plenty of free time.

Free

SDF for children under 6

50%

SDF for ages 6 to 11

4 hrs

Longest drive, about

Generations welcome

Trip overview

A family trip that children remember

Bhutan is one of the easiest countries in Asia to travel with children. It is safe, clean and quiet, and Bhutanese people are warm with kids: guides carry small ones on their shoulders, monks stop to chat, and farm families invite you in for tea. Every visitor travels with a licensed guide and a private car, so you never have to manage transport, tickets or directions yourself.

This 10 day holiday is built around what children enjoy and what parents can manage. Drives are short, usually two to three hours with stops, and no day is packed from morning to night. Children feed the takin, Bhutan’s odd-looking national animal, try archery with a local club, float down the Mo Chhu on a gentle raft, help cook dinner in a farmhouse and walk across one of Bhutan’s longest suspension bridges. Older children and adults hike to the Tiger’s Nest; younger ones can ride a pony for the first part of the trail.

The Sustainable Development Fee is kinder to families than many people expect. Children under six pay nothing, and children aged six to eleven pay half. We can also arrange connecting rooms or family suites, child seats in the car and simpler meals for fussy eaters. Tell us the ages of everyone travelling and we will shape the pace around the youngest and the oldest.

Highlights

What the family will love

The takin

Bhutan's national animal at the Motithang preserve.

Archery lesson

Try the national sport with a local club.

Gentle rafting

A calm float down the Mo Chhu below Punakha Dzong.

Farmhouse night

Cooking, games and dinner with a Bhutanese family.

Suspension bridge

Walk across the long bridge over the Pho Chhu.

Tiger's Nest

The cliff monastery, with a pony option for younger children.

Itinerary at a glance

Ten days at a glance

We adjust the plan for the ages in your group.

Day 1: Arrive in Paro

Land in Paro, easy afternoon.

Day 2: To Thimphu

Drive to the capital, takin and Folk Heritage Museum.

Day 3: Thimphu

Buddha Dordenma, paper factory, archery.

Day 4: To Punakha

Over Dochula to Punakha, walk to Chimi Lhakhang.

Day 5: Rafting and Punakha Dzong

A gentle raft trip, Punakha Dzong, suspension bridge.

Day 6: To a Paro farmhouse

Drive back to Paro, farmhouse stay.

Day 7: Paro farm day

Farm life, Kyichu Lhakhang, hot stone bath.

Day 8: Tiger's Nest

Hike to Paro Taktsang.

Day 9: Chele La and Haa

A day trip over Chele La.

Day 10: Depart

Transfer to Paro airport.

Day 1

Arrive in Paro

Your guide meets you at Paro airport. The flight in, between steep ridges, is an adventure in itself. After lunch at the hotel, you walk across the old cantilever bridge to Rinpung Dzong and stroll through Paro’s main street, with its painted wooden shops. The rest of the afternoon is free to rest.

Day 2

Thimphu and the takin

You drive to Thimphu, about an hour and a half, stopping at Tamchog Lhakhang to cross its iron chain bridge. In the afternoon you visit the Motithang takin preserve, where children can see Bhutan’s national animal up close, and the Folk Heritage Museum, a three-storey farmhouse filled with old tools, kitchens and a grain mill to try.

Day 3

A day of hands-on Thimphu

You start at the Buddha Dordenma, the giant golden statue above the city, then visit the traditional paper factory, where children can make their own sheet of deh-sho paper from daphne bark. After lunch you meet a local archery club for a lesson with bamboo bows, and finish at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, where students paint, carve and sculpt.

Day 4

Dochula and Punakha

You drive up to Dochula, at about 3,100 metres, where children can run around the 108 chortens, then down into the warm Punakha valley. In the afternoon you walk for about half an hour through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, a small temple on a hill, with farm animals along the path.

Day 5

On the river in Punakha

In the morning you raft a calm section of the Mo Chhu with a licensed rafting team, about an hour on the water, floating past farms and finishing below Punakha Dzong. Life jackets and helmets come in children’s sizes. After lunch you visit the dzong, built in 1637, and walk across the long suspension bridge over the Pho Chhu, hung with prayer flags.

Day 6

A night with a farm family

You drive back over Dochula to Paro and settle into a licensed farmhouse. The family shows you around the house and farm: the altar room, the kitchen with its clay stove, the cows and the vegetable garden. Children can help make momos or ema datshi for dinner, and in the evening there may be a game of khuru, Bhutanese darts.

