Bumdra Trek

Our first few days in Bhutan were spent acclimatizing to the altitude of 7300ft, attending the Paro Tshechu festival and doing short hikes to local monasteries in Paro before beginning the Bumdra Trek. The Bumdra trek is a “mild-moderate” two day expedition into the Himalayas where you camp, more like glamp, at about 12,500ft before descending back into the valley. I put “mild-moderate” in quotes because while the climb is gradual, gaining over 3,000ft in about 4.5miles, it was, pardon my French, a mother f*cker on our lungs. Our legs didn’t burn but our lungs sure did. Despite the 3 days of acclimatization and taking medication to prevent high altitude sickness, we officially dubbed the climb “the hardest easy hike” we had ever done. 

We said our goodbyes to Ugyen, our driver, shortly before 10am and started our trek to camp. We got about ten steps in before we were already gasping for air. We kept trying to remind ourselves to breathe through our noses but that just wasn’t cutting it. Tenzin (pictured with us above) was patient with us while we huffed and puffed after every few steps and we seriously started to rethink what we had gotten ourselves into. 

Historically, the first part of the hike is forested but due to a recent forest fire there wasn’t much protection from the sun. Once we got past the burn zone, we were encompassed by moss covered cypress, reminiscent of the Louisiana bayou, blooming rhododendrons and conifers like pine, spruce and fir. Some areas were so protected with tree cover that snow still speckled the ground.

Our lunch stop was a welcome break in an old monastery. We were served a hot lunch while over looking Paro in the valley, listening to the prayer flags flutter and the birds chirp. Yes, you read that correctly, I did say hot lunch - freshly cooked chicken, wild fern, green beans, red rice and ezay (a salad similar to pico de gallo made from fresh chilies, onions, tomatoes, coriander and cheese). No, smooshed PBJs and granola bars for this adventure!

After lunch, we trailed behind some of the camp workers with their horses & mules carrying supplies and a couple pups (who were just along for the journey.) They quickly left us in the dust since they do this trek multiple times a day but we reached camp around 3pm, apparently in “record time.” 

We were greeted with hot lemon ginger tea, momos (dumplings), fresh popcorn and cookies. We sat in the sun, taking in the views while waiting for the rest of the glampers to arrive.

The temperature dropped with the sun and soon we were bundled up in our long underwear, winter hats and mittens, questioning if we’d even be warm enough to sleep through the night. Thankfully, we dined in a heated tent and stuffed ourselves full of white rice, broccoli, mushroom, paneer, beef and ema datshi (the national dish of Bhutan made from chili peppers and cheese). If you’re noticing a pattern, there was no shortage of food, every meal was a feast.

Before bed, the staff gave us hot water bottles to warm our beds. We were officially prepared for the absolute best sleeps of our lives…