STROLLING hand in hand, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took on the challenge of walking up to Bhutan's famous Tiger's Nest monastery.
William and Kate enjoyed the stunning scenery on their trek to the 17th century Paro Taktsang, nestling on the side of a cliff.
They began their walk by posing for photographs with the landmark monastery high above them in the background.
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Kate was dressed in a white blouse, waistcoat, leggings and calf-length boots, while William looked casual in chinos and a blue shirt and walking boots.
The Duke joked with one of the older photographers among the media, saying he was glad he had not ventured to the top.
Their path up to the Tiger's Nest led through a pine forest on the slopes of the hill, with piles of symbolic stones dotted along the route.
They wore sunglasses against the bright spring sunshine and when they spotted a trio of small ornate buildings housing large Buddhist prayer wheels beside a babbling brook, William pointed at them and commented to Kate.
The royal couple held hands and looked relaxed as they walked along the winding path through the idyllic landscape.
When William and Kate reached the halfway point in their 1,500ft (457m) climb they stopped to admire the views of the surrounding mountains and look up at how far they had still to travel to the monastery which is more than 10,000ft (3,048m) above sea level.
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The Duke looked slightly more flushed than his wife and wiped the sweat from his brow.
He laughed and said "So far so good", and, looking around at the view, added: "This is absolutely stunning."
The couple posed for a picture in front of the waiting media and William joked with the press, telling them so far the walk had been "easy".
He and Kate stopped to talk to three trekkers from San Francisco who were returning from the monastery - Lauren McKennan, 29, Chris Steele, 27, and Alex Willmore, 28.
Ms McKennan said: "They were pretty altogether. There wasn't a single trail of sweat. They stopped to talk to us for three to five minutes and were absolutely charming."
Mr Willmore added: "They asked us how long we had been here and talked about how lovely the weather was. They said how rainy it had been when they were doing the archery and how glad they were doing the trek today.
"We asked for a photograph. They just laughed and wouldn't do it. But they were absolutely charming, very cool, very nice. They kept on saying how beautiful it was."
Before moving on, William and Kate, guided by the director of the national museum, Phuntesho Tashi, spun a series of Buddhist prayer wheels in the picturesque spot, which followers believe absolves sins.
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