Paro Valley

What you gain

• ↑The hike to Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) is one of the world's great monastery walks: 5 hours return through blue pine forest to a 17th-century monastery built into a sheer cliff face at 3,120m — the view of the monastery clinging to the cliff above the valley floor is the most photographed image in Bhutan and entirely lives up to the photographs
• ↑Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum (in the Ta Dzong watchtower above) are the finest cultural institutions in Paro: the museum's thangka paintings, weapons, and natural history section documents Bhutanese civilisation from the 7th century
• ↑The Paro Valley farmhouse walks — particularly north of town towards Drukgyel Dzong — offer the finest rural Bhutan scenery: rice terraces, prayer flags, and mountain farmhouses framed by 7,000m peaks on clear October and November days

What you sacrifice

• ↓The Tiger's Nest hike is physically demanding at altitude: the 900m climb to the monastery requires 4–5 hours at reasonable fitness, and the altitude (Paro at 2,200m, monastery at 3,120m) affects those arriving from sea level
• ↓Paro town itself is modest — accommodation options concentrate in resort-style hotels at premium prices, and the airport access means rates reflect the destination's exclusivity