The Bhutan Tiger nest tour offers you an extremely rare insight into the entire kingdom of Bhutan including; Paro, Thimpu and the awe-inspiring hike to the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery, built into a sheer cliff face, high above the valley.
Tiger’s Nest Monastery is the most sacred monastery in the entire kingdom, believed to be the birthplace of Buddhism in Bhutan. One of the most glorious monasteries in the world, it is perched precariously on a cliff at a dizzying height of 10,000ft or 3,048m above sea level. The Tiger Nest Monastery truly is the bejeweled crown of Bhutan.
The name Tiger Nest came through the legend of Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, one of the holiest figures in Mahayana Buddhism. The legend goes that in the 8th Century, Guru Rinpoche flew to this exact spot from Tibet on the back of a tigress (which was a manifestation of his divine consort). He came to slay a demon and then took residence in the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave, where he would meditate for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days. He then started the conversion of the Bhutanese to Buddhism. The monastery was built in 1692, around the cave which Guru meditated in. Today it is a global cultural icon Bhutan and a trip to the kingdom is not complete without a visit to this sacred site.
