I first heard about the magical kingdom of Bhutan 15 years ago. I heard that it was a country like no other, with one of the world’s highest Gross National Happiness Index’s (measure of the overall wellbeing of its people). I heard about the Tiger’s Nest, a Buddhist monastery perched breathtakingly on the edge of a mountain, that you could trek to, about its magnificent forts, the alpine meadows in the north and sub tropical rainforests in the south, it’s many ornate, Buddhist temples, hiking and nature trails through lush, Pine-laden valleys, fishing in its lakes, (bears, black-necked cranes and leopards are all native to the land) and its people - friendly and welcoming. I filed it in my ‘bucket list’, intending to visit one day. This year I finally made it there. It didn’t disappoint.
Known as the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’, Bhutan is a landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas, bordering China and India. It’s small with only 700,000 inhabitants. If you haven’t heard of it you’re not alone - only a small percentage of its tourism comes from the U.K and West and the Bhutanese don’t tend to travel extensively outside, due to visa restrictions. But its reputation among travellers looking for something unique is growing; Emma Stone, Prince William and Kate, Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend have all visited in recent years. But it remains one of the world’s hidden travel gems and I’m here to tell you it’s one of the most beautiful and inspiring countries I’ve ever travelled to, especially if you enjoy off-the-beaten track experiences. Here’s everything you need to know:
National Dress is compulsory for some - and is even worn in Bhutanese pop videos
Bhutanese traditional dress is compulsory for locals when they work and go to the temple, teenagers even wear it in pop videos - our guide wears hers when we go hiking. For men, the traditional attire is the Gho, a knee-length robe that ties at the waist with a belt called a “kera”. The women wear a long ankle-length wrap dress fastened with a belt and a short jacket called a Toego. Weaving is a national art and different areas of Bhutan have their own weaving traditions. We visited the Textile Museum in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, where you can experience the colourful, intricate materials and outfits first hand and learn about the history of this tradition, which is such a source of national pride and identity, that embroidery and appliqué were part of a men’s education until only recently.
Bhutan has one of the biggest sitting Buddha statues in the world
It’s a Buddhist country, so of course Bhutan has many Bhuddhas, but the Buddha Dordenma, located in the hills overlooking Thimphu, is one of the biggest sitting Buddhas in the world and a truly instagrammable moment, a must for anyone wanting to appreciate the country’s spiritual ambience and rich cultural heritage. Standing at 51.5m tall and made of bronze and gilded in shimmering gold, it looms large on the landscape and feels like a deity watching over its people. And inside the statue there are over 100,000 smaller Buddha statues. People come from all over Bhutan to offer sacrifices and to walk round the Buddha; many walking around 108 times as it’s considered a lucky number. Others make a pilgrimage here and live in a tent in front for six months and refrain from eating meat in the time they are here. We did yoga outside, in the shadow of the Buddha, although yoga isn’t as prevalent in Bhutan as it is in India, it was an experience to remember!
Bhutan has a fort that was believed to have built in the vision of Paradise
There are forts, and then there’s the Punakha Dzong (“the palace of great happiness or bliss”) in Punakha. Fortresses, or Dzongs, are a distinctive feature of the Bhutanese landscape. They were mainly built in the 17th century, their locations were chosen by visions and omens and often situated on hilltops or meeting points of rivers to provide protection from invading Tibetans or attackers from coming through the Himalayas. Over time they have come to be used for both administrative and religious purposes, and are visible all over the country as you drive around.
The architecture of the Punakha Fort is beautiful, with gold encrusted dragons hanging from the architraves. It’s believed that when Zhabdrung Rinpoche ‘The Father of Bhutan’, a Tibetan lama of royal birth who came to Bhutan in the 17th century decided to build the fortress, he took a painter to paradise with him in his sleep and told him to build it in the vision of paradise.
It’s also where the 5th king got married (Bhutan has been a democracy since 2007 and loves its monarchy) and has an incredible view across Bhutan. The fort also has a few enormous bat-shaped bee hives hanging down from its entrance, in keeping with the Buddhist beliefs that animals and humans all belong to the land, they remain untouched. ‘We don’t bother the bees, the bees don’t bother us,’ my guide explains.
Unlike most other tourist places around the world, you won’t see any hawkers outside spots like this, as it’s illegal and it gives all the sites we visit - even the most touristic places, a calm and authentic atmosphere.
A 15-minute walk from the fort, we visited another interesting site, Bhutan’s largest and longest 180m suspension bridge. Originally built in the 17th century and then renovated multiple times, it’s covered in prayer flags and connects two villages which sit on the opposite sides of the Pho Chu river. Without it, it would take an hour to drive from one side to the other.
