What So Magical about Bhutan- The Land of Thunder Dragon!
What if a trip amidst mountains makes you realise that a part of your fantasies, your imagination does exist in real realm as well? Just imagine, you embark on a trip and all of your old age fantasies kneel down in front of you one by one. The fantasies you cherished in your childhood while reading a fairytale book with shiny pictures on it. The fantasies that flutter whenever you imagine a vivid image of 'A Perfect World where mother nature has showered all her colourful blessings and love over a place. The kind king and queen live in their royal castle and rule their kingdom. There isn't a single man who is deprived of happiness and contentment with their simple yet perfect daily life'. If the description above has excited you enough, then a trip to Bhutan should come as a priority in your bucket list.
This country is cradled by Himalaya and being barricaded from the impact of modern civilization and military aggressors. This landlocked Himalayan kingdom is home to perfect climate, diverse range of flora and fauna, picturesque lush green forests nestled within mountain stretches, white masses of floating clouds peekabooing with backdrop of blue sky. The delicate touch of Tibetan culture, sacred monasteries, fortress architecture of dzongs and spirituality that comes along with Buddhism has no doubt fueled its attraction by manifolds. The ever smiling people of this heavenly valley has achieved a benchmark in conserving natural resources. Bhutan has taught the entire world how to fulfill necessary economic growth without spoiling the nature, culture and traditional practices. The virgin beauty of this country will bewitch you in every bit.
Credit: Saheli Bera
How to Reach Bhutan
By Air: The only operating airline that connects Bhutan with rest of the world is Druk Air. Due to very limited availability of flights, it might be little difficult to get air tickets at normal price, if not booked three to four months in advance. It would be easier if you book your tickets through standard local travel agents, as they block most of the tickets. However you can also book on your own if you have enough time in your hand through DrukAir website. It would be a cost effective flight journey if you travel in a group of more than 10 people. Upto 10 people they have no discount offer, But if the number of passengers are more than 10, the discount size increases proportaionately with the size of group. You can also book your tickets online through Drukair Mobile app (download from Google Play or App Store). The direct connecting flights to Paro operates from New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bagdogra in India.
By Road: You need not to travel necessarily in air, if you have a budget friendly Bhutan trip in your mind. Druk Air flight tickets are mostly expensive. But the good news is, we Indians have full liberty to both enter and exit this Himalayan Kingdom by land. You can head to Bagdogra by direct flight or New Jalpaiguri Station by train. From North Bengal, the Jaigaon/Phuentsholing Border is around 4-5 hours drive away. You have to stay there over night for the immigration process next morning. Try to avoid reach there on Saturday as all official formalities for immigration remains closed on Sunday. I would personally recommend to avoid Sunday/Monday journeys as well. Being the first day of week, Monday remains quite busy due to rush of tourists. Plan your trip in such a way so that you reach Phuentsholing on Monday night and your immigration can be done on Tuesday morning without any hassle.
For traveling within Bhutan you can hire a car with driver or a bus (if traveling in a group) through local travel agent. You can also take your Indian car in Bhutan and need to obtain a permit for the car from Regional Transport Office in Phuentsholing. This road trip from North Bengal to Phuentsholing offers stunning landscape view and Phuentsholing has plenty of hotel services for this overnight break journey.
Mark Your Calendar: You should plan your Bhutan trip according to your preference for nature elements.
Whenever I go to mountains, the colour splash of mountain flowers over the stretch of valley fascinates me more than the views of cloud laden mountain peaks. So mostly I target late spring or early summer season to visit mountains. If you are a crazy flower lover like me, plan your Bhutan trip in April-May. In this time you can witness the vast green meadow speckled with wild yellow and purple flowers. The view of fluffy white dandelions nodding their heads and slowly blowing in wind can easily take your breath away. The violet stretch of jacaranda trees overcrowd the lanes and by-lanes. During uphill drive to higher altitude, the thick masses of white and red rohododendrons showcase their beauty to spellbound the tourists. Being ornamented with all possible colours, the nature giggles like a damsel in mountains, .
Credit: Saheli Bera
If you have strong inclination towards the views of mountain peaks, punching a hole in blue, sun washed, golden sky then target Autumn, September-Mid November. This season is perfect if you are a vivid bird enthusiast. The black-necked crane with striking eyes and a black head with red crown is a majestic bird, yet a vulnerable species. After spending their summer in Tibet, they migrate several hundred Kilometres to pristine marshy valley of Pobjikha. A smaller number flies to eastern part of Bhutan.
If you have your personal love affairs with bone-chilling winter and snowy evening then visit this country in winter season, December-January. This time is off-season and prices go down all over the country.
