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Tiger’s Nest Monastery is Bhutan’s most famous landmark, perched on a sheer cliff 900m above Paro Valley. It is the main reason many tourists choose to visit Bhutan and is the iconic image used in pretty much all the country’s advertising. We left the hotel before dawn, with the aim to start making our way…
Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world that is a net carbon sink, meaning that it absorbs more CO2 than it emits. This is largely thanks to its extensive forest cover of ~70% of the country. And nearly all of Bhutan’s electricity is generated by hydropower which is a low-carbon energy source.…
Bhutan sits on the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) where the India and Eurasia plates collide (same as Nepal). This plate-boundary fault system is capable of very large earthquakes of Mw 8+. However the seismic hazard is not uniform across Bhutan. The southern part of Bhutan, nearer the Himalayan front has the highest earthquake hazard because…
Bhutan recognises thirteen traditional arts and crafts, known collectively as Zorig Chusum. They form the foundation of Bhutanese material culture and aesthetic tradition, blending spiritual symbolism with practical purpose. We visited the Institute of Zorig Chusum in Thimphu where these arts and crafts are still taught and had the chance to walk around the classrooms…
The word dzong means fortress in Bhutan’s national language, Dzongka. Most dzongs were founded in the 17th century during Bhutan’s unification under Ngawang Namgyal, who built or rebuilt many of them to consolidate power and defend against Tibetan invasions. Every district in Bhutan has at least one major dzong that houses both the secular administrative…
Bhutan is famously known for not introducing television until 1999, the last country in the world. In fact, tv and internet arrived all at once in 1999, after decades of waiting so that it could be introduced after building the cultural and institutional foundations first. Bhutan has modernized step-by-step. First roads, then schools, then electricity.…
Phobjikha Valley is absolutely stunning and worthwhile the 3+ hour drive from Punakha. It sits on the western edge of the Black Mountains, about 135km from Thimphu and is famed for being the winter home of the endangered black-necked crane. Unlike most of Bhutan’s valleys it is broad and u-shaped, carved by ancient glaciers rather…
The flag of Bhutan symbolises the country’s deep Buddhist heritage, its monarchy and its connection between spiritual and secular power. The upper triangle is golden yellow and represents the power and secular authority of the King. The lower triangle is orange, symbolizing Buddhism, particularly Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions, which are dominant in Bhutan. At…
Bhutan’s pre-7th century history is not very well-documented and no written records survive. The area that would become Bhutan was a mosaic of isolated highland valleys inhabited by small communities practicing animist (Bon) and shamanic religions, and worshipped mountain, river and forest deities. These communities were part of the broader Tibeto-Burman cultural sphere that extended…
Bhutan’s Gross Happiness Index is one of the most distinctive national development frameworks in the world. Gross National Happiness (GNH) is Bhutan’s alternative to conventional economic measures like GDP. It aims to measure the holistic well-being and happiness of the population, combining economic progress with cultural, spiritual, environmental and social health. The concept was introduced…
As we departed Thimphu we briefly stopped in at a paper factory on the outskirts of the city. Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory is a small workshop where you can see the traditional craft of making paper from the bark of the Daphne tree. This is officially one of Bhutan’s thirteen traditional arts. Handmade paper, known…
Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and is located in a high-altitude valley in western Bhutan along the Wang Chhu river, surrounded by pine and oak-covered hills. The valley was inhabited for centuries by farming and herding communities with scattered hamlets and monasteries. The valley has a mild climate and fertile terraces making it suitable…
So my time in Nepal has come to an end and I am heading to Bhutan. The flight time from Kathmandu to Paro, in Bhutan, is about 1 hour and you get a fantastic view of Everest on the left-hand side of the plane as you head out of Nepal. The countries do not share…
I’m back in China and have a 6-week trip planned that will start and end in Beijing. First up I am going to head to Shanxi Province, west of Beijing, for 4 days, to visit the ancient cities of Datong and Pingyao. I will then join a small group tour heading to Tibet for 2…
Colette's Grand Detour 