Taktsang Palphug Monastery (Tiger's Nest)

Bhutan's most iconic sacred site, clinging to a sheer cliff face 900 meters above the Paro Valley floor at 3,120 meters elevation. Built in 1692 around the cave where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have flown on the back of a tigress and meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three hours, and three minutes in the 8th century. Severely damaged by fire in 1998 and meticulously restored by 2005 under royal patronage, visitors reach the monastery via a steep 2-3 hour hike through blue pine forest.