PLAN YOUR TRIP

20 Top Experiences ....... 4Welcome to Bhutan ....... 13Need to Know ................. 14If You Like... ..................... 16Month by Month ............. 19Itineraries ........................ 22Booking Your Trip ........... 26Planning Your Trek ......... 31Regions at a Glance ....... 40

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions

to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND BHUTAN

Bhutan Today ................. 180History ............................. 183The Bhutanese Way of Life ....................... 206Buddhism in Bhutan ...... 215Traditional Arts............... 226Architecture .................... 233Mountains & Valleys ...... 241Wildlife & Sanctuaries ... 246

50 would be Bhote35 would be Nepalese15 would be tribal

15-bhutan-today-bhu4.indd 181 3/11/2010 3:09:27 PM

Bhutanese Bu hisof forms. He is the gtvas and the speciain a lotus position,prayer. He also acircle, also known a

Jampelyang (M The ‘princely lord oedge – carries a swignorance. He is thyellow.

Chana Dorje (V ‘Thunderbolt in han

Jampelyang

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Tiger’s Nest

1 Taktshang Goemba, or Tiger’s Nest, is Bhutan’s most famous monastery and one of its most venerated religious sites. Legend says that Guru Rinpoche ew to this site on the back of a

tigress to subdue a local demon; afterwards, he meditated here for three months. This beautiful building clings to the sheer cli s soaring above a whispering pine forest. The steep walk to the monastery is well worthwhile, providing tantalising glimpses of the monastery, views of the Paro valley and splashes of red-blossom rhododendrons.

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4 20 TOP EXPERIENCES

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

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179GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so you

can make sense of what you see

Thimphu Shopping Museums Modern Bhutan

Shopping It’s not just that Thimphu has the best handicraft shops in the country (it does), it’s also the best place to actually see the products being made, from tradition-al paper and incense fac-tories to local silversmiths and weaving workshops.

Museums The best general museums are not in Thimphu (try Paro and Trongsa for that) but for specialised interests such as Bhutanese medicine, traditional country life and the country’s rich textile tra-dition, this is the place.

Modern Bhutan There’s nowhere better than the capital for the daily cul-tural collisions that sum up Bhutan’s inherent quirki-ness. Monks with mobiles and lamas with laptops are a daily sight here and this is also the place to hit the town with trendy, hoodied Bhutanese clubbers.

p 44

regions at a glance

Which region of Bhutan you decide to visit will most likely depend on how much time you can afford to spend here. The vast majority of visitors quite naturally focus on the west and Thimphu. With its excellent tourist infrastructure, fantastic sights and spectacular festivals, it allows you to see the most of Bhutan in the shortest amount of time.

Central Bhutan on the other hand sees fewer tourists and is a quieter, dreamier collection of alpine valleys and important monasteries. The winding roads east are for adventurers, weaving researchers and yeti hunters. It offers warmer, wetter and wilder climes, tougher travel and, some would say, the ‘real’ Bhutan, untouched by group tourism or even much of the modern age.

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PLAN YO

UR TRIP IF YOU

LIKE

Wildlife & Wild owers Bhutan is a paradise for botanists and birders, with some of the loveliest and best-protected forests in the Himalaya. Mountain goats and langur are easily spot-ted; Red Pandas are more commonly seen in their bottled form. Phobjikha valley Winter (end of October to mid-February) o ers guaranteed sightings of one of over 300 black-necked cranes (p 101 )

Dochu La One of the best places to wander through a magical forest of pink, white and yellow rhododendron blooms (March and April; p 89 )

Motithang Takin Preserve, Thimphu Get up close to Bhutan’s odd-looking and endearing national animal, said to have inspired the legend of the golden eece (p 53 )

Merak & Sakten Yeti-spotting is just one of the activities on o er in this fascinating and newly opened corner of remote eastern Bhutan (p 140 and p 177 )

Day Walks Sometimes it’s just nice to get out, o the bus and hike to a hillside monastery or temple. Lose the crowds and meet monks, villagers and fellow pilgrims. Tango & Cheri Goembas Excel-lent excursion from Thimphu to two of Bhutan’s most historic monasteries, with longer hikes possible (p 66 )

Taktshang, Paro Valley If the two-hour hike up to the Tiger’s Nest isn’t enough, you can continue up to a handful of little-visited temples and cli side viewpoints (p 82 )

Thowadrak A full day’s hike up to a remote hermitage and meditation complex (p 125 )

