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Kingdom of Bhutan, a small, mountainous nation of south Asia.

Districts in Bhutan [ dzongkhag ]: Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Trashigang, Thimphu, Trongsa, Wangdi Phodrang.

This 'Land of the Dragon' is located in the Himalaya Mountains between India and China.

Monarchy with a special treaty relationship with India.

Capital City of Bhutan: Thimphu


hotels, tour operators - bhutan tours, travel guides, travel to bhutan

links


Hotels Bhutan

   -   look for hotels in Bhutan
Hotel Amankora, Paro, Thimphu

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

 

 

 



  Himalayan Kingdoms
A.o. Bird Watching in Bhutan,  Cultural Tour of Bhutan,  Family Trek,  Sacred Mountains - Secret Valleys,  Tashi Tenzing's Darjeeling & Bhutan Panorama,  The Chorten Path,  The Complete Lunana Snowman trek,  The Hidden Kingdom Trek
  Nepal Travels   -   travelling to Bhutan from Katmandu, Nepal  -  Chomolhari Trekking
Fly to Paro [ Full day sightseeing Tour ], Trek to Shana (2757m), Trek to Soi Thangthankkha (3446m), Trek to Jangothang (4040m), Trek to Lingshi (4150m), Trek to Shodu (3936m), Trek to Dolam Kencho (3628m), Trek to Dodinanad and processed to Thimpu, Morning local sightseeing tour to Thimpu and processed to Paro.
  Voyages Jules Verne   -   Great Journeys for the discerning traveller

  The Kingdom of Buthan
Buddhist based travel programs, Birding in Bhutan, The weaver's trail, Trekking Itineraries
  Far Fung Places   -   small group travel

  Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators [ ABTO ]
  Tour Operators in Bhutan   -   Official list Department of Tourism

Travel Guides Bhutan / Related books

Bhutan (Lonely Planet Country Guides)   -   Bradley Mayhew 
Special Architecture feature with illustrations of Bhutan's famous Buddhist architecture, incl. houses, stupas and grand monastries. New plan. chapt to help you negotiate the tricky rules in place when booking a trip to Bhutan, incl. an explanation of the daily fee system, recommended travel agencies and tips on the timing.
Paperback: 284 pages; Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 4th edition edition (1 Mar 2011); ISBN-10: 1741049199; ISBN-13: 978-1741049190.

 
See Bhutan travel guide.

Hidden Bhutan: Entering the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
Martin Uitz 
Martin Uitz, a renowned expert on Bhutan, describes how the Bhutanese, in pursuit of the principle of 'Gross National Happiness', are carefully moving towards a more modern future, including a constitution and democracy, whilst preserving their traditional society and conserving the environment.
Hardcover: 196 pages; Publisher: The Armchair Traveller at the bookHaus (12 July 2008); ISBN-10: 1905791437; ISBN-13: 978-1905791439.

Transport / How do I travel to Bhutan

All tourists (group or individual) must travel on a pre-planned, prepaid, guided package tour program. Independent travel is not permitted.

  Paro Airport [ PBH / VQPR ]   -   see Druk Air Corporation

The nearest Indian airport is in Bagdogra, which can be reached by plane from Calcutta and Delhi. The road from Bagdogra connects to Phuentsholing, a border town in Bhutan. It is a 3-4 hour drive from the airport. It takes approximately 6 hours from Phuentsholing to Thimphu or Paro.

  Druk Air   -   the only airline that serves Bhutan.
The final leg of a journey to Bhutan begins in Calcutta,  Dhaka  or  Kathmandu

There are no domestic airlines or trains

Main roads are well maintained. The main two lane highway runs from west to east connecting all the major towns and villages.


Links 

  Department of Tourism, Bhutan

  Thimphu   -   Capital City of Bhutan, located on the Wang Chu [ Chu River ]
Western part of the country, in a high valley of the Himalayas, former Winter Capital. Market center for agricultural goods produced in the surrounding valley.

  Bumthang
  Gasa Dzong
  Mongar
  Paro
  Phuentsholing   -   land entry or exit
Southern boarder town of Phuentsholing, boardering West Bengal India
  Punakha   -   Punakha Dzong, once the seat of the old Capital of Bhutan [ summer capital ]
  Samdrup Jongkhar
  Trashigang
  Trongsa
  Wangduephodrang

  Bhumthang Valley   -   considered very sacred place for Bhutanese.
  Dochula Pass [ 3100m ]
  Mebartsho, a holy site and pilgrimage place also known as the Burning Lake
  Valley of Punakha
  Yotola Pass [ 3440m ]