The Pocket: If planned properly, a trip to Bhutan for SAARC citizens is not going to be very much heavy on pocket. Currency of Bhutan is Ngultrum (Nu) and 1 INR is equivalent to 1 Nu. Indian currency is acceptable all over the country. But most of local shops don't accept credit or debit cards. Also keep in mind, Indian Rupee denomination note of INR 500/- and INR 2000/- are not acceptable in Bhutan.
However, Bhutan is not so cheap destination for western traveller. They have adopted the unique 'High Value Low Impact' tourism policy whereby it may cost around 200-250 US$ per person per night for western tourists.
Transport, Phone & Internet Cost: As mentioned above, for traveling within Bhutan the best option is to hire a private vehicle for sightseeing. The normal rate for Toyota Innova or Hyundai is around Rs. 3500/- per day and for Toyota Hiace bus it would cost around Rs. 5000/- per day. In Bhutan you need to pay for booking a guide. The cost of a guide starts from Rs. 700/- per day and the cost may vary with size of group.
In international roaming mode, the call rates to India are not so cheap. I would suggest, buy a local SIM card with mobile data pack from Bhutan. For tourists the SIM cards are available at free of cost. A small recharge of Rs. 200/- would be more than enough for a 10 days trip. Mostly all hotels of three star or four star catagory offer free WiFi connection in rooms. But don't expect very high speed WiFi services in Bhutan. In some of the places I got extremely poor internet speed and the connection was lost after 11- 11:30 in night.
Accommodation: While booking Hotels, try not expect very high quality service and facilities in Bhutan, that we are used to receive in other countries. Electricity and water supply may go down at any moment and you should be prepared to face these not so serious crisis in Bhutan. Some of the hotels have only fixed menu option in restaurant and don't have any a-la-carte facility. But you don't have to worry about the cleanliness and hygiene. Bhutanese people are proactive whenever it comes to the issue of 'Neatness and Cleanliness'. They will do everything possible to make you feel comfortable and warm in their country. A normal three star or four star hotel comes with a rate of 2500-4000 Rs. per night including complimentary breakfast. Home stays are also available at much cheaper price like 750-900 INR per night.
Satiate Your Taste Buds: Food in Bhutan is way cheaper than India. It costs around 800-900 INR for three adult people. However, the rate may vary slightly from place to place. Bhutanese people love everything that is cooked with cheese. Authentic Bhutanese cuisine brings a lot of variety to enrich your gastronomic journey. Apart from sumptuous Momos and Dumplings, a standard Bhutanese meal (Lunch or dinner) includes Red rice, Ema Datshi (Red Chilly with Cheese), Kewa Datshi (Potatoes with Cheese), Shamu Datshi (Mushrooms with Cheese), a big portion of boiled green, leafy vegetables and Jasha Maroo (Spicy Chicken)/ Phaksha Paa (Pork with Red Chillies).
Credit: Saheli Bera
The People; Smiley is Everywhere: In short, they Smile. They smile to strangers, they smile to tourists, they smile to adult people, children and senior people. They just smile. Apart from highly protected and unperturbed Natural resources, these smiling people of Bhutan define 'The Gross National Happiness' theory. They would leave no stone unturned to help you, to make you feel happy, comfortable and relaxed in their country. In every little gesture, they convey their great respect to other people.
The adorable kids were always ready to give pose with a sunshine smile, whenever I requested them for a picture. After I clicked, they expressed their excitement to see how the picture was.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
Everyone can speak fluent Hindi and listens to Bollywood songs. Their life passes at an unhurried pace. The live every single moment and find beauty in it. Bhutan has no traffic signal in their country to dictate when to start and stop the car. They have only one or two traffic cops to manage the over disciplined traffic system. Surprisingly, in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan, the cars stopped in the middle to let me pass the road safely.
In restaurants, food was delivered after 20-30 minutes after I placed my order. Because they start preparing food only after they get your order and serve you freshly prepared dish. Now imagine such scenario in India. A restaurant would easily get a horribly low rating in Zomato if it takes so much time to deliver food to customer. But the land of happiness doesn't work this way. Hygiene and health come first to them rather than blind money making strategies. Aggression, nagging, complaining, cheating, ignorance and greed really don't exist in their happy world.
Credit: Saheli Bera
They have preserved their culture and tradition from all kind of foreign influences. They take their national dress Gho and Kira with great sincerity. Women take the lead in most of the business places. They run restaurant, bars and shops with their children tied across their back- sack. They live a simple, carefree life with abundant of happiness and contentment.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
What to do in Bhutan?
