BHUTAN – The Himalayan Jewel
The land of ‘Thunder Dragons’ or ‘Druk Yul’ had been on our minds for the longest time. Most of us have heard about Bhutan’s GNH (Gross National Happiness) and how it’s been called a ‘Happy Nation’. Trust us; there is more to that country: their awe-inspiring architecture, magnificent mountains, soothing air, friendly people, reverence for the King & Queen, amongst many others. The more we read about this Himalayan Jewel, the more we wanted to go and see it for ourselves.
To the best of our capabilities, we try to fit in a local festival into our itinerary whenever we visit a new country. Keeping the much talked about Paro festival in mind, we booked a seven nights trip to Bhutan covering Phuentsholing, Paro, Thimphu and Punakha in April 2017 (Looking back, we wish we could have spent another week exploring some more of the off-beat places). Needless to say Bhutan’s beauty is impeccable! Some of the places you just cannot miss are:
Tiger’s Nest or Paro Taktsang monastery in Paro is by far the most iconic symbol of Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche arrived here on the back of a tigress and meditated at this monastery. Hence the name – ‘Tiger’s Nest’. The trek takes about 6 hours which includes the tour of the monastery. The trail is uphill but not very steep, pretty doable we must say. It is tiring yes, gives you a serious fitness check (if you don’t believe in any form of exercise, like us!) but believe us, once you reach the top and inhale the pure and serene air, you will forget the aching bones and the gasping you experienced. The scenery over the valley is just mind blowing – completely lined with prayer flags and prayer wheels.
Pro tip – Your ticket entitles you to a guided tour of the monastery and you don’t really need a guide for the trek. Avoid using the horse service. It looks very scary and of course spare the poor thing!
Paro Tshechue/Paro Festival which happens in the month of April at the Rinpung Dzong is a series of dance performances by the monks and laymen wearing ornate costumes and masks. It is said that one gains merit by attending these festivals. (WooHoo! Brownie points for being a part of this) We woke up at 3am (we surprise ourselves by doing things like these :p ) to witness the Thongdrel festival – which is an unfurling of a massive embroidered painting of Guru Rinpoche. It is considered so sacred that simply seeing a Thongdrel unfurl is said to cleanse one’s sins!
National Institute for Zorig Chusum in Thimpu is a must visit! It’s a government initiative to preserve local art and craft. It offers courses on Bhutan’s 13 traditional arts which includes calligraphy, painting, sculpture, wood carving, casting, pottery, embroidery, tailoring, weaving, masonry, silver and gold smith workshops. The discipline and skills that the students exhibit is extremely impressive!
Buddha Dordenma located in Thimpu city is a gigantic 51 meter Buddha statue which houses 12,500 smaller Buddha statues in it.
Do Chula Pass is a picturesque mountain pass in the snow covered Himalayas on the way to Punakha from Thimphu. It has 108 memorial stupas built in the honour of Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in war with Assamese insurgents.
The three day Rhododendron Festival at the Royal Botanical Park in Lamperi aims to create a platform for eco-tourism. Bhutan is home to about 46 species of Rhododendrons.
The majestic Punakha Dzong situated at the junction of PoChu and MoChu rivers served as both religious and administrative centres of Bhutan.
House of Juliet: Punakha had a real version of Romeo (Singye) and Juliet (Galem) from the 14th century. It’s a touching love story of two ordinary people and their extraordinary love for each other, who reunited after death. This historically built house which is in ruins now, belongs to Galem (Juliet). News has it that it is getting converted into a museum of love!
Other attractions that can be visited:
Paro: Chelea Pass
Ta Dzong
Thimphu: Chuzom (confluence of Thimphu & Paro rivers)
King’s Memorial Chorten
Textile and Folk Heritage Museums
The National Library
Takin Preserve
Trashi Chhoe Dzong
Simply Bhutan
Handicrafts Emporium and local crafts bazaar
Punakha: Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten
Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang Nunnery
Hanging Bridge
When in Bhutan, MUST DO’s:
1. Beat the cold with a hot mug of Butter tea. You have to taste it to know what it is!
2. Savour the national dish of Bhutan, Ema Datshi – a delicious stew of chillies and yak cheese.
3. Dress up in the traditional Kira (for women) and Gho (for men). You can experience it at Simply Bhutan (Thimphu)
4. Drink at the local bars in Thimpu. (I fell in love with the singer at Mojo Park. What a voice!)
5. White water rafting at PoChu river (it has bigger rapids than the MoChu river)
6. Chew the local betel nut leaves (It stinks and tastes horrible but gives you a kick!)
7. Sing some Salman Khan hits with your guide and driver (Salman is a rage in Bhutan)
8. Observe traffic police in Thimphu. There are no signals, so the policemen constantly are moving their hands,to manage traffic. It’s a sight worth watching.They do a brilliant job, and the traffic is well controlled.
9. Take an hour of your time and visit Thimphu post office. The picture below tells you exactly what you can do.
10. Visit Chimi Lkakhang in Punakha and observe the houses.
Hotels we stayed at:
Paro : Hotel Tashi Phuntshok (excellent location, great room and food)
Thimphu: Hotel Migmar (average room and food)
Punakha: Damchen Resort (beautiful spacious room, average food)
Flights: Rs. 22,000/- per person (Delhi – Paro – Delhi) (if booked in advance)
Package: Rs. 55,000/- per person (includes accommodation, all 3 meals, AC tempo traveller with driver, guide, all permits, all transfers & sightseeing)
A trip for 2 is approximated at a little over Rs. 1,50,000/- (approx. 2340 USD)
We used Norbu Bhutan Travel Pvt. Ltd. The guide and driver were extremely friendly and accommodative.
