Start from Paro valley. It is a half hour drive to the end of the road while the horseman and staff sort loads for the ponies. You walk up to Drugyel Dzong, sadly now in ruins; it was burnt down in a fire caused by a butter lamp in 1901. From here you are within sight of the battlegrounds where the Bhutanese armies on a number of occasions defeated would-be Tibetan invaders in the early part of the 17th century. You are afforded beautiful views of the Paro Valley and see your route for the next couple of days. You start walking along the Paro River and continue through cultivated fields and tiny villages, alive with many birds and brightly-colored butterflies, until you reach Shana, where there is a delightful campsite. You may camp overnight.

Day 2: TREK TO SOI THANGTHANKA (11,545ft/3,519m) 14 miles

The route still follows the river in heavily forested country, with isolated farmhouses and plenty of wildlife. The Bhutanese will advise you to walk in pairs, as there are bears in this area. You pass a junction en-route, where another path leads north over the Tremo La to Tibet . Camp overnight if necessary.

Day 3: TREK TO JANGOTHANG. (13,416ft/4,090m) 12 miles

You can get up early to click beautiful dawn colors on Bhutan 's second highest mountain, Chomolhari 23,997ft/7,314m, which is visible at the end of the valley. After about an hour's walk, you gradually leave the forest line and steadily climb into a beautiful valley, passing Tengethang, a winter home of yak herdsmen. You are likely to see lots of yaks before arriving at a large round hut, which is the Base Camp for Chomolhari overlooking the camp. Nearby there are the ruins of an old fortress which used to guard Bhutan against Tibetan invasion. Camp overnight here.

Day 4: TREK TO LINGSHI (13,612ft/4,149m)

Start climbing instantly and after some 3-4 hours reach the Nyelela Pass , 15,400ft/4,694m. You pass yak herders' Jhas (tents). It is very special meeting these lovely people and make sure you make a full use of your camera. After the pass you descend to a circular hut just before Lingshi, where you camp for the night. Coming down to Lingshi you obtain your first views of the truly mystical dzong atop its 600ft/183m high hill.

Day 5: TREK TO CHEBISA (12,628ft/3,849m) 9 miles

Begin yet another magical day. Leaving Lingshi behind you contour and ascend smoothly to reach another delightful village, Gung Yo, which is set right below a 1,000ft/304m cliff. Another hour's walking brings you to a lovely little valley with a huge waterfall at one end and the Shangri-la village of Chebisa , where you camp by the side of the river. There are plenty of Himalayan Blue sheep in this area and you should be able to get quite close to them. Camp overnight here.

Day 6: TREK TO SHOMUTHANG (12,972ft/3,954m) 11 miles

A walk up to the top of the waterfall before breakfast is recommended for lovely early morning views of the valley. It is quite a stiff climb up to the Gombu La, which is located at a height of 14,698ft/4,480m, before dropping to a deserted valley and crossing a river. There is another lovely day's walking. You might see blood pheasants passing through an area of rhododendrons. You can camp next to the river overnight.

Day 7: TREK TO ROBULATHANG. (14,465ft/4,409m)

A long haul over the Jarela Pass at 15,088ft/4,599m where once again you get stunning all round views including Tsering Kang towering above. There is then a steep drop on a forest trail to the Tcharijathang valley, where herds of Takin roam before crossing a river on a log bridge and climbing to Robulathang where your camp can be located.

Day 8: CROSSING THE SHINGELA PASS (16,420ft/5,005m)

Climb slowly up to the Shingela, which takes about 5 hours, seeing with stunning views of mountains, including the spectacular Gangchentak at the head of the valley. On a clear day almost all the mountains on the northern border are clearly visible, 10 - 20 miles distant. Eagles, griffin vultures, blue sheep and yak abound in this area and on the descent you once again meet up with nomadic Yak herders, who may offer tea and curd in their yak-hair tents. Camp can be set in a lovely spot on the riverbank.

Day 9: TREK TO LAYA (12,596ft/3,840m)

A leisurely walk of 4 - 5 hour alongside the river leads to the largest village on the trek. The people of Laya are famous for their vertically striped yak hair clothing and strange conical bamboo hats. The women wear long hair and a great deal of turquoise and jade ornaments. The features of the people are even more Tibetan/Mongolian than the Bhutanese who live in the central valleys. The rest of the day is spent at leisure or visiting village houses. There are good views of Masagang 23,507ft/7,165m and other peaks. In the evening the local girls will probably dance for you. Camp overnight.

Day 10: TREK TO KOENA (10,006ft/3,050m) 13 miles

Another long day, following the Mo Chu river through its gorge; 'Lost World' in atmosphere, it is gigantic and spectacular. You climb up and down through a heavily forested area with lots of birds and butterflies, stopping at Koena - a rather damp spot, where there is a stone hut, roofed with rough-hewn planks. It is likely that we will stay inside for the night.

Day 11: TREK TO GASA (9,086ft/2,770m)

You gradually climb to the Balela pass at 12,260ft/3,767m, then drop to Gasa village. The first sight of Gasa Dzong perched on a hillside over the village is remarkable after so many days in the remote mountains. You then drop steeply to the river for an hour and camp next to the hot springs - a chance for a good wash! Alternatively you may camp at Gasa and drop to the hot springs the following day. You can camp overnight.

Day 12: TREK TO GOEM DAMJI (7,478ft/2,279m) 12 miles

Day 13: END TREK, DRIVE TO PUNAKHA