  Black Necked Crane [ Wangduephodrang ]
  Dechenchoeling Palace in Thimphu  -  the official residence of the King
  News from Bhutan  -   Kuensel Online   -   the national newspaper of Bhutan
Published weekly in three languages; Dzongkha, English and Nepali. Kuensel wants to keep its Bhutanese and international readers up to date on the politics and current events in the kingdom.
  Bhutan, koninkrijk in de Himalaya
  PBS   -   Living Edens
Bhutan, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, is the only remaining Buddhist Himalayan kingdom. Shrouded in timeless mystery, Bhutan is one of the few surviving regions whose secrets have passed undisturbed through the millennia. Since 95 percent of the Bhutanese people remain subsistence farmers or pastoralists, they live in harmony with an extraordinary diversity of animals, including the wild buffalo, red panda, Himalayan black bear, takin and blue sheep.

Cuisine  -  Bhutanese Cuisine - The Food of Shangri-la / Foothills of the Eastern Himalayas

Spicy chilies (ema) mixed with a cheese sauce called emadatse is the national dish of Bhutan. Chilies are treated as a vegetable rather than a seasoning in the Bhutanese diet. A wide variety of fresh vegetables are a daily staple of the Bhutanese diet.

  Bhutanese_cuisine

  Bhutanese Food
...Almost all Bhutanese meals consist of a generous helping of rice and one or more "curry" dishes. I quote curry because of a lack of a better English word. In Dzongkha those dishes are called tshoem. The rice is boiled (or steamed) and can be white polished rice (called ja chum)or a unique variety of Bhutanese rice which is pink in color (called eue chum). The pink or red sice is heavier and has a slightly nutty flavour. Outside Bhutan it can be found in some specialty food stores in some larger US cities like LA, SF and NY...

History of Bhutan

Independence: 8 August 1949 (from India)

Mystery surrounds Bhutan's distant past, as priceless irretrievable documents were lost in fires and earthquakes. In the 8th century CE, Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava or second Buddha) made his legendary trip from Eastern Bhutan to Western Bhutan on the back of a flying tigress to subdue the evil spirits who hindered Buddhism. After defeating them, he blessed them as guardians of the doctrine. thus introducing Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan. Taktshang or Tigers Nest in the Paro Valley is where he landed and today it remains one of most sacred places in Bhutan.

It is believed that the name Bhutan is derived from the Sanskrit 'Bhotant', meaning 'the end of Tibet', or from 'Bhu-uttan', meaning 'high land'. Historically the Bhutanese have refered to their country as Druk Yul, 'land of the thunder dragon'. Bhutanese refer to themselves as Drukpa people.

Rediscovering Bhutan  -   M.N. Gulati
This book is the story of ancient times in Bhutan, their history religion, culture, beliefs, politics. It is a complete source of informations and a reference tool on Bhutan.
Hardcover 413 pages (August 30, 2003);  Publisher: Manas Publications;  Language: English;  ISBN: 8170491568
A political & religious history of Bhutan, 1651-1906  -   C. T Dorji
Paperback 241 pages (1995);  Publisher: Sangay Xam in collaboration with Prominent Publishers, Delhi, India;  ISBN: 8186239030

Music, Arts & Culture of Bhutan, Events

Bhutan is an ancient kingdom secluded high in the eastern Himalayas. It has been visited by a great many saints, mystics, scholars and pilgrims over the centuries who not only came for their personal elucidation, but blessed the land and its people with an invaluable spiritual and cultural legacy that has shaped every facet of Bhutanese lives.

Music of Bhutan has traditional genres such as rigsar, zhungdra and boedra.

  Music of Bhutan
Instruments, Religious music, Folk music, Popular music, Institutions.

Bhutan's artistic tradition has its roots in Buddhism with almost all representation in the arts running along the prevailing theme of struggle between good and evil. A rare blend of Tibetan, Indian and Chinese traditional styles in characteristic Bhutanese setting, Bhutanese art is mostly symbolic.

  Bhutanese art
Traditional Bhutanese arts, Characteristics of Bhutanese arts, Products, Institutions, Exhibitions, Selected examples of Bhutanese art.

  Royal Academy of Performing Arts   -   located in Thimphu

  Culture of Bhutan
Religion, Music, Cultural preservation, National dress code, Men and women in society, Bhutanese names, Religious festivals, The monastery, Communication [ radio, television, internet, and movies ], Cuisine, and Sports.

Bhutan (Cultures of the World)  -   Robert Cooper
Library Binding 128 pages (March 2001);  Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corporation;  Language: English;  ISBN: 0761411917
Tibetan Buddhist Rites from the Monasteries of Bhutan 
Audio CD (March 21, 2005); Number of Discs: 2

  Archery  -  Bhutan's national sport
With traditional competitions being held regularly in most villages.
  Trongsa Tsechu Festival [ Trongsa ]


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