Bhutan has been positively impacting travellers for decades and there is a clear synergy between their goals as a destination and &Beyond’s goal as a travel company to leave our world a better place.
Bhutan has been positively impacting travellers for decades and there is a clear synergy between their goals as a destination and &Beyond’s goal as a travel company to leave our world a better place.
Arriving in India for my final layover, I asked my colleague in Delhi the time difference in Bhutan. “One hundred years behind,” he remarked. And he wasn’t wrong. In less than 24 hours, I would finally be witnessing one of the world’s most dramatic airport arrivals to one of the most enviable and enchanting of travel destinations, but I had yet to fully grasp the time travel part. Because time travel it was.
One of the smallest countries in the world, the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Bhutan is not quite the size of Switzerland and six times smaller than the United Kingdom. A landlocked country nestled in the eastern Himalaya, it shares borders with India and China. Telling people where I was headed, few had heard of it and even fewer could pinpoint it on a map. It was exactly the kind of remote adventure my soul needed.
The window seat is a must for the world-famous descent into Paro International Airport. An entirely manual and by-daylight-only approach to one of the shortest runways in the world, coupled with ever-unpredictable weather and having to manoeuvre the plane at a 45-degree angle between Himalayan peaks on either side, makes it one of the most challenging landings that only 14 pilots in command in the world are qualified to do. And despite this being an international airport, only two airlines, both Bhutanese, are even permitted to land there.
Stepping off the plane, and indeed back in time, the traditional and intricately painted airport, coupled with the friendliest customs officials I’ve ever encountered, were a brief but telling introduction to the country’s deep-seated national pride and genuine kindness that would remain evident throughout the journey.
“Kuzuzangpo la,” (hello in Dzongkha, Bhutan’s official language), my guide Jamyang bowed as he placed a white scarf, or khadar, around my neck. “Welcome to Bhutan.” This welcome gift symbolises respect and good wishes and was a sign of the countless blessings (and laughs) we were about to share over the next eight truly soul-uplifting days.
Throughout Bhutan, a well-known Buddhist folktale graces the walls of monasteries, temples and stupas (Buddhist shrines). Look closely, and you’ll see it everywhere, carved into statues and painted on homes. Dubbed the Four Harmonious Friends, it depicts an elephant, monkey, rabbit and bird, one sitting atop the other, next to a banyan tree. There are different interpretations, but the moral of the story is that these animals, each with unique strengths, realise the potential of working together, not alone, to create overall unity and harmony. By working together—the bird carrying seeds, the rabbit digging the soil, the monkey climbing the tree to hold it in place, and the elephant providing shade and protection—they not only enable the tree to grow, but they can eventually share in its fruits too.
In terrestrial terms, each animal is believed to represent a different earthly element: elephant (land); monkey (tree); rabbit (roots/underground); and bird (sky). Seeing this foursome, over and over, I started to realise how beautifully it depicts Bhutan, with each of the four friends representing the different elements of Bhutanese life that continue to work together to create a national harmony unemulated anywhere else in the world.
As dramatic as the airport descent itself, Bhutan’s mystifying landscape is the stuff of legends. Snow-capped mountains slope into thick, mist-enshrouded forests where webs of old man’s beard hang from the branches like Christmas tree garland. At high altitude, bright bursts of blue poppies defiantly weather the extreme elements, while colourful clusters of rhododendrons bloom lower down. An ancient monastery clings, near impossibly, to a sheer cliff face; glacial fields are overtaken by flocks of endangered cranes; and the fertile valleys flourish with everything from banana trees, citrus orchards and chilli fields, to emerald green rice terraces, pink cherry blossoms and guava trees.
A land this precious must be protected and the Bhutanese are way ahead of their time when it comes to conservation. Partly owing to the country’s mandated 70% forest cover, as well as its minimal encroachment from industrial development, Bhutan is one of only eight countries in the world to attain net zero emissions and is the first of only three carbon-negative countries in the world. Understanding the benefits of a high-value, low-impact tourism model, Bhutan charges international travellers a sustainable development fee (SDF) of USD 100 per person per day (only recently reduced from USD 200), which helps to regulate its tourist numbers and protect and support the country’s natural and cultural heritage.
Climate-conscious and conservation-driven, Bhutan is a country wholly committed to preserving its pristine environment. It was an absolute privilege to explore this land, where the landscapes change as often and dramatically as the altitudes and the weather. Where narrow, winding roads—with nail-biting hairpin curves upon curves and sheer drops—weave through the towering peaks and river-cut valleys. And where the crisp mountain air just feels infinitely fresher, the mist plays hide and seek with the view, and the wind gently carries the prayers of the nation.