As the International Airport of Bhutan is in Paro, I preferred to start my trip from the capital Thimphu and end at Paro.
On your first day in Thimphu you can explore Bhutanese art, tradition and culture. In this Arts and Craft School students are taught to build their skill in 13 traditional Bhutanese arts and Crafts.
Credit: Saheli Bera
The national library of Bhutan was established to preserve the ancient collection of Buddhist manuscript and Tibetan text. The Bhutanese traditional architecture easily attracts tourist's intersest. In the front-yard and backyard of this library lie beautiful rose gardens, a perfect location to take selfie or full family picture.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
This museum is a part of Royal Textile academy and introduces major weaving techniques, patterns and style of local dresses and textiles made by men and women.
Takin mini zoo is wildlife reserve area for Takin, the national animal of Bhutan. Bhutan Takin attracts attention due to their unusual appearance. It has a skull like a goat and skeleton like a cow. Takin has been listed as a vulnerable species. This zoo remains closed on Monday and some other national holidays. I visited this zoo in the afternoon, when the Takins were far away from the fence, grazing inside the forest. Unfortunately I couldn't photograph any. So try to visit this zoo in morning (9am-11am). During this time Takins can be seen near the fence.
While driving down the valley, stop by the view point where you can get an amazing picture perfect view of calm Thimphu valley.
This Dzong is believed to be the first Dzong in Bhutan, built in 1627. This also serves as the Institute for Language and Cultural Studies. It incorporates both Monastic and administrative facilities.
Credit: Saheli Bera
This Large Tibetan style chorten was built in 1974 and was dedicated as a memorial to the third king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. This destination carries a vital significance as a place for daily worship. Local people whirl the prayer wheels, lit butter lamps and pray at a small shrine inside the gate.
Credit: Saheli Bera
The entry fee is 300 Nu per person and is open from 9am-5pm everyday for visitors.
Does seem like a heavenly set for shooting an ancient mythological play? No, it's not. It's Buddha point.
Credit: Saheli Bera
A massive 51meter tall, bronze statue of Buddha sits atop the mountains and overlooks southern part of Thimphu valley. This statue houses almost one hundred smaller Buddha idols. Bhutan had no technology and engineering facilities to create this mesmerising artwork. Hence this huge statue was built in China and later it was transported to Bhutan. When I arrived at this location, I received a sacred energy all around. The huge Buddha statue against the backdrop of blue sky, Buddhist monks chanting their daily prayers wholeheartedly, thick belt of lush green mountains, ice chilly wind and these beautiful metal statues of angels; they all together can take us to an otherworldly, heavenly journey.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
Thimphu being the capital city of Bhutan, houses one of the grandest Dzongs in Bhutan and it worths a visit.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Tourists can visit only after 5:30 in evening, when officials leave the offices. This massive building flaunts a typical Buddhist architecture. I was delighted at the marvellous sight of long stretch of rose garden at one side of the walkway and uniformly planted maple trees on the other.
Credit: Saheli Bera
After a security check, one needs to climb few steep stairs that open up to huge stone carved courtyard. It houses King's office, the temple and monk residence. I couldn't spot a single trashy stuff in the entire complex. If an administrative building lies in the lap of such colourful, picturesque landscape, who wouldn't want to join politics!!
Credit: Saheli Bera
For the first time in my life I wished for a political profession. I would love to join politics if my workplace seems like such dreamland.
Once I finished the sightseeing in Thimphu I headed towards one of the most beautiful valleys of Bhutan, Punakha next morning.
On the way to Punakha, a popular stop over destination is Dochula Pass. It's a memorial to martyrs. It takes around 45 minutes drive from Thimphu to reach Dochula. A majestic circular collection of 108 chortens stands proud amidst the dense layer of Deodar, Juniper and Alpines in surrounding. This Stupa is built as a memorial for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war against insurgents.
We got dumbstruck by the picturesque landscape. The clouds and mist rolled down the valley and cut my way. The green velvety earth was studded with yellow wild dandelions. As I reached Dochula little early in morning (around 9'o clock), there wasn't any crowd of tourists. As I hiked upto the highest point, I could listen every little sounds that nature was sending through air. The whistling breeze made its way through fluttering flags, the tweeting mountain birds in distance, the buzzing insects in nearby bushes were my only companion. However, couldn't get any view of surrounding mountain peaks as this place was thickly covered with clouds.
