In October 2007, I spent three weeks trekking in Bhutan. This was the last trekking season in the Himalayan Kingdom. Bhutan is transitioning into democracy in 2008, so I was fortunate to be included with some of the last tourists to visit during the rule of the monarchy. Things could change drastically in 2008, especially the tourism requirements. For many years, Bhutan has been one of the most expensive countries to visit. Visitors famously had to pay a minimum of $200 per day "tariff" to the government. There was no independent travel or hostels for the backpacker crowd. All those restrictions could change next year, according to the will of the people.
"Bhutan is the "Land of the Thunder Dragon", and is very unique. This is a country where Gross National Happiness is deemed more important than Gross National Product. Where the people love their King (but don't worship him in a religious context) and are saddened the country is being pushed into Democracy. This is a deeply Buddhist country, where hunting and fishing are illegal and you'll find a monastery in nearly every village. The undisturbed traditional rural lifestyle (without electricity, roads, or running water) designates Bhutan the last great Himalayan kingdom.
For me, visiting Bhutan was like stepping back into LIVING history. If we could create a time machine and go back 200-400 years, it would be identical to visiting Bhutan! Bhutanese outside the major cities carry on with the traditional animal plows, washing clothes in the streams, and worshiping in the Dzongs as they have for centuries. Residents throughout the country still wear traditional dress. Selling tobacco is prohibited. All new construction must conform to the old style; there are no modern looking buildings. Bhutan is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world, and much of the country has been set aside and protected as National Park or reserves.
Our trek included 16 days of camping in high altitudes. We had a fantastic group of nine people on the trip.
See a complete trip report, as featured on Summitpost click here
Click a picture to see a larger view
and explanations of the photos.
Bhutan is located north of India and south of Tibet. The medieval Asian kingdom will soon be joining the modern world; I'm fortunate to have visited while Bhutan was still "Shangri La".