Planning your Bhutan trip? Have some queries? Shoot them in the comments section right away!
August 23, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
I was planning to go to Bhutan this winter, but plans changed. But I will surely make it there sometime soon. Such an easily accessible country from India and so much to offer. Glad you had a great time.
September 7, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Oh yes you must! It’s not too far and not very expensive!
August 23, 2017 @ 5:32 pm
This looks like such an interesting place to visit. I haven’t heard much about it but looks great. Looks like you had a fun trip.
August 23, 2017 @ 10:13 pm
Great pics and wonderful post! It looks like you had fun. A possible bucket list for me. Thanks for sharing!
August 24, 2017 @ 5:14 am
Thanks for listing the places to visit, it makes traveling easy 🙂
August 24, 2017 @ 8:32 am
What an amazing experience, I’m so far away from all this it looks like a different world. Thx for sharing !
August 24, 2017 @ 9:41 am
So Rick in culture and your pictures are just beautiful! Looks like an incredible place to visit thanks for sharing
August 24, 2017 @ 10:30 am
You are so lucky to be Asian! The places you have in this continent are beyond breathtaking! By the way I would love some butter tea! (didn’t know it exists :P)
August 24, 2017 @ 8:57 pm
I know a lot of people who have been to Bhutan but I’m so glad to see a post about it. I have wanted to go for a long time and it’s nice to see a list of places to visit. I love monasteries ! I’ll be bookmarking this for the future, thanks for sharing.
August 24, 2017 @ 8:59 pm
Bhutan has been on my list for such a long time, I can’t wait to go. Your pictures are beautiful!
August 24, 2017 @ 11:01 pm
The Himalayas and Bhutan in particular has been high on my list for such a long time, there’s some really good insights in this post, have bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks for this 😀
August 25, 2017 @ 4:53 am
Great recap on Bhutan! It was never on my radar till now. Cheers!
August 25, 2017 @ 10:47 am
very nice post with meaningful information!
August 25, 2017 @ 2:48 pm
This is wonderful 🙂 Stunning destination. I definitely want to try the butter tea. Thank you for this post.
August 25, 2017 @ 2:58 pm
Nepal is high on my Bucket List. But Bhutan sounds amazing too! Thanks for the tips. I will have to add this as well
August 25, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
white water rafting an dress up opportunities! this place looks beautiful to see and amazing to experience. thanks for sharing another hidden gem.
August 25, 2017 @ 4:55 pm
wow , beautifully compiled blog with lovely pics and great recommendations. Now, I wanna visit Bhutan too.. always heard a lot about this place & again , after reading your blog, I feel I need to cover this soon!
August 25, 2017 @ 9:00 pm
Loved reading your post. I’m so excited because I will go to Bhutan on October this year ! The Land of Thunder Dragon is well known for its stunning landscapes, legendary ancient temples and fortresses, spicy yet delicious food, colourful festivals and most of all its authenticity… now, I can’t wait until October 😉
August 26, 2017 @ 12:57 pm
I love your post, Bhutan is in my TOP5 destinatio to visit next year. I love your photos, Bhutan looks like an amazing country 🙂
August 27, 2017 @ 6:01 pm
This looks like an amazing experience. Thanks for the hotel recommendations (these always come in handy!)
August 28, 2017 @ 8:32 pm
Looks wonderful.
August 29, 2017 @ 7:35 am
Nice articles thanks for sharing us.
August 30, 2017 @ 2:29 pm
nice article
September 1, 2017 @ 5:36 am
This is so excellent and perfect timing! I’m going there in october and it’s a big trip for me since I’m in the United States. I enjoy how you shared your itinerary and I will definitely try the butter tea and favorite dishes when I am there. Seems like a good spot for vegetarians like myself:)
I’ll definitely be bookmarking this for the future.
September 1, 2017 @ 6:24 am
I’ve heard such wonderful things about Bhutan, and would love to go…but is it true that you can only visit there on a guided tour? No independent travel allowed?? #glttravelblogger
September 2, 2017 @ 6:02 am
Hi Shelley. Yes Bhutan u cannot join solo travel. U definitely need to hire a car with a driver. This is operated by the government… and only few agents can get u bookings. U have a choice of car with only driver or with driver plus guide. But u must visit Bhutan 🙂
September 2, 2017 @ 3:17 am
Never considered Bhutan for a visit, but your post has changed my mind. What a hidden gem! Great article!
September 2, 2017 @ 6:01 am
Thanks so much. Bhutan is definitely worth a visit 🙂
September 2, 2017 @ 10:10 am
I haven´t been to Bhutan yet but it looks really interesting. I love all the additional info about the costs etc. Thanks for sharing
September 2, 2017 @ 10:11 am
I haven´t been to Bhutan yet but it looks really interesting. I love all the additional info about the costs etc. Thanks for sharing. I should put it on my list.
September 2, 2017 @ 3:36 pm
Great post of a great country! All backed up by excellent pictures! What a treat to read through 🙂
September 2, 2017 @ 3:49 pm
planning on going here asap! great post
September 2, 2017 @ 7:10 pm
Have to get there! Its been on my radar for quite some time now… And loved tour idea of planning hour trip around a festival! Great tip. Thanks for your post!
September 14, 2017 @ 6:28 am
I’ve wanted to visit Bhutan for a such a long time now! It looks gorgeous here!
November 14, 2017 @ 6:50 am
It looks so pretty. Thanks for sharing a great post
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