The Soi Yaksa Trek begins not at Shana, but at Drugyel Dzong, roughly 12km north of Paro — the ruined 17th-century fortress built to commemorate a victory over Tibetan invaders, marking the genuine starting point for this specific route. The trail follows the Pa Chhu river, climbing gently through rice terraces, millet fields, apple orchards, and the small settlements of Mitshi Zampa and Sangatan, before reaching the army post at Gunitsawa (2,810m) — the last checkpoint before the Tibetan border, where your Special Trekking Permit is checked and stamped.

From Gunitsawa, the route climbs through forest to Thangthangka (3,610m), then continues to Jangothang — Jomolhari Base Camp, at 4,040 metres — the same spectacular destination reached by the full Jomolhari Trek, offering direct views of Mount Jomolhari (7,326m) and the neighbouring Jichu Drake. This is where the two treks genuinely diverge: rather than continuing toward Lingzhi’s extreme altitude, the Soi Yaksa route turns toward Tshophu Lake (4,380m), a pair of turquoise high-altitude lakes once stocked with brown trout (now under a fishing ban), before climbing to Bonte La Pass at 4,890 metres — the trek’s highest point — and descending into the remote, rarely-visited Soi Yaksa valley.

The final days loop back toward Paro via Thombu La Pass (4,380m), which on a clear day offers views extending to Mount Kanchenjunga in Sikkim, before a final descent to the road head near Drugyel Dzong, completing the genuine loop this trek is named for.