Tiger's Nest : A heritage symbol situated at the top of the Himalayan mountains

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Paro Taktsang, more commonly known as Tiger's Nest, is nestled on a cliff-side of upper Paro valley in Bhutan. The sacred Himalayan buddhist monastery was built back in 1692. Tiger's Nest is located at the side of a Himalayan mountain at 3,120 meters (900 meters above the Paro Valley). The monastery is located 10,000 feet above sea level. ---

It takes about 1-2 hours to reach the midpoint from the base and another 2 hours to reach Tiger's Nest. One can hire a pony for about $40 USD up to the midpoint and will have to walk up from then on. ---

Hiking at such altitude will be more exhausting than usual but reaching Tiger's Nest is not as tough as I thought it would be and is quite manageable (kids and elderly were able to reach the monastery and back). ---

Breathtaking view of Tiger's Nest across the mountain from the resting point. It is said that the Buddhist master, Guru Padmasambhava, took on the form of a flying tigress to subdue an evil demon residing in the cave. The lotus-born guru, meditated at the monastery and is said to have hidden and sealed precious artifacts within a rock with his thumbprint. In 1998, a fire broke out which destroyed various valuable paintings and artifacts. An estimated cost of 135 million ngultrum was spent to reconstruct the monastery. ---

At midpoint, there will be a coffee shop where you can rest and drink tea/coffee and have lunch. ---

The view along the hike is breathtaking and well worth the tedious journey up and back. No trip to Bhutan is complete without a hike to Tiger's Nest. Be sure to hydrate yourself and start early to avoid the crowd!