Deriving its name from many versions such as ‘Bhot-ant’ meaning end of Tibet (Bhotia meaning the people from Tibet in Sanskrit), or ‘Bhut-uttan’ meaning high land or whatever else, the present name of Bhutan has stuck. Druk Yul or ‘land of thunder dragon’ to its mostly Buddhist natives, this pristine landlocked state, that lives in the past & future at the same time, is often compared to Switzerland. Large meadows, tastefully done country homes resembling chalets, snow peaks springing up on the traveller and forested hills all of it makes this place, believed to be visited by Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava, or the Buddha of our times) a delight to travel in.Reasons for travel to Bhutan can be many! Be it Hiking ( from the shortest & easiest to the longest & most difficult in the world), Camping, Drive around, Religion & Culture exploration, Textiles, Buddhist studies, finding yourself or simply doing nothing! All of this could be credible possibilities.
Hotels are good & many in capital Thimphu & Paro (airport), but get fewer as you travel interior. No matter where, delicious food is served with a smile. Responsible tourism means that each group is escorted by English speaking, humble & knowledgeable local guide cum driver, every group coming in must be registered thru a local travel agency, visa for Indians is given on arrival, very few flights, with smaller aircrafts operate from Delhi & Kolkata only thru their own airway Druk Air in Paro. As last statistics tell us, the number of tourists visiting Bhutan were less than 10000!
So how is it sustainable? Travelling to Bhutan comes at a price. Tariff: USD 250 for the foreign traveller & little more than half that for Indians per person. Includes lodge, full board, surface transfers in private vehicle, site seeing as per itinerary, guide & driver.
My take? Go for it! …If there were a Shangri-La, this is easily it!
Flying over the Himalayas, i’m told the flight from Kathmandu to Paro is the most spectacular in the world! (check what Zubin has to say....in "Our Guests Speak" section!)
Hotels are good & many in capital Thimphu & Paro (airport), but get fewer as you travel interior. No matter where, delicious food is served with a smile. Responsible tourism means that each group is escorted by English speaking, humble & knowledgeable local guide cum driver, every group coming in must be registered thru a local travel agency, visa for Indians is given on arrival, very few flights, with smaller aircrafts operate from Delhi & Kolkata only thru their own airway Druk Air in Paro. As last statistics tell us, the number of tourists visiting Bhutan were less than 10000!
So how is it sustainable? Travelling to Bhutan comes at a price. Tariff: USD 250 for the foreign traveller & little more than half that for Indians per person. Includes lodge, full board, surface transfers in private vehicle, site seeing as per itinerary, guide & driver.
My take? Go for it! …If there were a Shangri-La, this is easily it!
Flying over the Himalayas, i’m told the flight from Kathmandu to Paro is the most spectacular in the world! (check what Zubin has to say....in "Our Guests Speak" section!)
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