Visiting Bhutan was an unforgettable experience. It’s possibly one of the most remote countries I have been to perched on the edge of the Himalayas. It is a Bhuddist Kingdom and a constitutional democracy so the Bhutanese get to vote for their leaders, but still adore their king and queens and quite frankly in their hearts, they are still their true leaders. Bhutan measures its success as a country, as a society through Gross National Happiness (GNH), where the happiness of the Bhutanese people is of equal or more importance than economic growth or material gains (GDP). And they are truly happy and lovely people! It is also a country very focused in preserving its cultural heritage (all the buildings have to incorporate vernacular flourishes like hipped roofs and wood-framed windows. They also have a dress code which obliges the Bhutanese to wear traditional clothing inside temples or governmental buildings) and protecting the environment (more than 50% of the country is made of protected national parks and reserves & 72% of it forested).
The only practical way in and out of Bhutan is to fly from Thailand or India on Drukair. Their pilots have to go through rigorous training to be able to land in the Paro Valley - not an easy feat. Note that tourism in Bhutan is restricted, so visitors are required to travel as part of a pre-arranged package or guided tour, so to avoid the hordes of backpackers that have overrun Nepal.
We got to visit important valleys in Bhutan: the capital of Thimphu; the tropical Punakha valley; and the emerald valley of Paro.
ITINERARY – 10 nights
Paro [1] > Thimphu to Punakha [4] > Paro [1] > Bumdra Monastery Camp [1] > Paro [2]
STAY Uma Paro, Uma Punakha & Bumdra Monastery Camp (all-inclusive)
Day 1: Arrive in Paro, from Bangkok. We (my husband Michael and I, and dear friends, Alessandra and Peter) got picked up at the airport by Gopal who would be our driver during our stay and Ugi, our guide.
Day 2: Paro to Punakha Valley via Thimphu and Dochu La. Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and the centre of government, religion and commerce. Things to see: town viewpoint at the Big Buddha statue, Folk Heritage Museum & Trashi Chhoe Dzong.
Following the ride to Thimphu, the drive to Punakha is truly awe-inspiring as it zigzags up to the mountain through the Dochu La with its prayer flags & maze of memorial chortens and views ofthe Himalayan range. Duration of drive: 3-4 hours
Day 3: In the morning we hiked up through farmland to Khamsum Yuley Namgay Chorten, a shrine built by the royal family. This ornate structure has superb views of the valley. In the afternoon we visited the magnificent Punakha Dzong. This fortress monastery was built in 1637 in a commanding position at the confluence of the Po Chhu and Mo Chhu (Father and Mother rivers). It once served as the seat of the Kingdom's government and is now the winter home of Je Khempo, the head Abbot of Bhutan, along with 1,000 monks.
Day 4: Drive to the Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup Lhakhang Nunnery and then to the Talo Nobgang village. We hike down through chir pine trees, passing a school, farms and farmers houses and our final destination is the Punakha Dzong where we have a picnic lunch. In the afternoon we visited Chimmi Lhakhang, a fertility temple dedicated to Drukpa Kuenley, a Tibetan Buddhist saint known popularly as the Divine Madman (there are penises everywhere, a symbol of fertility in Bhutan)
Day 5: Hike up to Chotren Nibu and Khabasa village. Chotren is a monastery that houses orphans from the nearby village where the children can study both traditional Buddhist scriptures and texts, and also learn Western subjects. There is an incredible oak tree outside the monastery.
Day 6: We retrace our steps back to Paro and spend the rest of the day enjoying the hotel and its magnificent spa treatments.
Day 7: Hike from Sang Choekor Buddhist College (2,800m) to the Yak pasture below Bumdra Monastery (3,800m), where we glamped. We were accompanied by mules to carry our stuff and that made the hike much easier. We were so impressed with the multi-course dinner that was served literally in the middle of nowhere with no built structures. Everything cooked inside a tent covered in yak skin! We did have a hard time with the altitude though, and consequently a rough night.
Day 8: Hike from our camp to Taktsang Monastery, best known as Tiger’s Nest. After a few hours of descent we caught glimpses of the golden roofs of temples below and as we got closer we got to see the Monastery perched against the cliff-face of a gorge. It is phenomenal!
Day 9: We spent most of the day relaxing at the hotel and took a hot stone bath followed by a massage. That’s all we needed after 2 days of hiking. We did go for a short walk on trails right behind the hotel that lead us to the beautiful Paro Dzong (fortress monastery).
Day 10: We were lucky to be in Bhutan at the time of the Paro Tsechu festival, one of the most popular festivals in Bhutan. A Tsechu is a Buddhist festival in honor of Guru Rimpoche, the saint who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. It was held at the Paro Dzong and featured dances with amazing masks and costumes. In preparation for the festival, Alessandra and I got traditional Bhutanese dresses called kiras - a belted dress(a men’s traditional outfit is called a gho - tunic-like with knee-high socks) and proudly wore it to the festival.
Day 11: It was time to say goodbye, but not before trying archery which is the national sport. Obviously we were terrible at it and kept Gopal and Ugi pretty entertained.
Fascinating custom - courtship ritual called night hunting: a young man will make arrangements with a girl for a what is basically a consensual one-night stand, then sneak into her parent's house that night to consummate the deal. If he manages to leave without being caught, he is under no obligation to marry her. If he wants to marry her, he can stay for breakfast. Ha! I love this :-)
*Thanks to Alessandra and Peter for some of these great pics!