Tiger's Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang)

Bhutan's most famous sight: a monastery clinging to a cliff 900 m above the Paro valley, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have arrived on the back of a flying tigress in the 8th century to bring Buddhism to Bhutan. The hike up through pine forest takes 2 to 3 hours, with a café at the halfway viewpoint. Horses can be hired for the first part.

Inside the temples, photos aren't allowed, and you'll need to leave your bags and phone. Note that internal travel in Bhutan is slow: roads are narrow and cling to mountainsides. Visitors pay a daily Sustainable Development Fee on top of travel costs. Most visitors travel with a licensed tour operator and a guide, and fly into Paro on Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines from Bangkok, Delhi, Kathmandu or Kolkata.