You can sleep in a Bhutanese family’s house
Our favourite experience of the trip was a ‘home stay’ - a night living in a Bhutanese home with a local family and their other guests.
Based in Gangtey in the Phobjikha Valley based in the centre of Bhutan, with only a small village nearby, we stay in a home with seven bedrooms, surrounded by valleys and cows. We are welcomed by the hostess, a woman in her 50s, who stands under the hand-painted picture of a huge penis wrapped in a ribbon, including secretions, placed above her doorway. Painting phalluses on homes is a Bhutanese tradition, even on governmental buildings - it’s believed the image brings good energy into your home (literally, big dick energy!!!). Though the Bhutanese are culturally reserved: they don’t refer to the phalluses or even joke about them and don’t actually talk openly about sex.
Our bedroom has two mattresses on the floor and ornate, traditional colourful paintings on the walls, and is set around the main living area, which has dark, shiny panelled wooden floors and seating around the side. Our hostess cooks us home-made Bhutanese food - chili and potatoes soaked in melted cheese (which we have almost every meal!), red rice and sauteed vegetables and stews. The other guests have meat stew. Our driver and guide stay in the house too.
We drink home-made Arak, a clear, alcoholic drink made from grapes and aniseed, that quickly heats your chest like an internal water bottle and promptly breaks down barriers between the guests, thanks to its high alcohol content. We meet the hostess’s brother and his family, who are also staying the night - he is a senior guard at the fourth King’s palace, his wife is a teacher, they all speak perfect English, especially the children, who are obsessed with Tiktok. They have brought their children to visit the countryside to remind them ‘where they come from’ and to experience running around freely. They ask us if it’s true that English people kick their children out, age 18 and aren’t close to their families? We assure them English people do care deeply about our children, even though we may not want them living at home until they’re 40 - though with the current cost of living crisis, there may be no other option!
The Bhutanese are extremely close knit, young and old live together in many cases and the elderly are revered and cared for by their children.
We all share a bathroom, which could be awkward, but it isn’t, because everyone is so respectful of each other’s space - the three toilets also turn into shower rooms.
However, the walls in the home are thin and the man in the room next to me, a government official, snores so loudly, we may as well have shared a bed. I wake to his dulcet nasal drilling, and the family’s cows mooing outside my window and with a splitting headache from the Arak. My hair smells of turps from the homemade fire. For breakfast, we drink black tea and eat homemade chopped tofu, with chili and salt, on toast and leave early for a trek in the Phobjikha valley, where we walked to the Gangtey Monastery. Passing villages, and the cows which roam freely on the roads throughout the country as do stray dogs. Vehicles are well versed in driving around them.
The homestay was one of the most unforgettable parts of our trip - a privilege to be allowed to see inside this wonderful family life and to taste their homemade food. And also, to discover that in Bhutan, the wealth of the family inheritance goes to the daughters - the man goes into the house of the woman not the other way round, as women are considered the homemakers so it’s believed they need the security and the support of their own home. So by staying in a homestay you are often supporting the women of the family.
The Bhutanese are obsessed with their king
The Bhutanese love their king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, more passionately than any country I’ve been to. He is the fifth generation of the Bhutanese royal family and approachable, our guide tells me. If someone has a problem and can’t get it fixed via local government, they’ll stop the king’s car and tell him. Many people have met him, many of the restaurants and hotels we visit have either been visited by him or are owned by a member of his family. Interestingly he lives in a normal house, not an ornate palace and was a guest at Meghan and Harry’s wedding.
The Tiger’s Nest is one of the most incredible travel experiences you’ll ever have.
We saved the best for our second to last day of the trip - the three hour up (and two hours down) steep, snakey Pine-tree laden pathways and over 750 steps to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. Set 3120m above sea level, the views are breathtaking. It’s where a highly revered buddhist master is believed to have flown from Tibet on the back of a tigress in the 8th Century and taken refuge on this rock at the side of the mountain where the Monastery now sits. With no access to a flying animal, we did it the old fashioned way and trekked. (So thankful for my Couch25k training!!), because it’s both mentally and physically hard, not helped by the high altitude which made us feel more breathless (take Vix with you to rub on your chest, it really helps.) But quite frankly it was worth every bit of gasping and pain to visit the nine colourful temples, to watch the monks at work and to get up close and personal with the most extraordinarily beautiful and intricate statues of Buddha and other deities. It’s a bucket-list moment. In terms of life’s adventures not many will match it!