There's a small cafeteria you can visit to munch some chocolates and cookies or sip hot tea/coffee.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Located at a height of 4265 feet, Punakha is home to most stunning scenic destinations, that can easily awaken your landscape photography bugs. The moment I spotted the lined up Jacaranda trees with its lilac crown, teamed up with pink Bougainvilleas bent over the road and welcoming us, I sensed, I'm going to fall in love with this valley forever.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Our first destination in Punakha was Chime Lakhang Fertility temple. For centuries, this sacred place of worship is considered as 'Temple of Fertility'. It is believed, the couples who are suffering from infertility can be blessed with newborns after offering dedicated prayers at this temple. But what I loved the most about this destination was the half an hour walk to get the main temple. No matter, which country you are in, if you haven't felt the virgin energy of their countrysides then probably you haven't witnessed its soul. The path to Chime Lakhang begins with a small village. A dancing stream flowing by muddy road would take you to never ending green paddy fields with golden and yellow blooms. The locals were busy in harvesting corps in their field. It's going to be an unforgettable hiking, trust me.
After visiting Fertility temple, I did combat my tiredness with an authentic Bhutanese Lunch and inched towards the longest suspension bridge. Po Chu river rumbled passionately below the bridge. Initially, I was little nervous to walk on it but I couldn't resist my excitement. It's brilliantly built and doesn't shake much. The colourful flags were tied across both the edges. I could barely see where exactly the bridge ended on other side.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Punakha was former capital of Bhutan from 1637 to 1907. Punakha Dzong is the second oldest and second largest Dzong in Bhutan. My eyes got popped up to know that this majestic and impressive architecture was built without using any nails. Just imagine, not a single one. This Dzong sits right at the confluence of two rivers Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu.
Credit: Saheli Bera
In spring season the towering white-washed walls of the Dzong gets ornamented with lilac coloured Jacaranda tree. Whereas, the over enthusiastic pink Bougainvilleas puts additional sensuality to this grand, white building.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Punakha Dzong is divided into three sections. The first courtyard is for all administrative activities. There's a white chorten and a big Bodhi tree. The second one has monastic buildings and the innermost courtyard has a temple of Buddha.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
The view of Punakha valley in night was even more mysterious. The edges of light and darkness was stitched across the mountains. The dazzling Dzong was singing lullaby to entire valley to sleep.
After indulging my heart into too much lilacs and pinks, I left this dreamy valley with a heavy heart and embarked on my journey towards Paro.
This farmhouse is a lovely place that sits within a picturesque village. Tourists visit this place to buy souvenirs back home. You can rent traditional Bhutanese costume, Gho & Kira for photoshoot and try your hands at archery, the national game of Bhutan.
Just behind this farm house was the magnificent stretch of green paddy fields. If you're in Paro then don't miss this village excursion. Bhutan is home to some of the most picturesque villages in world. The sunshine, unknown villages surrounded by the paddy fields and fresh air are hard to beat.
Credit: Saheli Bera
This is a destination that attracts huge foreign arrivals every year to this country. Tiger Nest Monastery is perched on a steep mountain cliff, where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. This place has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. For professional or regular hikers this may feel like a moderate hiking. But for common tourists like me, it is an extremely difficult, six hours, non-stop hiking trail and is not possible to go for, if you don't adhere to minimum fitness level. Though it is claimed by local guides that it takes around six hours to finish this hike, but for laymen it wouldn't take less than seven hours. In my next blog, I would share my experience, how I finished this hike with mental determination. Yes, you heard it right. Like any other hike, your inner strength and determination would take you to the highest point, the sacred monastery. I would also come up with the Do's and Dont's on Paro Takstang's hike.
Credit: Saheli Bera
This is the highest motor able pass in Bhutan and one has to drive up round the Paro valley through dense spruce and larch forest to reach Chele La. As I visited Bhutan in spring, this uphill journey was flanked by thick masses of white Rhododendrons on both sides. Horses were grazing in the pasturelands. The view at the summit were just breathtaking and worth the effort to travel from Paro. In Autumn season, if you go there on a clear day, you can get spectacular views of Mt. Julmohori and Haa valley to the north west.
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
Credit: Saheli Bera
So this is how this fantasifull, dreamy tour came to its end. As I mentioned time and again in my post, a trip to Bhutan is all about unlocking every bit of our childhood fantasies and imagination. They aren't just our random thought. A thought, an imagination hits our mind because somehow, somewhere it exists in real realm, waiting to be discovered by us.
Thanks for stopping by. If you need any help/suggestion before planning your Bhutan trip please message me. I would try my best to help you. You can directly contact Sonam Dorjx, Contact Number- +97577643229. Sonam is working as a local tourist guide in Bhutan and guided me through out my Bhutan trip.
If you want to see more of the journey of my itchy feet, visit my Instagram Profile at pebble_street.
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