Bhutan

Bhutan has finally revealed its reopening date, September 23, 2022, after remaining shut to outsiders for more than two years due to the pandemic. The gorgeous Himalayan nation has been attracting travellers from across the globe for ages now. Whenever you plan a visit to Bhutan there's a lot to explore. ‘The land of happiness’, ‘The Kingdom above the clouds’, ‘The land of the Thunder Dragon’… Bhutan has gained a few names over the years which is a pretty good indicator of how epic it truly is. Delve into the essence of Bhutanese beauty, culture and history. The hands-on experience in traditional textile and handicraft workshops and the close exposure of monastic life and pastoral scene, etc. offer you a perfect chance for a memorable exploration in Bhutan. Whether you’ve been dreaming of heading to this magical corner of the world for a while or if it has only just landed on your radar, you’re in the right place. We’re going to let you in on some of the absolute must-do’s whilst you’re in Bhutan. 

1. Hike The Tiger's Nest Monastery

The Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Paro Takstang) is in one word, extraordinary. The buildings are perched on the side of a cliff, 10,000ft above sea-level! It was built in 1692 and still functions as a monastery today with monks living on the mountain. You’ll need to hike here and the trail begins just 10 miles north of Paro (a 20-minute drive).

2. Visit Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong is stunning. It is the second oldest and second biggest in all of Bhutan but arguably the most beautiful. It is located between two rivers and you have to cross a bridge to access it. The most interesting thing about this building? Not one nail was used to create it... not one! 

3. Be in awe of Buddha Dordenma

When you see Buddha Dordenma you'll be blown away by how big it is (169ft!), but what's even more surprising is that there are 125,000 smaller buddhas inside it! With a population of around 100,000 people in Thimphu, there are more Buddhas than humans.

4. Go to a festival

There are heaps of festivals in Bhutan but two of the biggest are the Paro Tshechu in March and the Thimphu Tshechu in October. During both of these festivals, you'll see incredible traditional outfits, dance, food, and arts. It is arguably one of the best ways to witness Bhutanese culture and you'll be overwhelmed with wonder.

5. Try your hand at Archery

The national sport in Bhutan is archery, but they have been playing this sport long before it was even recognized as one (which means they're pretty good). They do things a bit differently here though, archery involves a lot of signing, dancing, food, and drink and is very much a social event.

6. Visit Tashichho-Dzong

The Tashichho-Dzong was first constructed in 1216! Since then the building has grown a lot. It houses the offices of the King, the Throne Room, and some government ministries. The Dzong is surrounded by beautiful gardens and enviably well-kept lawns, you won't be disappointed with a stroll around here.

7. The Memorial Chorten

The Memorial Chorten was designed to be 'one of the most visible religious structures in Thimphu' and reflects Tibetan style architecture. When you visit be sure to only circle the Chorten in a clockwise direction and learn all about the 3rd Dragon King on Bhutan. 

Bhutan is all set to reopen for international travellers from September. Referring to this, an official stated that the kingdom will be reopening for the first time since the pandemic began more than two years ago. In March 2020, with the outbreak of COVID-19, Bhutan took early steps to close its borders and banned tourism. With less than 8,00,000 in its population, Bhutan reported around 60000 infections. The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) stated that it will be allowing international tourists to enter the kingdom from September 23.

The tourists will, however, be charged a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 200 per night. Officials in the know-how added that this new fee will help control tourists’ carbon impact.
TCB Chairman and the country’s Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji released a statement stating that COVID-19 has allowed them to reset and rethink how the sector can be best operated and structured while keeping the carbon footprints low. He informed that the kingdom had revised standards for service providers, such as tour operators, hotels, drivers, and guides.

Once the borders up the places to must include in a Bhutan holiday itinerary are:

Thimpu

Home of the royal family of Bhutan, Thimpu is the capital of Bhutan, not just administratively, but culturally and commercially as well. Much like the surprises of Bhutan, Thimpu also has an interesting fact to share. Thimpu is the only capital city in the globe, the roads of which run without traffic lights. Thimphu, visiting the National Library housing an extensive collection of priceless Buddhist manuscripts, the Institute for Zorig Chusum (commonly known as the Painting School) which conducts training courses in Bhutan’s traditional arts and crafts, Textile and Folk Heritage Museum. After lunch, visit Trashichhoedzong, “fortress of the glorious religion”, the centre of Bhutan’s government and religion, King's Memorial Chorten and the government-run Handicrafts Emporium and local crafts shops, to browse through example of Bhutan's fine traditional arts.

Dochula Pass

Just 30 km from the capital city of Thimpu is the Dochula Pass, which is renowned for housing a significant number of Chortens. A total of 108 Chortens, which were built in honor of Bhutanese martyrs, add to the beauty of the mountain pass. The pass is situated at a height of around 3150 meters above sea level, and it overlooks the majestic snow-covered Himalayan ranges. While at the pass, have a warm cup of coffee and admire the beauty of this milky white location.

