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Kingdom of Bhutan - Druk Yul [ 'land of the dragon' ] - a small, mountainous nation of south Asia

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

Located in the Himalaya Mountains between India and China.

Monarchy with a special treaty relationship with India.

Capital City of Bhutan: Thimphu


car hire, hostels, hotels, travel agency, travel guides, transportation / traveling to bhutan

links


Car Rental

 

Hostel

 Hostels.com

Hotels in Bhutan

 

Tour Operators / Travel Agents





 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.

 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

 Amazon.com

Lonely Planet Bhutan 
by Lindsay Brown (Author), Bradley Mayhew (Author), Stan Armington (Author), Richard W. Whitecross (Author)
Search for fried ferns, jellied cowskins, and dried yak cheese at Thimphu's weekend market. Be blessed with a 10-inch penis at Chimi Lhakhang, the home of the 'Divine Madman.' Dance with snowlions and banter with clowns at the pick of Bhutan's colorful festivals. Hike up to the gavity-defying Tiger's Nest monastery, reputedly held on to the sheer cliff face by the hairs of angels.
Understand murals and monsters with in-depth coverage of Bhutanese Buddhism and culture by our regional expert. Special trekking chapter brings Himalayan peaks that little bit closer...
Paperback: 296 pages; Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 3rd edition (April 2007); Language: English; ISBN-10: 1740595297; ISBN-13: 978-1740595292 
Bhutan: Himalayan Mountain Kingdom 
by Francoise Pommaret (Author)
Paperback: 320 pages; Publisher: Odyssey Publications; 5New Ed edition (February 15, 2006); Language: English; ISBN-10: 9622177573; ISBN-13: 978-9622177574
 Bhutan - Footprint Handbook - Gyurme Dorje
This travel guide to Bhutan features all the essential information for this most remote and restricted of countries, including how to get around, trekking information, a calendar of special events and the culture of the country.
Paperback 352 pages (October 29, 2004); Publisher: Footprint Handbooks; Language: English; ISBN: 190347132X
 Dreams of the Peaceful Dragon: Journey into Bhutan - by Katie Hickman, Tom Owen Edmonds (Photographer)
Synopsis : Bhutan is a remote kingdom in the Himalayas, isolated from the outside world for three centuries. The western part has been opened to limited tourism, but the eastern part remains closed. Katie Hickman is one of only a handful of foreigners ever to penetrate these eastern lands. Her trip to Bhutan with photographer Tom Owen Edmunds took a year to set up. They journeyed from the capital Thimphu in the west to the easternmost borderlands and the remote mountain-top retreat of the barbarous Bragpa people. They lived as Bhutanese, and met merchants, abbots, wandering priests, lamas, hermits, a reincarnation of the Buddha and a sorceress. Katie Hickman's account contains all the unexpected and humorous aspects of travel, but, above all, it is about the people of Bhutan.
Paperback 192 pages (February 7, 2002); Publisher: Phoenix mass market p/bk
 In Search of Shangri-La: The Extraordinary True Story of the Quest for the Lost Horizon - Michael McRae
Adventure, travel, history and myth combine in this story of the search for Shangri-La, the legendary paradise , including failed attempts by the British Royal Geographical Society in 1922 and the successful discovery of the hiddenfalls.
Paperback 240 pages (March 25, 2004); Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Language: English; ISBN: 0140290427

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 

 Travel Insurance online travel and holiday insurance for UK and Irish residents

 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 - 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, kingdom in the 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 Foods - 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 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, Art & Culture, Events & Entertainment

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.

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.

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

 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 ]

Web Portals / Search Engine / Directory

 Bhutan - info about natural resources, people, governement and political organisations
 Thimphu.com

 CIA World Factbook: Bhutan - geography, people, government, economy, etc.
 InfoPlease: Bhutan
 U.S. Library of Congress Country Study - Bhutan - people, history, etc.


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