Most international flights arrive in Paro quite early in the day. Meet your guide and driver who will accompany you for your entire itinerary (a guide and driver are required by law). Transfer to your hotel, Como Uma Paro, located about 20 minutes away. Have breakfast and take some time to freshen up.

I recommend getting a little fresh air this afternoon, perhaps hiking from the hotel grounds to the Zuri Dzong, a watchtower perched over the valley, and then down to the elaborately decorated dzong (fortress-monastery) of Paro.

Alternatively, head into the town of Paro itself and have a look at the craft shops lining the old main street. They’re relatively touristy, but they will give you an idea of some of the souvenirs you may want to purchase later.

Either go into Paro town or do the hike to Zuri Dzong and Paro Dzong, whichever you didn’t do on day one.

In the afternoon, have your butler arrange an archery lesson on the range at the hotel — archery is Bhutan’s national sport — and perhaps enjoy an Ayurvedic spa treatment or hot-stone bath. The latter is a traditional and uniquely Bhutanese experience, involving fire-heated river rocks placed in a bath infused with fragrant artemisia. The locals claim that the minerals from the rocks impart health benefits, but whether they do or not, the baths are wonderfully relaxing experiences.

Tonight, you might have your travel advisor arrange for you to have dinner at the hotel with a former member of parliament or the director of the National Museum of Bhutan (depending on availability).

Depart Paro after breakfast and head to the Punakha Valley, the lowest-elevation (and therefore warmest) destination in this itinerary. Break up the scenically spectacular, if very winding, 3.5-hour drive with a stop at the high Dochula Pass, marked by 108 chorten (stupas). They’re adjacent to a large parking lot, but numerous spots nearby offer fine views of the chortens and, in clear weather, distant Himalayan peaks. The café here is a good place to stop for ginger tea or some momos (dumplings). Your guide can also recommend others places to stop for snacks or lunch.

Past the pass, walk through terraced farm fields up to the Chimi Lhakhang, a temple renowned for its fertility powers. Art galleries and gift shops in the town below sell colorfully (and often hilariously) painted wooden phalluses, as well as pretty mandalas and other artworks.

Check into &Beyond Punakha River Lodge, which has eight stand-alone accommodations near the bottom of the river, most of which offer wonderful views of the distant Gasa Mountains. Settle in and have dinner at the hotel.

Take a day to explore the Punakha Valley, visiting its large and striking dzong and hiking up to the panoramic Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, try some (actually rather gentle) whitewater rafting.

Back at your hotel, you can relax by its small infinity pool, have a spa treatment or hot-stone bath, take a well-executed yoga class and/or walk to its pedestrian suspension bridge.

Have a leisurely breakfast and depart Punakha. Stop for lunch at a restaurant en route, and perhaps buy a couple of soft baby-yak-wool scarves at the Lawa La Pass. Drive a total of about three hours from Punakha to the town of Gangtey, set above the Phobjikha Valley. This is the coolest of the valleys you’ll visit.

Check into Gangtey Lodge, a short walk outside town, or Amankora, in the countryside above the valley. I most recently stayed at the former.

Perhaps have a bath in your room — the tubs at Gangtey Lodge have extraordinary views, and the staff will infuse the water with oils and herbs (hot-stone baths are also available). You might have a bike ride around the rim of the valley. And I highly recommend pausing for afternoon tea on the scenic terrace, enjoyed while wrapped in blankets and warmed by hot-water bottles.

This evening, consider visiting the shedra (Buddhist university) for a meditation class and/or to watch evening prayers in the fantastically ornate temple.

Visit the large Gangtey Monastery at the top of the village, stopping perhaps in one or two of the art galleries below it.

At the base of the village is the trailhead of the Gangtey-Phobjikha Nature Trail, an easy hike that’s mostly downhill or flat. It affords fine views of the valley’s center, a green, treeless wetland where black-necked cranes make their home between late October and February. Your guide can arrange a picnic on the valley floor before a quick visit of the Black-Necked Crane Center. There you can see injured cranes recovering in captivity and an interesting film about the beautiful birds.

Return to Punakha, stopping to visit the dzong or Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten if you missed one of them before.

Check into either Six Senses Punakha, which occupies a panoramic perch above the valley and has large, rather minimalist rooms, or Pemako Punakha, Bhutan’s most lavish resort, with 21 extravagantly decorated stand-alone accommodations. These large tented suites, complete with broad terraces and infinity pools big enough for laps, can even serve as self-contained mini-resorts.

Wherever you stay, take the afternoon to have lunch and relax at the resort. Both options have impressive spa complexes.

Take a full day to just relax and enjoy your accommodations and the numerous amenities of your hotel. After days of hiking and driving, this will be a welcome break.

Depart Punakha and drive about 2.5 hours back west to Bhutan’s diminutive capital, Thimphu. Stop at the towering Buddha Dordenma Statue, large enough to contain a temple in its base, and have a look at the immense Memorial Chorten.

Check into either Amankora Thimphu Lodge, in the countryside north of town, or Pemako Thimphu, right in the heart of the city.

Thimphu has a stretch of craft stalls on the main street near the Pemako hotel, and they’re convenient places to pick up inexpensive but interesting small gifts to bring home. Just past the north end of the stalls, the gift shop of the Royal Textile Academy has more upscale temptations, including wonderful handwoven silk scarves.

You might also stop at the main post office, which can print up a set of stamps with your photo on them (bring a flash drive, or they can use a photo on your phone).

Make a day trip to the Tango Monastery, perched on a clifftop north of Thimphu. The hike up is short but involves numerous switchbacks. The magnificently picturesque setting of the seemingly impregnable monastery makes the hike well worth the effort.

Return to your hotel for lunch.

If watching artisans at work is of interest, stop in the Zorig Chusum, a national school in Thimphu where students learn painting, sculpture, metalwork and various other traditional crafts.

Consider asking your travel advisor to arrange for you to have dinner tonight with a reincarnate lama.

Depart the capital and drive about 90 minutes to your final stop, Amankora Paro Lodge. You’ll pass through central Paro on the way, giving you a chance to do one more round of souvenir shopping if you like.

You might also visit a traditional farmhouse, where you can learn about life in the countryside, or stop at the Drukgyel Dzong, or simply head to Amankora and take the rest of the day to relax and enjoy its amenities.

To take advantage of the cool morning air, leave early and drive 20 minutes to the trail that leads up to the famous Tiger’s Nest monastery. It’s only 3 miles one way, but the hike is uphill and fairly steep for most of the route. A café halfway up makes a great place to rest with tea or a snack while taking in the sensational view from its terrace.

The main cliffside monastery and the outbuildings around it look straight out of a fairy tale. This extraordinary combination of architecture and landscape is on par with classic bucket-list sites like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat, but here, crowds are rarely a problem.

Even if you hike only up to the café, the panorama will be unforgettable, but if you continue, you’ll get to see the most iconic views of the monastery complex and tour some of the temples inside.

Return to Amankora Paro in the mid-afternoon. Relax, perhaps have one more hot-stone bath (you’ve earned it!) and pack for departure.