Bhutan – Natural Beauty in the Land of the Thunder Dragon
After Nepal and Tibet, the final stop in our Himalayan tour was Bhutan, the tiny kingdom also known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
The adventure started even before we got on the ground. Paro, Bhutan’s only international airport, lies in a deep and narrow valley, surrounded by mountains. The specially trained pilots fly a visual approach, twisting and turning down the valley, nearly scraping their wingtips on the mountainside. They can’t even see the runway until their final turn, just seconds before landing. A very exciting way to begin!
Why Bhutan?
Decades ago, some friends of ours were raving about the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of the people in this little-known country they had visited. With that endorsement, it’s been on our travel bucket list ever since.
Wedged between India and China in the middle of the Himalayas, Bhutan is about as far off the beaten path as you can get. It is the most mountainous country in the world, comprising over 98% of the total area. Over 71% of its area is also covered in forest, which, along with virtually no industrialization, makes Bhutan the world’s only carbon-negative country.
A Simpler Way of Life
Modern day Bhutan consolidated its borders in the mid-1600s and, because of its isolation, has been largely left alone ever since. The country’s total population is only around 750,000, with over half that number involved in agriculture. Until just a few years ago, barter was still widespread and most people had no use for currency. This only changed when people who had been forced to leave the country to find work during the pandemic began returning.
The country only opened to tourism in 1974, but still strictly limits the number of foreign visitors allowed each year. A Tourism Development Fee of $100 per person per day (recently lowered from $200), and mandatory use of a local guide by all visitors, is enough to keep most budget travelers away. The country’s total ban on television and internet was only lifted in 1999, making it about the last place on earth to do so.
As in Tibet, the country is predominantly Buddhist and Buddhism plays a strong role in people’s lives. Roughly 15% of the country’s population are Buddhist monks and nuns. Monasteries and temples are everywhere and, as a tourist, you will visit a lot of them.
A Big City Like No Other
Thimphu is Bhutan’s largest city and its capital. With a population of roughly 150,000, about 1 in 5 Bhutanese live there. Like almost all the towns in Bhutan, It lies in a narrow river valley surrounded by towering mountains. At an altitude of around 8,000′, it is also one of the highest national capitals.
The city has seen very rapid growth since it was designated the capital in 1961. Despite this, there are still no traffic lights in Thimphu (or anywhere else in the country). There is, however, one traffic policeman manning the country’s busiest intersection.
Just this year, construction was completed on a new temple high on a hill above the city, the Buddha Dordenma. This temple now sports the world’s largest sitting buddha statue. The 165′ high, all-gold statue is quite a sight,
What’s Next
We have so many beautiful photos to share that we’ve decided to break up our Bhutan story into three posts. Coming up in part two, we will look at the amazing diversity of Bhutan’s flora and fauna, explore the country’s national pastimes of archery and darts, and visit the country’s best known attraction, the Tiger’s Nest Monastery.
In part three, it’s all about the people. The faces of Bhutan says a lot about their nature, and we have quite a gallery to share.
