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