Insight Guides Pocket Bhutan

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight Guides
• ISBN:
  9781786717153
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

The extraordinary Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is one of the world's most exciting new travel frontiers, a picture-book-beautiful mountain landscape with a rich Buddhist culture. The only country in the world to measure its success by the principals of Gross National Happiness, Bhutan is a truly unique place. Insight Pocket Guide Bhutan is a brand-new, full-colour travel guide that combines lively text with vivid photography to highlight the best that the country has to offer.

Inside Pocket Guide Bhutan: Where To Go details all the key sights in the country, while handy maps on the cover flaps help you find your way around, and are cross-referenced to the text.

Top 10 Attractions gives a run-down of the best sights to take in on your trip.

Perfect Tour provides an itinerary of the country.

What To Do is a snapshot of ways to spend your spare time, from mountain treks and visiting local festivals to shopping for traditional crafts and textiles.

Essential information on Bhutan's culture, including a brief history of the country.

Eating Out covers the country's best cuisine.

Curated listings of the best hotels and restaurants.

A-Z of all the practical information you'll need.

Where To Go

Bhutan can be divided into three sections, west, centre and east. Most visitors fly into Paro in Western Bhutan and those on a short trip will venture as far as Punakha. Two weeks or so will allow time to explore the central valleys and appreciate the spectacular scenery along the way. The eastern reaches may seem close on the map but bearing in mind the mountain road, the high passes and stunning panorama, the journey requires a leisurely pace to take it all in. The southern lowlands claim a few cities but tourism is still in its infancy here. Of special interest are the wildlife sanctuaries along the Indian border, but be prepared for basic facilities.

Horses at Paro Taktsang

Getty Images

A note on opening times: Bhutan is a fluid kind of place, and where opening days or times are not specified in the text, you can assume that the sights will welcome visitors at any time, unless there’s a ritual going on or the caretaker’s gone out for lunch. Away from major tourist spots, the best thing you can do is to let your guide know what you want to see, and they’ll make the arrangements. Sit back and relax...

Western Bhutan

Home to the only international airport in the country, Western Bhutan is the most visited region in the country and a true microcosm of all the kingdom has to offer. From the religious sites of Paro to remote valleys and from the gentle buzz of modern Thimphu to the historic capital of Punakha and the dramatic Black Mountains, the colour and beauty of this land will leave visitors longing for more. The scenery unfolds in slow motion, forever changing as the road wanders through semi-tropical valleys or climbs to mountain passes with unrivalled views.

Paro Valley

After the dazzling mountain flight from Kathmandu, landing in Paro 1 [map] at 2,250 metres (7,382ft) greets you like a dream, with thickly wooded slopes, rice fields on the valley floor and the distinctive Rinpung Dzong A [map] (daily 9am–5pm) rising on the bank of a tumbling river. Built by the Shabdrung in the 17th century, then restored after a fire which destroyed many treasures, the ‘Fortress on a Heap of Jewels’ is accessed by a traditional wooden bridge, roofed with shingles and garlanded in Buddhist prayer flags. Like every dzong in Bhutan, it is a living place, home to a large monastic community who serve the people through prayers and rituals. The central tower is one of the finest in the kingdom while courtyards, galleries and temples reveal colourful mandalas and paintings such as the Old Man of Long Life or the Four Friends, elephant. monkey, rabbit and bird climbing on each other to reach fruit on a tree.

Etiquette

Visiting a dzong or temple requires appropriate dress, no short skirts or shorts, no vest tops or T-shirts (unless covered), no flip-flops, sandals or headgear. Short-sleeved shirts must have a collar. Remove your shoes before entering a temple and note that photos are not permitted inside.