Sacred Sites Protector deities, spirits and saints lurk behind every pass, river junction and lake in Bhutan. These pilgrim spots are imbued with sa-cred signi cance and hold a key to understanding how Bhutanese see their world. Taktshang (Tiger’s Nest) Bhutan’s most famous and revered site, tied on to the cli face by little more than the hairs of angels (p 82 )

Gom Kora Pilgrims ock to this remote eastern chorten for its collection of rock footprints, rel-ics and bizarre sin tests (p 141 )

Changangkha Lhakhang, Thimphu Always bustling with mothers and their babies seeking a blessing from the red-faced protector Tamdrin (p 53 )

Membartsho The serene and sacred ‘burning lake’, where Pema Lingpa found treasures and performed miracles (p 124 )

» Local men dressed in traditional ghos (p62)

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early tourists made photo-graphs of religious statues into postcards that were then sold, which is unac-ceptable to the Bhutanese religious community.

During festivals you can photograph from the dzong courtyard where the dances take place. Remember, how-ever, that this is a religious observance and that you should behave accordingly – use a telephoto lens without a ash. Don’t intrude on the dance ground or on the space occupied by local people seated at the edge of the dance area and if you do end up in the front row, please remain seated. Don’t photograph a member of the royal family, even if you happen to be at a festival or gathering where they are present.

There is an extensive set of rules and restrictions, including payment of ad-ditional royalties, for com-mercial movie making within Bhutan. The TCB publishes a booklet that details all these rules.

Post The mail service from Bhu-tan is reliable, and no special procedures are necessary.

Bhutan Post (www.bhutanpost.com.bt) off ers both outgoing and incoming Ex-pedited Mail Service (EMS), which is a reliable and fast international mail delivery facility that is cheaper than courier services. It also has a Local Urgent Mail (LUM) service for delivery within Thimphu.

If you have made a pur-chase and want to send it home, it’s easiest to have the shop make arrangements for you. Keep the receipt and let your guide know what you are doing so they can follow up in case the package does not arrive. Send all parcels by air; sea mail, via Kolkata, takes months.

DHL (see p 64 ) has an offi ce in Thimphu. A 500g package of documents costs US$58 to the USA and UK or US$54 to Australia. A 1kg is package is US$85, or US$64 to Australia. There are several smaller courier companies that specialise in service to India.

Postal Rates Airmail letter rates Let-ters up to 20g cost Nu 10 domestic, Nu 15 for Nepal, India and Bangladesh, Nu 20 most foreign countries EMS Rates 500g docu-ments cost Nu 250/700 to India/China, and Nu 820/1215 to Australia/UK

Public Holidays Public holidays follow both the Gregorian and lunar cal-endars and are decided by the Royal Civil Service Com-mission (www.rcsc.gov.bt). Birthday of Fifth King Feb 21, 22 & 23 Birthday of Third King 2 May Coronation of Fourth King 2 June, also marked as ‘Social Forest Day’ Coronation of Druk Gyalpo 1 November Coronation of Fifth King 6 Nov Constitution Day/Fourth King’s Birthday 11 November National Day 17 December, the date of the establishment of the monarchy in 1907

The following holidays are set by the traditional lunar calendar and so vary in Gre-gorian dates: Zhabdrung Kuchoe April/May (Death of Zhabdrung) Losar January/February, New Year Dashain October, Hindu celebration Birthday of Guru Rinpoche June/July Buddha Paranirvana/Saga Dawa May/June

(enlightenment and death of Buddha) First sermon of Buddha July Several major festivals are considered local public holi-days including September’s Thimphu drubchen and tsechu. Note that dates for festivals can vary by several weeks each year especially if they are adjusted to conform to auspicious dates. Before you schedule a trip around a speci c festival, check with a tour operator or the Tourism Council of Bhutan (www.tourism.gov.bt) for the cor-rect dates. For a summary of major festivals held in Bhu-tan see p 19 .

In the Bhutanese lunar system, months have 30 days, with the full moon on the 15th. The 8th, 15th and 30th days of the month are auspicious and you’ll notice increased activity and prayers in monasteries across the country.

Safe Travel Bhutan is a remarkably safe destination, almost com-pletely devoid of the scams, begging and theft that af-fects its neighbours. There are couple of things to look out for though. Altitude It’s unlikely you will have any problems with altitude unless you are trekking. Most of the places tourists visit lie below 3000m and the maximum elevation you can reach by road is around 3800m. If

FESTIVAL DATES Bhutan’s festival dates are xed according to the lunar calendar and so the Western date varies every year. Check www.tourism.gov.bt for the latest dates.

