Land of the Thunder Dragon, Bhutan

Land of the Thunder Dragon

Bhutan, this tiny country located in the Himalaya mountains, has just recently opened its doors to tourism.  As of 1974 Bhutan began to allow tourists to enter.  It wasn’t until more recently when tourism really began to boom here, and tourism has now become a leading source of revenue for this country.

 

This is the flag of Bhutan country.

Bhutan believes in offering high-quality tourism.  A hefty $250 daily tariff is charged per person to visit this country.  It sounds expensive, and it is on the high side, but it includes accommodations in three star hotels, a tour guide, transportation, all meals, and most activities.  What this fee does not include are flights and other transportation into or out of Bhutan, and anything extra, such as snacks, alcoholic beverages, and certain activities.  You are able to travel in small groups and make your own itinerary.  You are not forced onto gigantic tour buses for sightseeing with twenty-five other people.

So, if you multiply the $250 tariff by four (for our family), $1000 is quite an expensive fee.  Fortunately for us, children under the age of 12 are half price.  Our daily fee of $750 is crushing our daily budget expenditure!!!  But I had read that Bhutan is amazing, we were already so close to it, just having been in Nepal, so we scheduled a week in Bhutan, hoping it would live up to our expectations.  Our week has just ended and I can tell you that Bhutan is incredible.  This has been one of the best weeks of our trip so far…and that is saying a lot!

Thimpu, Bhutan

We first toured the capital city of Thimpu.  We visited a zoo where we saw the Takin, Bhutan’s national animal, as well as a school where students were learning crafts such as woodworking, painting, weaving, and embroidery.  One of the highlights for us was touring the Trashi Chhoe Dzong.  A dzong is a fortress with both religious and political purposes.  These are large, impressive buildings built over 400 years ago and still in use today.  We loved seeing the architecture and the buddhist monks walking through the courtyards.  That’s not something you see everyday in the US!

The Drive from Thimpu to Punakha

Once finished in Thimpu, it was time to move on and see more of Bhutan.  From Thimpu it was a four hour drive on roads currently under construction.  Bhutan is rapidly expanding their infrastructure to handle the influx of tourists.  Narrow, winding roads are being widened to be able to handle the increase in car travel.  For us, that meant driving on kilometers of torn up, narrow, potholed roads on the side of the mountains

Trekking to the Tiger’s Nest

Our grand finale in Bhutan ended with a hike up the the Tiger’s Nest Monastery.  This monastery is the most famous sight in Bhutan and a trip here would not be complete without a visit to this monastery.  The Tiger’s Nest is perched on a rocky cliff high up off the valley floor.  It can only be reached by hiking, so we were all for it.