For over a decade, Lola has dreamed of seeing Bhutan’s iconic Tiger’s Nest temple, but asthma did make her wonder whether she could take on this breathtaking feat.
I felt my lungs squeezing as I gasped for air. I took the opportunity to stop and catch my breath the first time I caught a glimpse of the golden roofs and white walls of the iconic temple looming in the distance between the trees.
I was on my way to Tiger’s Nest Buddhist temple in Bhutan. I had seen the iconic temple in many books about Buddhism and dreamed of climbing it for over a decade. I finally took the plunge earlier this year, in spring with Intrepid’s Premium Bhutan trip.
The round-trip 6.4-kilometer trail starts from the Valley floor and winds up a mountain via the Druk Path Trek. The first section leading up to the vegetarian cafe has many shallow stairs that slowly ascend the mountain.
The views from the cafe at the temple were incredible and I had half a mind to stay there and drink tea. After resting for a bit I regained energy despite the thin, dry air challenging my breathing. Occasionally I’d catch a glimpse of the temple teetering off the mountain’s edge. I found respite in the peaceful surroundings of aromatic green pines and thousands of colorful prayer flags dancing in the gentle breeze encouraging me onwards.
Traditionally known as Paro Taktsang, Tiger’s Nest Buddhist temple was built in the late 17th century near a sacred cave and is suspended miraculously on the side of a cliff edge over 900 meters above the Paro Valley floor. This precarious location is said to be where in the 8th century Guru Rinpoche, known as the Second Buddha as he brought Buddhism to the country, meditated in a cave on the mountain where the temple is now located.
It’s said he meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours. His arrival at the cave is shrouded in legend — the Guru flew to Taktshang on the back of a female tiger from Tibet. Ever since, Buddhist pilgrimages have been trekking to the cave including foreigners for the last 50 years since Bhutan opened for tourism.
Tiger’s Nest is the most defining monument of the Land of the Thundering Dragon and arguably of the Himalayas, and Buddhism. I’ve been following the teachings of Buddha for two decades which has motivated me to visit many Buddhist-majority countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and more. I longed to complete the sacred pilgrimage and was concerned I’d be held back by my chronic illness.
The temple balances on the cliff at around 10,236 feet above sea level, a height that’s been challenging for me to reach on other hikes. My asthma has prevented me from having many experiences I’ve dreamed of such as reaching.
I have asthma which is triggered by altitude and can hinder my ability to hike. The temple balances on the cliff at around 10,236 feet above sea level, a height that’s been challenging for me to reach on other hikes. My asthma has prevented me from having many experiences I’ve dreamed of such as reaching Everest Base Camp.
Fortunately, the strenuous hike was towards the end of the Intrepid itinerary and I had time to adjust to the altitude which can also cause breathing problems. Nevertheless, when we approached Paro Taktsang from the base it was difficult to conceptualize how we’d reach it — it almost looked like a cloud as it’s located at nearly the top of a mountain.
I used my asthma inhaler as necessary and was determined to slowly reach my goal, regardless of how long it took. The Intrepid guide, Sonom, was worried about my asthma and would walk with me every 30 minutes. I felt slightly embarrassed that another one of the Intrepid guests who was twice my age and also had asthma was significantly ahead of me on the trail — but asthma is funny in that way, it impacts people in different ways.
The last stretch of the hike was the hardest part with hundreds of switchbacks of hundreds of stairs. The descent was steep and led to a bridge that crossed in front of a thousand-foot-high waterfall before the final ascent. The majority of the other Intrepid guests had already arrived. They cheered me on as I struggled up the final stretch of stairs.
At the top I burst into tears. Despite the pain in my lungs, I was finally at the Tiger’s Nest. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I was in awe to have achieved. Reaching Tiger’s Nest was a meaningful accomplishment for me spiritually and physically.
As it’s a sacred site we left our belongings, including phones and cameras, in lockers before climbing up even more stairs to enter the temple. Sonom took us to the most sacred parts of the monastery explaining the importance of the shrines and the temple’s legend. In spite of having visited hundreds of times, Sonom was excited to show us the spectacular views of the valley below — the car park where we started looked like grains of rice from the top of the mountain.
Soon after we descended back down the mountain. As I looked back up at Tiger’s Nest it now appeared to be a small structure mysteriously suspended in the sky. Reaching Tiger’s Nest was a meaningful accomplishment for me spiritually and physically. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to visit this iconic Buddhist temple in Bhutan.
See the breathtaking views for yourself on a small group adventure to Bhutan.
