Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked South Asian nation situated between India and China. The landscape ranges from the subtropical plains to the Himalayan heights, an elevation gain of more than 7000 m.

Bhutan is no ordinary place and one of the most isolated countries in the world. This is a country where buying cigarettes is illegal, where the rice is red and where chillies aren’t just a flavor but the entire dish. It’s also a deeply Buddhist land, where men wear a tunic to work, where giant protective penises are painted on the walls of most houses, and where Gross National Happiness is deemed more important than Gross National Product. Tourism in Bhutan is also unique. Visitors famously have to pay a minimum of US$200 per day, making it one of the world’s most expensive countries to visit, but this fee is all-inclusive. What you won’t find in Bhutan is backpacker-style independent travel.

Cradled in the folds of the Himalayas, Bhutan has relied on its geographic isolation to protect itself from outside cultural influences. In this way, Bhutan has successfully preserved many aspects of a culture which dates directly back to the mid-17th century. Bhutanese culture derives from ancient Tibetan culture. Dzongkha and Sharchop, the principal Bhutanese languages, are closely related to Tibetan, and Bhutanese monks read and write the ancient variant of the Tibetan language known as chhokey. Both Tibetans and Bhutanese revere the tantric guru Padmasambhava the founder of Himalayan Buddhism in the 8th century.

Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture (emphasizing corn and rice) and animal husbandry. Small, terraced farms predominate. Forestry, hydroelectricity, cash crops, tourism, and development aid (the latter mostly from India) are also significant. Population estimates range from The capital and largest city is Thimphu, with a population of 80,000 and a metro population of 115,000.

If you do visit Bhutan, you will become one of the few who have experienced the charm and magic of one of the world’s most enigmatic countries – the ‘last Shangri La’. So why spend your money to come here? Because most of all, Bhutan offers an opportunity to peek at another way of living, an alternative vision of what is truly important in life.

You will find our tours to Bhutan in the section TOURS. Alternatively feel free to contact us and we will draw up an itinerary together. 

Nepal is a safe and welcoming country to visit, and tourism supports both the local economy and rebuilding efforts around the country.