Very interesting journal re your trip to Bhutan in 2009. I have booked my trip with Chimmi of Village Tours and Treks for October this year. I am really looking forward to this trip. Do you recall when you made the final payment (i.e., 1 month before the trip or earlier)? I sent Chimmi a couple of e-mails but still don’t have a reply. He has confirmed the flight Bangkok/Paro/Bangkok, as well as an itinerary during my stay back in July. I have wired the air ticket payment to him in July. As October is fast approaching, really want to finalize this trip soon. I would welcome any information that you can share.

Thanks for your help.
Estelle

I am seriously scared of heights as well, but I try to force myself to overcome it as much as possible, with mixed results. I’ve definitely done scarier things than hiking to the Tiger’s Nest. As I recall, there is just one bridge on the way to the Tiger’s Nest, and you kind of have to run across it because of the waterfall (or you will get soaking wet), but it is a reasonably wide bridge and I didn’t find it very scary. For me, the most difficult part is the steps. There often isn’t any railing, and I am just as scared of falling down the steps as I am of falling over the edge, and it is much more likely that one might fall down the steps. I have bad knees and go pretty slow, so when people needed to pass me, it was a little nerve-racking. I just always tried to stay to the inside. But because I go so slow, I feel like I am pretty safe.

The first two parts of the hike, which were up dirt trails through the woods, were just fine, except for one little spot that was narrow and near an edge. It was bad when we were there, because part of the trail had washed away and you kind of had to jump, but other than that, there was nothing to worry about on that portion of the hike.

If you get up to the lookout right before the steps and then decide you just don’t want to try the stairs, the view of the Tiger’s Nest from that spot is pretty amazing. You’ll get the most spectacular view from there, unless it is misty. The main reason to finish the hike is if you want to see the inside of the temple, and believe me, you will see the insides of PLENTY of temples in Bhutan. The other reason, which is the one that worked for me, is for the challenge and because I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I went all the way to Bhutan and didn’t hike all the way to the Tiger’s Nest. The only hike I didn’t complete on that trip was the one to Cheri Monastery, and that was due to food poisoning.

I’ve done several things I thought were a lot more frightening than the stairs on the Tiger’s Nest hike. I did suspension bridge hikes among the rainforest trees in the Peruvian Amazon and in Costa Rica. Going up in the CN Tower in Toronto and the N Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain in Seoul was not so fun for me.

I hope that helps at least a little. For me, if I REALLY want to do something, I just that desire dictate what I do and try not to worry about the heights. You’ll never catch me bungee jumping or skydiving, but other than that, I might be willing to try something that involves heights. There’s a treehouse hotel in Laos that I really want to visit, because my desire to see monkeys is stronger than my desire to stay on the ground.

The Tiger’s Nest was an amazing part of our visit to Bhutan, but I would definitely say that our trip would have been worth it, even if we had skipped Tiger’s Nest. We nearly had to skip it because of the weather.

My husband and I both just wore our regular athletic shoes when we did this hike, so that definitely wasn’t a problem. Two thirds of the hike is mostly just switchbacks on a steep dirt path. The part of the hike that is the most difficult is the stairs. I don’t have much cartilage left between the patella and femur, so I intensely dislike stairs and these stairs are fairly challenging. They were more challenging than the stairs on the Inca Trail, although at least there are far fewer steps to Tiger’s Nest. Some people go to the lookout straight across from the Tiger’s Nest right before the stairs, then don’t do the stairs portion. This is still an amazing hike, even if you stop there.

I am 42, and I saw many people much older than I conquering this hike with no problems. I was probably 40-60 pounds overweight when I did it, and I definitely would have an easier time if I did it today, at around 30 lbs lighter. Downhill is much harder on the knees than the uphill.

Personally, I’d say it is worth giving it a try. But if you have problems, there is no shame in deciding it is safer to turn back. I had to turn back on a hike a few days before this one because I was still suffering the effects of food poisoning from the evening before. If you listen to your body, you should be fine. I doubt you will have trouble making it to the lookout across from Tiger’s Nest. But you have to decide how you feel about steep stairs and whether you want to do that portion of the hike. I would have LOVED to have skipped those awful stairs, but I’m glad I decided to go ahead and try it. I just never rush myself. I go as slow as I need to go and let people pass me if they are in a bigger hurry than me. I take my time and enjoy the scenery.

Good luck! I am sure if you decide to make the trip, you will have a fantastic time, whether or not you decide to include the Tiger’s Nest hike.

Kara

Thanks so much for your detailed description of this hike up to Taktsang. I am considering a trip to Sikkim and Bhutan in October of this year with a yoga group. I am worried about this one part, as I am a62 years old, about 60 pounds overweight (am trying to lose some between now and then!), have both osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, and not such great knees and feet! I also am not very fond of heights.

Having said all that, it seems crazy to go to Bhutan and NOT attempt this! Did you feel you needed actual hiking boots for this, as opposed to just walking shoes? Also, I am considering bringing trekking poles along on the whole trip, and wonder if you have any experience with these or might recommend them?

If you can answer, it would be much appreciated. In any case, thanks for your wonderful photo and description!

Janna