BHUTAN BACKPACKING

Bhutan backpacking

SHORT ITINERARY :

DAY 01 : BAGDOGRA AIRPORT ARRIVAL. TRANSFER TO PHUENTSHOLING

Upon your arrival at the airport, a cab will transfer the group to Phuentsholing – the Bhutan border town, 3.5 hours away from Bhagdogra. Enroute, we pass through a beautiful stretch, flanked by tea plantations and national parks on both sides of the road.

We will reach the border by evening. The moment you step into Bhutan land, literally, when you take those footsteps, you will immediately see how different the two towns on either side of the border are.

DAY 02 : ROAD TRIP FROM PHUENTSHOLING TO THIMPU

After breakfast, we shall go to the permit office. The permit take some time processing and we shall leave Phuentsholing by 11 am. The drive to Thimpu is long, about six hours with stops including lunch. But it is very beautiful.

DAY 03 : VISIT BUDDHA POINT, TASHICHHO DZONG & POST OFFICE

We’ll first go to Golden Buddha Point. Then, visit the pretty which is a great place to click some photographs, see a lot of locals, and observe some Bhutanese traditions. We are here to celebrate our new years. Lets relax a bit today, Sit in a cafe. Get to know the local Dishes like:

1. Ema – datsi : Ema means chili and datsi is a kind of cottage cheese, so ema-datsi is a kind of spiced-up Welsh rarebit.
2. Kewa-datsi. A potato, cheese and chili dish.
3. Shamu-datsi. A mushroom, cheese and chili dish.

We can also go to the post office and buy postcards. The fantastic thing here is that you can get yourself clicked, and get a customized stamp from the same place and send a post card to your loved ones.

At 5 pm, we’ll go to the beautiful Tashichho Dzong, overlooking the palace. And spend the later part of the evening in the bustling Thimpu market area.

DAY 04 : VISIT DOCHULA PASS. DRIVE DOWN TO PARO. ARCHERY

After breakfast, we make our way to Dochula Pass, an hour from Thimpu. Here, we are going to stop at the pretty 108 Dochula Chortens, which was built on the orders of the Queen Mother, as a sign of respect for the soldiers who died fighting the insurgents in the 2003 war. The area is beautiful, overlooks some of the highest mountains of Bhutan, and is usually shrouded in mist, giving the entire place a mystical surreal feeling.

If we make to Dochula on time, we can also visit the village Chimi Lhakhang, the Fertility temple of Bhutan, Punakha.

Later, we head to Paro. The route is beautiful, and as soon as you reach this village town, it’s almost as if you have been transported back in time. We shall stop enroute at Paro river, near a beautiful hanging rope bridge. A trip is not just about checking off sightseeing points, but also about the smaller prettier little moments that come along the way.

DAY 05 : TREK TO TIGER NEST MONASTERY

It is the most exciting day of the trip, as we hike up to Tiger Nest Monastery. Built on the very edge of the cliff, it is a good 2 and a half hour hike up from the base. Dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava (widely regarded as the Second Buddha), Tiger Nest Monastery or Taktsang Monastery is easily Bhutan’s symbol of pride and respect.

The trek is not too difficult, and the best way to do it is to walk at a steady, comfortable pace. Most of the walk is through a hilly forest and as you keep walking, you will see rhododendrons, pines and a lot of prayer flags.

There is an aura around the monastery, and spend an hour or two by yourself, observing the monks, the rituals, the beautiful rooms, and listening to the stories of Bhutan’s most favourite monastery. This day is easily the highlight of the trip. As we descend back and reach the base, there is a small meadow and horses grazing.

DAY 06 : VISITING CHELE LA PASS (ONE OF THE HIGHEST PASSES IN BHUTAN)

Today, after breakfast, we shall go to Chele La Pass, one o f Bhutan’s highest passes at 3880 odd metres above sea level (13,000 odd feet). On the way, there are prayer flags dotted on top of the hills, and they are fluttering away madly in the wind.

The alpine flowers, the lush greenery, the prayer flags, the views of the valley make the views breathtaking. The wind is quite strong here, and if you spread out your arms you can almost feel as if you are flying.

We will also head out to Archery: the national sport of Bhutan. Get ready boys and girls.

DAY 07 : PARO DZONG. DRIVE FROM PARO TO PHUENTSHOLING

After breakfast, we head to Paro Dzong, sitting prettily on a hillock, looking over the entire town.

In the sixteenth century Dzong was once the centre of administration of all of Bhutan. Later, we leave back for the border town of Phuentsholing.

DAY 08 : FLY BACK FROM BAGDOGRA

We leave for the airport at Bagdogra, and go back to our home cities . Hope you had a great trip, and we shall meet some where some time gain soon!

FUN FACTS

1. Bhutan is the only country in the world to officially measure national happiness. The index is known as GNH (Gross National Happiness). Rather than placing emphasis on GDP, Bhutan attempts to track the happiness of its population.
2. Bhutan is still negotiating parts of its mountainous border with China. Aside from land disputes, the Bhutanese have very little diplomatic relations with their biggest neighbor. In 2005, Chinese soldiers began constructing roads and bridges — without Bhutan’s permission — to gain better access to disputed territory. China also improved roads in Tibet before occupying.
3. Bhutan’s economy is growing very rapidly. Bhutanese currency, the ngultrum, is fixed to the Indian rupee — which is also widely accepted in Bhutan
4. The Bhutanese Army consists of around 16,000 soldiers. The force is trained by the Indian Army and has a total annual budget of approximately $13.7 million. In comparison, a single M1A2 tank used by the United States costs $8.5 million.

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