A Guide to the Tiger's Nest Hike

Taktsang Lhakhang — the Tiger's Nest — clings to a granite cliff 900 metres above the Paro Valley. According to legend, Guru Rinpoche arrived here on the back of a tigress and meditated in the cave where the monastery now stands. Walking up to it is the defining experience of most Bhutan journeys.

The round trip covers roughly four to five hours of walking, climbing steadily through pine forest hung with prayer flags. The trail is well made but steep in places, and the final approach crosses a dramatic waterfall to a viewpoint directly opposite the monastery. Ponies are available for part of the ascent — but not the descent, and not the final stairs.

Start early in the morning for clear light and cooler air. Bring layers — mornings are cold and the midday sun is strong at 3,000 metres — plus water and comfortable shoes. Take your time; this is a pilgrimage, not a race, and the altitude is real.

Cameras are left at the security post before entering. Inside, butter lamps flicker in the meditation cave and the silence after the crowded trail is striking. However many photographs you have seen, nothing prepares you for standing on that balcony.