Winters are perfectly suited for a trip to this part of Bhutan, as the country receives heavy snowfall. Besides Dochula pass also hosts an annual festival in the month of December, which is known as Dochula festival. The festival is in continuation since the year 2011 and is held every year to commemorate the victory of Bhutanese soldiers over Indian insurgents.

Visit Punakha Dzong

Punakha Dzong is stunning. It is the second oldest and second biggest in all of Bhutan but arguably the most beautiful. It is located between two rivers and you have to cross a bridge to access it. The most interesting thing about this building? Not one nail was used to create it... not one! 

Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Paro Takstang)

The Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Paro Takstang) is in one word, extraordinary. The buildings are perched on the side of a cliff, 10,000ft above sea-level! It was built in 1692 and still functions as a monastery today with monks living on the mountain. You’ll need to hike here and the trail begins just 10 miles north of Paro (a 20-minute drive).

Memorial Chorten

The Memorial Chorten was designed to be 'one of the most visible religious structures in Thimphu' and reflects a Tibetan style architecture. When you visit be sure to only circle the Chorten in a clockwise direction and learn all about the 3rd Dragon King on Bhutan. 

Our recently concluded family holiday to Bhutan – “ the Land of the Thunder Dragon”, was no less than a magical experience. The flight from Delhi to Paro is little over two hours with a short halt in Kathmandu, but landing in Paro is challenging. It’s only the experienced pilots of Druk Air, who could glide into the green Paro valley with no problem. The moment you step out of the aircraft and walk towards the terminal building, the first thing one notices is the elaborate paintings of dragons, lotuses and geometric patterns on the building. Another noticeable thing is, all the men and women wearing traditional Bhutanese wrap dresses and photos of the young King and his Queen displayed almost everywhere. It’s a world of myths and legends – a beautiful balance between old and new, sound and silence. It seems like slipping into a bygone era of timeliness. 

We were greeted by our guide and driver at the airport and drove for an hour to get to our first destination, Thimpu – the biggest city in Bhutan and it's capital. During our 2 days stay in Thimpu, we visited the National Institute of Zorig Chusum, a learning centre for the 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan, A mammoth 50 m bronze idol of the Buddha on a hilltop that overlooks the whole of Thimpu valley, National Memorial Chorten, The Tashichcho Dzong - A Dzong is a complex that serves as the religious, military, administrative and social center, local farmers market - held every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the row of authentic crafts bazaar near the Clock Tower.

Our next stop was the valley of Punakha – which is about 3 hours drive away from Thimpu via a mountain pass with 108 small and big temples on top. Punakha was the ancient capital of Bhutan. In the valley surrounded on two sides by two rivers is the imposing Dzong with arresting wooden craftsmanship. Its one of the most iconic and beautiful Dzongs. Another, interesting place worth a visit in this valley is the temple of fertility dedicated to Drukpa Kunley, a tantric Buddhist saint known for his rather unconventional approach to religion. It’s more of a cultural shock to see murals and carvings depicting the man’s phallus outside homes and buildings in the Punakha valley.

We then moved on to the picturesque glacial valley of Phobjika, which lies at an elevation of 3000 meters. Its also called Gangtey valley, because of the impressive Gangteng Monastery. The views from the monastery and also from most other places in the valley are just spectacular. The peace and tranquility in these vast marshlands give you a feeling of being in a divine land. These marshlands also provide habitat to many endangered species of birds, most famous being black-necked cranes. One could spend days, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery or doing some of the popular short treks/day hikes in this beautiful valley. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to spend in this valley, due to our tight schedule, and also, it started to rain in the evening, so it wasn’t the best weather to extend our stay there.

The last stop on our trip was the Paro valley. Travel from Phobjika to Paro was a long 7-hour drive. Paro town centre is lined with curio shops and restaurants with broad walkways for the pedestrians to stroll around. A great place to take in Bhutanese culture. With no deafening horns, the silence was refreshing. Every shop looked like an art museum. The highlight of the visit to Paro is the trek to Tiger’s Nest Monastery, which is the most sacred site for Bhutanese Buddhists. It was a bit of a disappointment to not do this trek due to bad weather, but we tried to make up for it by visiting the bazaars, national museum, and the Paro Dzong.

Like every good thing has to come to an end, it was time to leave this beautiful Himalayan rooftop kingdom and return to a busy life in Delhi. But we were glad, that we could visit this magical place, where people are so kind and so simple. And I think it was just the right time. For, the change is in the air -- The arrival of TV, the Internet, the technology and the progressive attitude is bound to change this unique country in years to come. I hope the people of Bhutan do not lose their cultural identity and simple way of life. 

The writer, Rajesh Kaushik is the General Manager of Trans India Holidays in New Delhi, India.