
On
the roof of the world, shoe horned into the grand Himalaya, Bhutan, the
thunder Dragon, is a fiercely independent kingdom. With an area slightly
larger than Switzerland, there are only about 600,000 people. The name
Bhutan appears to derive from the ancient Indian term "Bhotanta"
which means the end of land of the Bhots, it could also extend from the
Sanskrit word Bhu'uttan or highland.
The Kingdom lies east of Nepal and west of the Indian state of Arunachal
Pradesh. Located in the heart of the high Himalayan mountain range, Bhutan
is a land-locked country surrounded by mountains in north and west. The
rugged east, visited by few Western travellers, the high Himalaya in the
northern steppes separates the kingdom from Tibet.
Spring is the most beautiful time of the year in the kingdom. The fierce
cold that characterises the winter months tends to subside towards the end
February (around Bhutanese New Year, Lhosar). At the height of spring, the
end of March, the whole kingdom comes to life with the spectacular flaming
red, pink and white of Rododendrom blossom.
Isolated from the outside world till the 1960s, Bhutan manages to retain
all the charm of the old world. Like timeless images from the past,the
traveller encounters the full glory of this ancient land through its
strategic monastic fortresses known as Dzongs, numerous ancient temples,
monastries and stupas which dot the countryside, prayer flags which flutter
along the high ridges, wild animals which abundant in the dense forest,
foamy white water falls which are like the real showers, and warm smiles of
its friendly people. Each moment is special as one discovers a country which
the people have chosen to preserve in its magical purity.
All visitors are now required to enter the kingdom at Paro by national
airline, Druk-Air.
All the programmes mentioned below are based on individual travel basis
with exclusive transport. All itineraries can be ammended or curtailed as
per your requirements, leaving aside only exception of tibet itinerary.