On the hill above Rinpung Dzong is Ta Dzong B [map] (Sun–Fri 9am–4pm), the circular watchtower housing the National Museum where crafts and ritual objects are displayed alongside jewellery, clothing, thangkas depicting gurus and saints and natural history items. There is a road to the top, but going on foot reveals excellent views of the valley, as well as Ugyen Pelri Palace, built in the early 1900s to resemble the heavenly residence of Guru Rinpoche. The palace is not open to the public, but the nearby row of white chortens is worth a picture. Be sure to walk around in a clockwise direction as according to holy texts, this ensures good karma.

Monks at Rinpung Dzong

Shutterstock

Back in town, it is easy to wander around as Paro feels like a big village, where traditional buildings rise like works of art, willows whisper along the river and in the clear mountain air, prayer wheels tinkle in temples and shrines. Built by a Tibetan abbot, ancestor of the Shabdrung, the town temple, Druk Choeding C [map] houses protective deities and the Buddha of the Future, while Dumtse Lhakhang D [map] was erected by the Iron Bridge Builder has three floors to represent hell, earth and heaven. As elsewhere in Bhutan, temples are not always open but if you look around, you might find a caretaker with a key.

Meanwhile, in the high street, a new crop of handicraft stores awaits visitors but those who venture into the lanes will find old-fashioned shops where chillies hang from the eaves and incense burners release their fragrance in the air. But for a genuine taste of Bhutanese life, nothing beats the Sunday market where farmers greet would-be customers with beaming smiles, stained red by years of betel nut chewing, and entice them with tempting – at times intriguing – seasonal produce from curly ferns to aphrodisiac mushrooms.

Tiger’s Lair monastery

iStock

Upriver, a short distance out of Paro, Kyichu Lhakhang E [map] has been rebuilt and extended over time, most recently with a temple sponsored by the Royal Grandmother. It contains a 5 metre (16ft) -high statue of Guru Rinpoche and iron links forged by Thangtong Gyalpo. In the main sanctuary are statues of the Tibetan king who built the original temple in 659 AD and – most precious of all – of Jowo Sakyamuni, the young Buddha, similar to the famous statue in Lhasa. Fourteen kilometres (8.6 miles) from Paro, the road ends at Drukgyel Dzong F [map], little more than a ruin perched on a rock now, but in the17th century it was strong enough to keep the Tibetans at bay. Restoration is underway, scheduled to take until 2020, and in the meantime only the dusty courtyard is open. Nearby is a small settlement of wooden houses where, on the edge of the terraced fields, women wash their clothes at the pump and roast barley on an open fire. In this tranquil valley sprinkled with isolated farms, time seems to stand still, a world away from the town and its airport.

Yet just off the road is Taktsang G [map], the Tiger’s Lair monastery (daily 8am–1pm, 2–5pm) and Bhutan’s best known icon. Named after Guru Rinpoche and his flying tigress, it defies imagination, even from a distance, clinging to the cliff face 800 metres (2,624ft) above the valley floor. It’s awesome, mesmerising, but visitors who don’t feel up to the climb can hire a pony to the panoramic half-way point. Should you decide to walk, allow at least half a day to make the most of the experience, climbing amidst blue pines and rhododendrons, stopping for refreshments or a hot meal at the viewpoint, then following the trail above the tree line in the footsteps of holy men. The final stretch involves a long flight of steps down to a waterfall that plunges into the chasm then up to the entrance gate on the other side. Leave cameras and bags in the lockers provided and be aware that you will need to remove your shoes several times. There is not much room on the ledge, but vertigo-sufferers can soon escape into a maze of temples swirling with gilded statues and multicoloured paintings. Pilgrims or tourists, no one can ignore the vibes, especially when the deep chanting of monks echoes around the walls.

West of town near the airport, a road climbs though a forest of spruce and larch to Cheli La 2 [map], at 3,810 metres (12,500ft), the highest road pass in the country. Up there above the trees, tall prayer flags flutter in the breeze and in clear weather the view extends to Jomolhari, the second highest mountain, and other snow-capped peaks close to the Tibetan border. On one side is the Paro Valley, on the other the Haa Valley 3 [map], beautiful and remote and the second-least pop...