Travel Guide To Bhutan

Of all Himalayan countries, Bhutan is the most alluring to Westerners, at least to those with a romantic vision of the past. Bhutan is also the ideal place for trekking in a beautiful landscape of sacred mountains, lush valleys, remote temples and fortress-monasteries. Tucked between China and India at the eastern end of the Himalayan chain, it is the most remote, the least touched by modernity, and - apart from Assamese insurgents taking refuge from the Indian army inside the southern border - the least affected by violent political conflict. Its survival into the present century as an independent country is something of a marvel. With the neighbouring kingdom of Sikkim swallowed by India, and Tibet taken over by China in the 1950s, Bhutan is the only remaining Buddhist state in the region. With less than a million inhabitants and about a dozen languages it is also, arguably, the most varied, both in its terrain and human geography. Although a new king was crowned in 2008, democracy has replaced the country's medieval system of absolute monarchy.

Where to stay in Bhutan

AMANKORA

At Paro, Timphu, Punakha, Gangety and Bumthang, Bhutan (00 800 2255 2626; www.amanresorts.com/amankora). Amanresorts was the first foreign company allowed to build a hotel in Bhutan; it now has a series of lodges across the country, including one in beautiful Paro Valley which sits against the backdrop of the snowcapped Jomolhari peak. The all-inclusive Amankora Journey lets guests travel between the five lodges. Amankora featured in The Hot List 2005. ££££

HOTEL GANGTEY PALACE

Paro, Bhutan (00 975 8 271301; www.gangteypalace.net). Once a palace of Bhutan's second king, this aristocratic home is a real gem complete with a stunningly frescoed altar room (a religious shrine is included in most Bhutanese homes). There are 19 generously sized rooms, a restaurant serving Indian, Western and Bhutanese dishes, a lounge/bar with magnificent views of Paro's dzong (fortress-monastery), and beautifully tended grounds. £

MERI PUENSUM RESORT

Punakha, Bhutan (00 975 2 584 195). Well situated above the Punakha valley, and with a pleasantly relaxing atmosphere, this 24-room lodge is a comfortable budget option. £

TAJ TASHI

Samten Lam, Thimphu, Bhutan (00 975 2 336699; www.tajhotels.com). The Taj Tashi, which opened in January 2008, encapsulates Bhutan's colourful juxtaposition of old and new. Until now the few luxury hotels permitted in Bhutan have been exclusive retreats in the countryside, but the Taj Group's hotel is located boldly in the heart of the capital. Taj Tashi is an imposing building that dominates the skyline of the low-rise city. The building echoes the mighty structure of Bhutan's dzongs but in fact there are only 66 bedrooms, sleekly furnished in a mix of traditional and contemporary, with handmade rugs and lattice panelling of local blue pine. In the public areas, intricate murals draw on traditional emblems, principally clouds, dorjes (symbolic thunderbolts) and dhungs (horn-like musical instruments). Chig Je Gye restaurant serves Bhutanese cuisine (steamed dumplings, chillies in cheese sauce) and there are also Continental and Asian restaurants, a tea lounge, a bar, an indoor pool and a spa that offers hot-stone treatments. Taj Tashi featured in The Hot List 2008. ££££

UMA PARO

Paro, Bhutan (00 975 8 271597; www.uma.como.bz). This retreat, on a hillside in the tiny Himalayan kingdom, has superior doubles with large, oversized bathrooms and separate showers, DVD players, minibars and in-room yoga mats. The deluxe doubles have the same facilities, but are larger. Suites have separate sitting, dining and study areas and one-bedroom villas enjoy a private spa and courtyard. All rooms have views of the forest, mountains or valley. Uma Paro offers Vinyasa yoga and Asian-inspired treatments, with the emphasis on ayurveda. The spa has a steam room, indoor pool and a hot-stone bathhouse, set into the forest, for Bhutanese treatments such as bathing therapies, facials and massages. Uma Paro featured in The Hot List 2005. ££££

Where to eat out in Bhutan

Perhaps the least engaging feature of the tourist regime in Bhutan is the bland European-style food provided for foreigners in most hotels. Local food, on the other hand, is the opposite of bland, and probably too much for Western palates. There is plenty to write home about after a visit to a Bhutanese tavern or restaurant, but not that much to recommend.

