Top Reasons To Visit Bhutan

Perched on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, the tiny kingdom of Bhutan has always been wrapped in mystique. It only opened to foreign tourists as recently as 1974, only allows its two national airlines to fly into Paro airport, and levies a steep daily visitor tax to keep tourist crowds at bay. The result: a country seemingly frozen in time, unchanged by the whims of mass tourism and, as one of the world’s first nations, fully carbon-negative. For more travel insight, read on for some of the top reasons to visit Bhutan below.

No tourist crowds
To get straight to the point: a trip to Bhutan isn’t cheap. It introduced a tourism tax structure that required foreign travelers to pay a $200 levy per night on top of hotel bills and the remuneration for a compulsory driver and guide (Indian passport holders pay a reduced rate). These fees contribute to Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Fund, a government initiative that funds community education projects, infrastructure upgrades, healthcare and cultural developments, plus upskill training for Bhutanese working in the tourism industry. Part of the fee will also be used to offset visitors’ carbon footprints, which help retain Bhutan’s status as one of the only carbon-negative countries on Earth.

Bhutan’s fresh air is unique to this country

These changes do give travelers more freedom in designing their itineraries, though. Previously, all guides, hotels, and transportation had to be booked through an accredited tour operator, but that’s no longer required. Visitors can now book every element of their trip — from flights to drivers — independently, making it easier to stick to a budget by staying at traditional homestays and campsites. For those able to pony up the premium to holiday in Bhutan, the benefits are obvious: they receive the key to the last remaining Himalayan kingdom; an unending sprawl of snow-capped mountains; finely wrought dzongs and mist-shrouded pine forests, and don’t have to share it with tourist crowds.

Bhutan’s iconic walking trail

Up until the completion of Bhutan’s first cross-country highway in the 1950s, the Silk Route-era Trans Bhutan Trail was the only way to travel between the eastern and western corners of the kingdom. The 403-kilometre route, snaking through temple-studded valleys, hillside forests and undulating mountain ranges, connected the fortresses and sacred sites around Bhutan’s numerous valleys and was used by pilgrims and merchants to move across the country. But after the highway made cross-country travel a lot more convenient, the trail fell into disrepair.

During the pandemic, the Tourism Council of Bhutan and the Bhutan Canada Foundation teamed up to resurrect the trail as one of Asia’s greatest walking routes. Hundreds of workers helped restore the dozens of derelict bridges, stairs and pathways that connect the frozen-in-time Haa Valley in the west to the eastern capital and installed QR-coded signposts that provide background information on more than 400 historic sites, wildlife sanctuaries, and local communities.

The Silk Route-era Trans Bhutan Trail – Silk Roads in the Kingdom of Bhutan

Some amazing festival

Whether you visit in spring or autumn, your trip is almost guaranteed to overlap with at least one of the many annual festivals around the country. These social gatherings are colorful affairs (and thus, a photographer’s delight) and give a fascinating peek into the spiritual rites and rituals the Bhutanese have practiced for centuries.

The Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival, which will take place on 24 October 24, 2023, is one the most enthralling and takes over the Jambay Lhakhang monastery in Bumthang with fire blessings, drum beats, and sacred naked dances at midnight. Also in October, the Royal Highland Festival is another gathering worth planning your trip around. Taking place in the high-altitude Gasa district in northwestern Bhutan, the festival is a showcase of the country’s rich indigenous culture, with highlander communities sharing 16th-century offerings rituals, yak beauty competitions and kaleidoscopic parades with onlookers.

Jambay Lhakhang Drup festival in Bhutan

the Royal Highland Festival in Bhutan

Bhutan’s event calendar is also marked with techs around the country. These annual religious festivals see many of them turn into a rainbow-hued riot of costumed dancers with demonic-looking masks and intricately decorated headwear.

Each region has its own dates, rites, and festivities, with popular tshechus including the one in Punakha (1-3 March 2023) where the unfurling of the thongdrol (a giant tapestry of Guru Rinpoche) is a highlight; the one in Thimphu (24-26 September 2023), where royals and international dignitaries attend dances in the Tashichho Dzong; and Paro (2-6 April 2023), where locals don their finest kiras and ghos (traditional dress wear) to turn the Paro Dzong into an improvised Bhutan Fashion Week.