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Top Experiences ›

itiner-aries

Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet .com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.

Four Days a long Weekend in paro & thimphu

If you have limited time or money, you can get a good impression of Bhutan in just four days by concentrating on Thimphu and Paro. Count on two full days in pictur-

esque paro, visiting Paro Dzong and the National Museum. On the second day, hike up to the dramatic Tiger’s Nest at taktshang Goemba and visit lovely Kyichu Lhakhang. After lunch make the three-hour drive to Thimphu, stopping at the charming tamch-hog lhakhang en route.

On day three you could squeeze in a long day trip over the Dochu La to punakha dzong, the most beautiful in the country. In March, budget an hour to walk through the gorgeous rhododendron forests above the dochu la pass. On the way back to Thimphu, pop into the nearby chimi lhakhang, the temple of the ‘Divine Madman’.

Day four is in thimphu. Go to the weekend market and visit cheri or tango Goembas in the upper Thimphu valley. If handicrafts are your thing, hit the Textile Museum and National Institute of Zorig Chusum. Late in the afternoon drive back to Paro; most flights depart early in the morning.

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Seven Dayshaa to punakha

If you’re thinking about a four-day trip, consider a seven-day trip. It’s not that much more money and, really, when are you next going to be in Bhutan? A week gives

you more time to get a feel for Bhutanese culture and enables you to get off the beaten track in either the Haa or Phobjikha valleys, while still seeing the major dzongs and monasteries of western Bhutan.

With the extra days you can definitely add an overnight trip over the mountains to punakha and nearby Wangdue phodrang, staying in either of these towns. This way you’ll have time to make the 1½-hour return hike to the nearby Khamsum Yuelley namgyal chorten, as well as visit Chimi Lhakhang.

To get off the beaten track, add on an overnight trip to the haa valley, on the road that links Paro to Thimphu. The road goes over the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, the Cheli La, and it’s worth the couple of hours hiking to visit Kila Nunnery. Arrive in Haa at lunchtime, and spend an afternoon and maybe the next morning exploring the Juneydrak Hermitage and chhundu lhakhang, before continuing on to thimphu.

Figure on two full days in paro, including visits to Taktshang Goemba, Kyichu Lhakhang and Drukyel Dzong in the Paro valley, and a full day (or two) in Thimphu. See the previous itinerary for more on what to see in Paro and Thimphu. A few tips: try to be in Thimphu on a Saturday or Sunday to see the weekend market and avoid Paro on Monday, when the National Museum is closed. If you’re lucky, you may be able to catch a weekend archery tournament, most likely in Thimphu.

If you don’t visit Haa, you might be able to add on a day trip to the phobjikha val-ley, especially worthwhile in winter (November to February) when the valley’s black-necked cranes are roosting.

At some point during your trip ask your guide to arrange a Bhutanese hot-stone bath, available in most tourist hotels (for a charge).

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10 Days to Two Weeks to Bumthang

A 10-day itinerary should allow you two or three days in Bumthang, with overnight stops in Paro, Thimphu and Wangdue Phodrang and short stops in Punakha and

Trongsa as you drive through. Even better, 14 days will let you see the same places in more depth and at a much more relaxed pace. You could then also include the two-day Bumthang Cultural Trek before you have to turn back to Paro.

Follow the previous four-day itinerary. From Thimphu, a night in the phobjikha valley will give you a chance to see Gangte Goemba and also view the rare and en-dangered black-necked cranes. If you like to explore places on foot, set aside an extra half-day’s hiking in Phobjikha.

From Phobjikha it’s a day’s drive over the Pele La to the superb dzong and museum at trongsa and on to Jakar in Bumthang. Leave early, as there’s lots to see en route, including the Nepali-style chendebji chorten, which is a good place for a picnic.

If you have two full days in Bumthang, spend one day doing a loop in the chokhor valley, taking in the Jampey Lhakhang, Kurjey Lhakhang and Tamshing Goemba. Day two here should be spent exploring the tang valley, visiting the Burning Lake at Membartsho and the interesting Ogyen Chholing Museum near Mesithang. If you have time, overnight in the Ogyen Chholing Guest House and hike back via the rural village of Gamling.

The Bumthang valley is another good place for some hiking so budget half a day to stretch your legs after a week’s driving. From Jakar it’s a two-day drive back to Paro, so spend a night at Wangdue phodrang and visit its earthy dzong.

If you intend to visit India in conjunction with Bhutan, consider driving from Thim-phu or Paro to phuentsholing instead of flying, which will add a day to the itinerary. From here you are only a few hours from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim, as well as the airport at Bagdogra, which has frequent flights to Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta).

