Mahseer & Trout Week

Met at Paro International Airport with khadars and transferred to the hotel. After lunch and a chance to rest from the flight, our fly-fishing guide runs an evening orientation session — going over the catch-and-release ethic Bhutan applies to all sport fishing, the species we'll be targeting (brown trout in the colder northern rivers; golden mahseer in the warmer southern Manas system), and a refresher on knot-tying and leader setup. We sort through the fly box together and pick out patterns that have produced for us recently. Licence paperwork gets handled at this point as well — the Bhutanese sport-fishing permit takes 24 hours to issue and our office has it ready for you. Early dinner and an early night.

Stay:

Hotel Olathang, Paro

Meals:

D

An early start to cross Dochula Pass at 3,100 metres while the morning is still clear — the 108 white chortens on the saddle are spectacular in early light, with the eastern Himalaya laid out behind. The road then drops 1,800 metres through subtropical forest into the warm Punakha valley, where the rivers slow and widen. Lunch at our riverside camp setup on the Pho Chhu. In the afternoon, we walk the banks together to identify the most productive pools and runs, read the water, and rig up. Late afternoon is the prime feeding window in spring and autumn — most groups get a few casts and often a first fish on this opening session before dinner.

Stay:

Riverside camp, Punakha

Meals:

B/L/D

Distance:

75 km

A full day on the upper Pho Chhu targeting brown trout — a non-native species first introduced under the patronage of His Majesty the Fourth King and now thriving in the colder runs at altitude. Strict catch-and-release with barbless hooks throughout. The water at this stretch is gin-clear, between 1 and 2 metres deep, with classic pool-and-riffle structure that rewards careful nymphing and dry-fly work. Picnic lunch streamside, with the cook crew bringing fresh trout (from a downstream farm, not the catch) for those who want it. Afternoon session through the warm middle hours and into the evening rise; back to camp at dusk for hot showers and a riverside dinner.

Stay:

Riverside camp, Punakha

Meals:

B/L/D

We move downstream a few kilometres to the lower Pho Chhu where the river is bigger, faster, and the resident trout average larger — though they fight harder for every fly. The lower runs hold deeper holding pools and more challenging current seams; this is where streamer fishing becomes useful. Local fishing wisdom from our Bhutanese guide will be at its best today — he grew up on this water. End the day with one of the genuine highlights of any Bhutan trip: a hot-stone bath at a traditional farmhouse, where smooth river stones are heated in a fire and dropped into a wooden tub of mineral-rich water. The combination of a long day's casting and the bath is the best night's sleep most clients get all year.

Stay:

Riverside camp, Punakha

Meals:

B/L/D

A full transit day south to entirely different water. Six hours by road takes us out of the high valleys and down into the warmer subtropical zone bordering Royal Manas National Park — Bhutan's most biodiverse protected area, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and the home of the legendary golden mahseer. The descent through several thousand metres of altitude bands is itself a lesson in Bhutanese ecology, dropping from pine forest into oak, rhododendron, and finally lowland tropical forest with hornbills overhead. We arrive at the riverside lodge by mid-afternoon with time for an orientation walk along the Manas tributary we'll be fishing. Different river, different rods, different flies — your guide will swap your kit accordingly.

Stay:

Manas riverside lodge

Meals:

B/L/D

A full day on Manas water targeting the legendary golden mahseer — a species of carp that grows to over 50 kilograms in this system and is regarded by serious fly anglers as one of the great freshwater game fish on the planet. Mahseer fishing is patience work: deep pools, heavier rods (8- or 9-weight), big streamers, and reading the river for the slow back-eddies where they hold. The take, when it comes, is unmistakable — a freight-train tug that runs you straight into the backing. Strict catch-and-release with barbless hooks, photographs taken in the water without removing the fish. Tropical heat by midday means an extended midday break and a return to the river for the evening session.

Stay:

Manas riverside lodge

Meals:

B/L/D

A final dawn session on the river — often the most productive hour of the trip, when the water has cooled overnight and the fish are most active. Most groups land their best fish of the week in this last hour. Pack up the gear, breakfast at the lodge, then the long drive back to Paro for the evening flight home. Lunch en route. Final khadars at the security gate at Paro International, and a last 'tashi delek' before you board. Your guide will see you through check-in and stay on the airport line until your flight is wheels-up.

Stay:

—

Meals:

B/L