Five Dakini Sisters Circuit (Day 3)

Complete the powerful Tshering Chenga pilgrimage, visiting five temples dedicated to Milarepa’s dakini consorts. Receive the rare Kurukulla empowerment from the nuns who guard these sacred spaces. Kurukulla is the form of Vajrayogini that that is magnetizing dakini of the Lotus family, she embodies the wisdom aspect of enlightenment and skillfully attracts all positive conditions—wisdom, health, prosperity, and spiritual accomplishment—that practitioners need for both worldly success and liberation. Her empowerment is particularly transformative because she transforms desire itself into wisdom, using the power of attraction and enchantment not for mundane purposes, but to draw practitioners deeper into the Dharma and accelerate their spiritual development. 

Temple of Self-Spoken Taras (Day 4)

Visit one of Buddhism’s most sacred sites—a temple housing 21 Tara statues believed to have manifested spontaneously, still radiating the blessings of the Great Mother of Compassion.

Singye Drak – The Lion’s Face (Day 7)

Hike through pristine forests to the cliff-top temple where Guru Rinpoche practiced the meditation of Seng Dongma, the fierce Lion-Faced Dakini. Experience breathtaking panoramic views of the Paro Valley in its autumn glory. 

This is a powerful place with scenes over the other side of the Paro valley, with full blown view of Paro town, Paro dzong, the Museum, pristine rivers and the bucolic farms over the paro valley. During this time, it will be a marvelous time being a harvest season with breathtaking views. There is a separate sacred temple built attached to the cliff dedicated to the Lion Faced Dakini.

Senge Dongma (Lion-Faced Dakini) is a fierce wisdom dakini whose lion’s roar disperses all discursive thoughts and obstacles, and she is considered a secret manifestation of Guru Rinpoche specifically manifested to remove spiritual obstacles, black magic, and negative forces. Her practice is particularly crucial in our current age of environmental destruction and cultural degradation, as she specializes in pacifying the destructive influence of the Mamos—the wrathful feminine elemental forces that retaliate with disease, natural disasters, and major calamities when the earth is harmed. At Singye Drak, where Guru Rinpoche himself practiced her sadhana in the 8th century, practitioners can connect directly with her transformative power to clear away inner negativities and gain spiritual mastery over both samsara and nirvana—making this cliff-top temple one of the most potent places on earth for overcoming life’s most persistent obstacles. 

Bumdrak Sacred Retreat (Days 8-10)

The pilgrimage’s crown jewel: three nights at the legendary “100,000 Dakini Temple,” accessible only by foot and forbidden to casual visitors. Practice Chöd (the cutting through practice) in the sky burial site and receive Heart Essence of the Dakini (mkha’ ‘gro snying thig)  teachings while staying in comfortable glamping accommodations above the clouds.

Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Day 11)

Descend from Bumdrak to Bhutan’s most iconic monastery, visiting the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, and three days—but approached from the sacred high route known only to serious practitioners.

Practice in the cave where Yeshe Tsogyal attained enlightenment and overcame hardships to realize the nature of mind.