Where to stay in Bhutan
Homestays aside, Bhutan has many luxury hotels, many locally owned. In recent years it’s attracted a slew of international hotel brands from the Six Senses, to Aman and Como. It also offers many three and four star properties for those wanting to travel on more of a budget. Though to be clear, Bhutan is not a budget backpackers’ destination in the way Thailand and India can be - all visitors are obligated to pay a 100 USD per person per day sustainable development fee, and to book both a local driver and a tour guide before entering the country (our tour guide was one of the highlights of our trip, because she shared her authentic insights and knowledge of the country) and it’s polite to tip at the end of your stay (the equivalent of around £10 a day is advised).
We stayed in the Bhutanese-owned Punakha Hotel, with the most incredible fortress-style architecture, inspired by the monasteries in the North. We loved eating in its restaurant where we tried Peach wine for the first time, one of Bhutan’s biggest exports.
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The hotel brand is opening 5 hotels in Bhutan so watch this space.
We also stayed at the COMO Uma Paro, which, as expected, offers chic minimalism and the pared back luxury of all Como hotels. With only nine bedrooms, a spa and two restaurants, it has one focus - the breathtaking wall to wall views of the Punhakha Valley. The restaurants served a mixture of traditional Bhutanese and western burgers which we were thankful for after days of eating chili cheese! We loved the spa, especially the hot stone bath filled with Atimishia (also known as Wormwoood) a locally grown herb, found on the grounds of the property that’s said to be good for colds and UTIs. Water is heated up by hot stones which are taken from the local river and have healing properties.
If you prefer a more traditional Bhutanese hotel experience mixed with a grand opulence, a 10-minute-drive-away is the Bhutanese- owned Pemako Punakha hotel. Set on 100 acres of forested land, set by the side of the river are 21 luxurious Bhutanese-style tented villas, each with its own private swimming pool. The teak-wood corridors, and traditional Bhutanese interiors, designed by Bill Bensley are truly something to behold.
In Thimphu, I stayed at Pemako Thimphu, where rates start from $1020USD in the high season (March – May and September – November) and are inclusive of accommodation, breakfast, and all taxes.
In Gangtey, I stayed at Passang Zam Homestay, where rates start from $30USD.
In Punakha, I stayed at COMO Uma Punakha, where rates start from £430 (approx. $553USD) per night and are inclusive of breakfast, complimentary WiFi, a selection of activities.
In Paro, I stayed at Zhiwaling Heritage Lodge where rates start from $845USD in the high season (March – May and September – November), based on double occupancy.
How to get to Bhutan
The fastest route to Bhutan from the U.K. is either with British Airways or Virgin, direct to Delhi India and then a 3 hour flight direct to Paro, Bhutan with Druk Air. You will need to obtain an Indian and a Bhutanese Visa online. Obtaining an Indian visa isn’t always easy, so leave yourself plenty of time incase you are refused one, which is what happened to me, so we ended up taking the longer route with BA to Bangkok via Dohar, Qatar and then to Bhutan
During my overnight stay in Bangkok, I was a guest of COMO Metropolitan Bangkok where rates start from approx. $118USD per night.
Getting to Bhutan has become even easier, with Drukair recently launching a new twice-weekly service from Dubai.
How to travel around Bhutan
There are no trains in Bhutan, the only way to travel any distance is by car or plane. Infact, the plane journey into Bhutan was an adventure in itself - only a small number of pilots in the world are trained to be able to fly in due to precarious nature of the landing which involves a steep turn through a low value that means you fly at eye level with homes built into the valleys.
Unlike long journeys down the tarmaced M1, the road trip views were a favourite part of our experience - the undulating valleys, the greenery reminiscent of the Highlands of Scotland in places, the beautiful architecture: almost every building is painted in the most intricate detailing with dusky pink, peach, red, yellow hand painted architraves featuring mythical animals such as Dragons, Tigers, Garuda and Snow Lions alongside eight auspicious signs related to Buddha’s teachings (all believed to bring good luck to your home): endless nots, vase, umbrella, white conch shell, glorious peu, lotus flower, pair of fish, dharma wheel. The colours of the designs have spiritual significance, for example, a flower should only be red.
Other things you should know about travelling around Bhutan: there are no traffic lights. If necessary a policeman stands in the centre of the road and directs the traffic. And seat belts aren’t compulsory. There are signs all along the roads reminding people of their Buddhist duties: ‘Make the right decision, don’t do drugs, don’t drink and drive, the next person who may be affected.’
When’s a good time to visit Bhutan?
High season is March, April May and September October November. We visited in July, which is the rainy season, but had great weather and only one day of rain. Punaka is hot in June, July, August.
For more information on visiting Bhutan, visit bhutan.travel/