There's the famous salty tea and tiny dumplings called momo, filled with pork or cheese. These can be tasty, perhaps because pigs in Bhutan are fed on marijuana, which grows in profusion in the central valleys. And there is zow, cold roasted rice, sometimes mixed with tiny red amaranthus seeds, and yak cheese, dried on a string (zow and dried cheese are handy when you are on a trek). On the whole, though, Bhutanese food is strictly for chilli lovers: strips of pork fat with chilli; giant white radishes with chilli; yak cheese with chilli. If you arrive in the country in autumn, there's a clear warning as you come in to land: the roof of every house is bright red with chillies, drying in the sun.

Things to do in Bhutan

SUGGESTED ITINERARIES

TEN-DAY TRAVEL

Ten days is a good length of visit. Start in Paro and travel through Wangdiphodrang, Punakha, Trongsa and Bumthang. Leave two days at the end for Thimphu. This itinerary allows time to go 'off track' - vital in a country as unusual as Bhutan - and offers a little leeway for unpredictable journey times. With tour operator Mountain Kingdoms (formerly Himalayan Kingdoms; 01453 844 400; www.mountainkingdoms.com), you can opt for a 39-day 'Complete Lunana Snowman Trek', a long-distance expedition reaching heights of 17,000ft or more.

THE DRUK PATH

The Druk Path trek is a short trek that begins near Ta Dzong and crosses a pass between Paro and Thimphu. It still goes to high altitude, making it moderately strenuous. This path was well worn long before any tourist came here. Historically, the most important figure to pass this way was the Buddhist saint Ngawang Namgyal, known as popularly as Shabdrung Rinpoche.

THE PARO VALLEY

The Paro Valley resembles an Oriental version of Switzerland, with plots of wheat and barley, rice fields and the valley floor gleaming silver with irrigation channels that flow from the Paro River. Southwards, it descends into quite a different environment: lower, flatter, hotter and more verdant, where rice paddies and tea plantations alternate with dense jungle. This is the habitat of elephant and tigers. The transition from north to south, from mountains to plains and cold to hot, is repeated across Bhutan. Travelling east or west, whether you are walking, or driving on the country's very limited road network, you must move continually up and over passes that join one valley system to another. Several treks begin in the Paro Valley. The Jhomolhari, Laya-Gasa and Snowman treks all lead west from Drukgyel Dzong to Jhomolhari base camp and then wind their way through Lingzhi and beyond.

How to get to Bhutan

BY AIR

Bhutan's national carrier Druk Air (00 975 8 271 856; www.drukair.com.bt) flies into Paro from Kathmandu, Dhaka and Bangkok, and from Bodh Gaya, Delhi and Kolkata in India. Visitors flying from London usually use British Airways to Delhi (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com), Qatar Airways to Kathmandu (0870 770 4215; www.qatarairways.com) or Thai Airways to Bangkok (0870 606 0911; www.thaiair.com).

BY CAR

You may also drive into Bhutan from India, via the south-western town of Phuntsholing.

VISAS AND FEES

All travel must be arranged through an authorised travel agent or hotel. Bhutan's government charges daily tourist fees, applicable to all foreigners, except Indian nationals. For group travel, a flat fee of US$200 per person per day (US$165 in July and August) covers basic all-inclusive accommodation, transport and a guide. Independent tourists pay US$30 per person per day (based on two travelling together, for solo travellers the charge is US$40) as well as US$65 'royalties' per person per day (US$55 in July and August). In addition, tourists other than Indian nationals pay a one-off visa charge of US$20 and a tourism development fee (to aid infrastructure) of US$10. All these charges are often presented as part of an overall package to Bhutan by tour operators or hotels.

Tourist information for Bhutan

BHUTAN'S DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

PO Box 126, Thimphu, Bhutan (www.tourism.gov.bt). Contact the Department of Tourism for more information about visas, weather, news, activities and events.