No visit to Bhutan is complete without the Tiger's Nest, officially called Taktshang but trust me no-one will remember THAT name if you have already familiarized you with the B-movie Jason Stratham movie title soon coming to a streaming service everywhere. Conveniently placed near Paro, and I saw it from the plane heading to Paro Airport already, this is surprisingly "only" a half-day trip. Getting up early helps to avoid the mid-day heat even in November plus the horse rides that are popular with Indian tourists. The ascent takes roughly 3h with a tea break at the only guest house on the way to the top, providing your first real opportunity at photos. The sun is unfortunately rising beyond the temples and the sun glares right into the camera. The sandy path is not easy. Another hour and you can reach the steps, more viewpoints, then you are in the shade and it is suddenly cold.

When you reach the temples, Tiger's Nest is actually just ONE of the seven here, you have to drop off your camera and phone, shoes are only allowed for the central areas but not inside the actual temples. It was surprisingly empty inside. The Tiger's Nest, as mentioned, is actually a cave temple and the guide did not take me inside. It doesn't seem the highlight of the complex and involves more the story of transforming into a tiger and this lair is nothing to look at from the inside, but honestly none of the temples seem like anything unique on their own. The iconic placement on the mountainside is surely what brings people here and I am one of them to enjoy it. In total we spent 20 minutes at the temple and this is around average time.

The descend is a bit of a drag because you have to avoid all the slow tourists coming up, you don't get the same breathtaking views in front of you, the sand really makes it difficult to get a foothold sometimes, you think about the delicious lunch awaiting for you at the restaurant soon :)