In the southern foothills of the Himalaya mountains, between China and India, Bhutan hides natural wonders everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime.
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You will be surprised to know that until 1974 tourists were banned in Bhutan and the first foreign visitors to do so were those who got the invitation. The only international airport in Bhutan is in Paro, so the chance is this will be your starting point. While there, don't be tempted to take your bags and go further until you see the Tiger's Nest Monastery or Taktsang located just outside the city. You need just a couple of hours from the airport to climb to Tiger's nest but be warned: if you are not accustomed to look down from the edge of the cliff, that could be a scary experience.
Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and, overlooking the city, Buddha Dordenma is an impressive sight. 51 meters tall, built in 2015. It is symbol of prosperity and a popular spot for local pilgrims and tourists while the National Memorial, Chorten, was built to honour the King of Bhutan. Simply Bhutan is a place for good local food. It is also a food museum. By the way, you won’t get white rice because red rice is popular there but you must taste arag, a spirit distilled from rice, wheat or maize. Tobacco is completely banned since 2004. So, smoking in Bhutan is, by law, prohibited.
In the north, you may experience cold temperatures which is expected in the mountains, but Southern Bhutan easily sees 30C and hot and humid climate. Bhutan in an outdoor country, the country when you can see so much and it's full of beautiful Buddhist monasteries scattered all around, each of which has something special. Central Bhutan is a great place to start thanks to its lush flora areas and connection with other bigger towns. People there love to plant trees and Bhutan set a Guinness world record for planting 49,672 trees - in just one hour.
And the place you must see here is the Trongsa Dzong (temple). This is a beautiful Buddhist monastery with red roofs and white walls situated above a valley. Trongsa itself is a cute little town with beautifully decorated shops, crowded by locals, and this is an excellent place to see how locals live. Note: If you want to see a local without a smile, that's a hard task. And here's a fun fact: Nobody cares about their actual age or date of birth there. All citizens in Bhutan are considered equal and every new year day everyone celebrates their birthday. That's official.
Your next destination is the Choekhor Valley, a trading centre where you can see what those smiley locals make and sell. Above the town there is, you guess it, a temple: The Jakar Dzong, a very popular and the largest monastery in the country. However, there is lot more to see in the valley. There is Wangdicholing Palace from 1857 and the only cheese factory in the country, as just two example of must visit places. Jakar also has an airport, Bathpalathang Airport, from where you can embark the east bank of the Chamkhar Chhu on a domestic route to other parts of Bhutan.
Phobjikha is a huge valley right near the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. It looks like time stands still and that is the place where Tsechu Festival and the Crane Festival are held. That place on the western slopes of the Black Mountains offers beautiful views of valleys and green pastures. Since Phobjikha is close to Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, you can see barking deer, wild boars, sambars, (!), Himalayan black bears, leopards and other wild animals in the hills.
Another town when time flows easier is Wangdue Phodrang, a small settlement in central Bhutan famous for its bamboo products. In the area, Dzong Gate the Army Training Centre are places to visit. Bhutan is divided into districts and Jigme Dorji national park covers five districts. It's huge but what's surprising is that some 6,500 people live in the park and take care about cultural sites and its flora and fauna. UNESCO site is the home of some endangered species such as clouded leopard, snow leopard,, Bengal tiger and Himalayan blue sheep.
Another national park is the only "national" park: it hosts the national animal takin, national flower blue poppy, national bird raven and national tree cypress. Now, if you want something more exciting, river rafting in Paro Chhu will offer you a unique experience. Apart from racing wildly, you will be surrounded by green valley and rare birds flocking around. And trekking on the giant Mountain of Jomolhari is unmissable! The most popular trekking route guides you along the forest among beautiful landscapes, animals and plants before it ends in Thimphu, the capital and largest city of Bhutan. ■