Day 7

A slow day on the farm

After breakfast with the family, you join in whatever the season brings: picking chillies, feeding cows or planting rice. Then you visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of Bhutan’s oldest temples, where orange trees grow in the courtyard. In the evening adults can try a hot stone bath at the farmhouse, while children toast their feet by the fire.

Day 8

Hike to the Tiger's Nest

The hike to Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest, takes five to six hours return. The path climbs through blue pine forest to a cafeteria with a clear view of the monastery, then on to the cliff itself at about 3,120 metres, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated in the 8th century. Younger children can ride a pony as far as the cafeteria viewpoint, about halfway, and families often turn back there. Older children and adults continue to the monastery.

Day 9

Up to Chele La

You drive up to Chele La, at about 3,988 metres, one of the highest road passes in Bhutan, where thousands of prayer flags flap in the wind and, on a clear day, Jomolhari stands to the north. Children love the snow here in winter and spring. You continue down into the quiet Haa valley for a picnic by the river and a visit to the White Temple before driving back to Paro.

Day 10

Fly home

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

Where you stay

Family rooms in comfortable hotels, plus a farmhouse night.

Nights	Place	Where you stay	Why we chose it
1, 8 and 9	Paro	3-star or 4-star hotel	Family rooms on request
2 and 3	Thimphu	3-star or 4-star hotel	Central
4 and 5	Punakha	3-star or 4-star hotel	Garden and space to play
6 and 7	Paro	Licensed farmhouse	Option of a hotel on night 7

We can book connecting rooms, extra beds and cots. Luxury family suites are available at several Paro and Punakha hotels.

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
Rafting trip with a licensed outfitter
Archery lesson and papermaking session
Child seats in the car on request

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
Pony hire on the Tiger's Nest trail

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 family holiday.

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

The ages of the children, room set-up and hotel style change the total most. Children under 6 pay no SDF.

Season and dates

Spring and autumn are peak season. Winter and summer dates are often easier to price well.

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 a family trip to Bhutan

Best age for Bhutan

Families travel to Bhutan with children of every age, but from about five years old children get the most out of it: they can walk short trails, join in at the farmhouse and enjoy the rafting. Babies and toddlers are fine too, as long as you bring a good carrier, since many temples and dzongs have steep wooden stairs. The Tiger’s Nest is best for children over eight who are used to walking.

Food for children

Bhutanese food is built around chilli, but every hotel and farmhouse can cook mild dishes: rice, eggs, potatoes, noodles, momos, soups and fried vegetables. Fresh fruit, yoghurt and biscuits are easy to buy. If your child has allergies or a special diet, tell us before you travel and we will brief each hotel. Bottled and filtered water is available everywhere.

Health and altitude

The route stays mostly between 1,200 and 2,400 metres, with day visits to Dochula and Chele La higher up. Children usually adjust to altitude faster than adults. Bring any regular medicines, sunscreen and a basic first aid kit. Paro, Thimphu and Punakha all have hospitals, and your guide knows where to go if a child is unwell.

SDF for children

Children under 6 pay no Sustainable Development Fee. Children aged 6 to 11 pay half, USD 50 a night, and from 12 they pay the full USD 100. These rates are confirmed until 31 August 2027. Every child still needs a visa, which costs USD 40. We file all the paperwork for the family. Read our SDF guide for the full rules.

About Bhutanese farmhouse stays

Farmhouse stays in Bhutan are licensed. Under the Department of Tourism’s homestay guidelines, a family may let out no more than three rooms, and the house must meet basic standards for cleanliness, bedding and toilets. Rooms are simple: wooden floors, warm quilts, a shared or attached bathroom and often a bukhari stove. You eat with the family, usually sitting on cushions on the floor, and the food is what they grow. Our farmhouse homestay tour has more on what to expect.

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.

What to pack

Layers, a warm jacket for mornings and evenings, good walking shoes, sunscreen and clothing that covers shoulders and knees for dzongs and temples. See our Bhutan packing list.

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.

Bhutan family holiday: questions

How much does the family holiday 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 Bhutan safe for children?

Yes. It is one of the safest countries in Asia, and you always travel with your own guide and driver.

Do children pay the SDF?

Children under 6 pay nothing, and children aged 6 to 11 pay half, USD 50 a night, until 31 August 2027.

Can young children do the Tiger's Nest?

Children can ride a pony to the halfway viewpoint. The full hike suits children over about 8.

Is the rafting safe for kids?

We use a calm stretch of the Mo Chhu with licensed guides and children’s safety gear. The usual minimum age is 6.

Can we have connecting rooms?

Yes, at most of our partner hotels. We book them early.

Do you provide child seats?

Yes, on request. Tell us the ages and weights when you book.