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Two to Three Weekseastern explorations

It takes at least two weeks to make a trip out to the little-visited far east but you’re guaranteed to leave the tour groups behind. There’s certainly a loooot of driving in-

volved (up to five hours a day in eastern Bhutan) but then getting there is half the fun! With this itinerary you avoid the long drive back to Paro by exiting Bhutan at Samdrup Jongkhar. You do need to arrange an Indian visa before you arrive in Bhutan though. This is a particularly good trip if you’re interested in traditional weaving.

Follow the earlier itineraries from Paro as far as Bumthang, from where you can see the highlights of the east in five or six days. From Bumthang, day one takes you on a dramatic drive over the thrumshing la and Bhutan’s wildest road to Mongar. Stay here for two nights and make a scenic day trip up to remote lhuentse, pausing to visit the dzong, and hike 45 minutes up to the traditional weaving village of Khoma.

Day three takes you on to funky trashigang, with a two-or three-hour detour along the way to drametse Goemba, Bhutan’s most important Nyingma monastery. Accom-modation standards here are not as good as western Bhutan so bring a sense of humour as well as bug spray.

Figure on two nights at Trashigang, with another great day excursion to trashi Yangtse, with stops en route at the pilgrimage site of Gom Kora, the old Trashi Yang-tse dzong and the Nepali-style Chorten Kora. March and April bring two important pilgrimage festivals to this region. The National Institute for Zorig Chusum is worth a visit to see Bhutan’s national crafts, if you haven’t seen the Thimphu version.

From Trashigang it’s a six-hour winding drive down to the plains at steamy Sam-drup Jongkhar; stop to check out the traditional weaving at the National Handloom Development Centre in Khaling. From Samdrup Jongkhar, take a three-hour taxi ride to Guwahati then fly to Kolkata, Delhi or Bangkok, or take the overnight train to West Bengal for Darjeeling and the Nepal border.

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2 5

Our StOrYa beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. in 1972 that’s all tony and maureen wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across europe and asia overland to australia. it took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. lonely planet was born.

today, lonely planet has offices in melbourne, london and oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. we share tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

bradley Mayhewcoordinating author, thimphu, western Bhutan a self-professed mountain junkie, Bradley has been trekking in the Himalaya for over 15 years now, spend-ing extended periods of time in nepal, Bhutan, ladakh and tibet. after crossing Bhutan from west to east for the last edition of this guide, Bradley concentrated on the west for this edition, exploring such lesser-visited destinations as the hike to Kila nunnery and little-visited dzongdrakha goemba, as well as walking the

druk path trek. Bradley is the coauthor of the lonely planet guides Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Trek-king in the Nepal Himalaya, as well as a dozen other titles. He was recently the subject of an arte documentary retracing the route of marco polo. find him at www.bradleymayhew.blogspot.com. Bradley also wrote most plan Your trip chapters, the druk path trek, directory and transport.

Lindsay browncentral Bhutan, eastern Bhutan summer in central Bhutan is surprisingly pleas-ant and relaxed with ample opportunity for interacting with the locals, observ-ing traditional agriculture and tasting the produce. while tackling the roads of eastern Bhutan in summer has its challenges, the raging waterfalls, spectacular birdlife and the intense and varied shades of green make for an amazing adven-ture. a former conservation biologist and publishing manager at lonely planet,

lindsay has trekked, jeeped, ridden and stumbled across many a mountain pass and contributed to lonely planet’s South india, india, Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra, Nepal and Pakistan & the Karako-ram Highway guides, among others. Bradley also wrote top 20 experiences, welcome to Bhutan, understand chapters and Health.

anirban Mahapatratreks ever since he enrolled in a darjeeling school at the age of eight, anirban has conducted numerous sorties along the Himalaya from Bhutan to Kashmir, trekking down mountain paths, sipping on chhang (beer) and meditating in atmospheric Buddhist monasteries. a journalist and travel writer, anirban has extensively researched Bhutanese culture and society, all the while acquiring a taste for the fiery ema datse (chillies). the vertigo-inducing road journey from

phuentsholing to thimphu remains one of his all-time favourite Himalaya experiences (despite missing a bottomless gorge by a whisker this time around). a lonely planet author since 2007, anirban lives in Kolkata and delhi. anirban also wrote planning Your trek and part of the western Bhutan chapter.

read more about Bradley at: lonelyplanet.com/members/nepalibrad

read more about anirban at: lonelyplanet.com/members/anirbanmahapatra

Our WriterS

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