Among the four friends, the monkey’s role is to hold the tree, giving it the stability to grow and flourish. If Bhutan is the tree, then the monkey enables it to remain firmly rooted in tradition, yet always growing and adapting to modern-day advances.
Bhutan has embraced so-called modern life at a considerably slower pace than the Western world. This is a country that didn’t have any roads until the 1960s and these roads remained single lane (for both directions) until 2008. The radio was only introduced in 1973, with television following much later in 1999. And the capital city of Thimphu remains the world’s only capital city with no traffic lights. Its first and only traffic light caused such public outcry that it was removed 24 hours later and replaced with a now famous painted booth where a white-gloved police officer directs traffic with the skill and flamboyance of an orchestra conductor.
In terrestrial terms, the monkey represents the earth’s trees, which symbolise strength, calmness and interconnectedness, all undeniable characteristics of the Bhutanese people. Deeply spiritual and nonviolent, Bhutan is a peace-loving nation guided by Buddhist values.
And believe it or not, the country’s success is actually measured by the happiness of its people, rather than by its economic growth. Replacing Gross Domestic Product with a more spiritual Gross National Happiness, the collective happiness of Bhutan’s people remains paramount.
And this happiness is evident. Travellers are genuinely welcomed, never brushed off. Photographs are encouraged, information is shared with immense pride and the overwhelming kindness of strangers is ever-present. Sitting in an ancient monastery in a quaint prayer room, I was offered a cup of tea during a meaningful one-on-one chat with a highly respected trulku (reincarnated master). His warm smile and gentle nature transcended the obvious language barrier, while a fellow monk translated. “We must be kind, rid ourselves of negative thoughts and live with compassion.” He emphasised, “It is important to help others—to help them to be kind. No one is perfect. If someone makes a mistake, remember that you too make mistakes. Learn from them,” he smiled. His kindness, calmness, compassion and humility, mirrored in so many other Bhutanese people I met along the way, deeply resonated.
From the frenetic energy of a masked dance right down to the deliberate brush strokes of a Thangka painting, everyday life in Bhutan is deeply rooted in ancient tradition. Just as the steadfast roots of a tall and mighty tree hold it in place, Bhutan’s cultural heritage is the cornerstone that keeps the country grounded.
Religion, culture and overall respect and kindness are entrenched in childhood and passed down from generation to generation. To this day, traditional attire remains the national dress code that is customary for work, school and festive occasions, with men wearing gho (knee-length robes) and women wearing kira (ankle-length dresses).
The wooden three-storey houses, where livestock traditionally claimed the ground floor, all have intricately painted and carved exteriors. Every home has an altar room—the most decorated room in the house—which graces the top floor and is filled with religious relics and daily offerings.
A compassionate nation, with hospitality in its genes, it is an honour to be invited into one’s personal home. Setting foot in local woman Pema’s farmhouse in Nobgang, once again kindness and a genuine warmth prevailed over the obvious language barrier. We sipped on hot suja (butter tea), as Pema brought out platter after platter of home-cooked traditional Bhutanese fare: jasha maroo (chicken and chilli stew); kewa datshi (potato and cheese); ema datshi (chilli and cheese stew); zow (puffed rice); jatsa gondo (crispy egg) and yuechum marp (local red rice). “If there’s no chilli, we can’t enjoy our meal,” Jamyang teased, nodding to the fact that in Bhutan, there’s chilli in just about every dish, even at breakfast. My kind of food, and indeed, my kind of people. What an honour it all was.
The final ‘friend’ enabling national and personal harmony in Bhutan is its fiercely guarded spirituality. Mostly Buddhist, and approximately a quarter Hindu, the Bhutanese generally believe in the karmic path to enlightenment.
There is no metaphor more apt—or magnificent—to depict this personal journey than Bhutan’s sacred Paro Taktsang, or Tiger’s Nest monastery. Perplexingly constructed in the 17th century into the rock face of a sheer cliff at 3,000 m altitude, it defies both gravity and time itself. Said to be the origin of Buddhism in Bhutan, legend has it that Guru Rinpoche flew there from Tibet on the back of a tigress to meditate in a cave.
Somehow, this gruelling uphill climb to a seemingly impossible, yet intoxicatingly beautiful endpoint mirrors the path to enlightenment and the obstacles that must be overcome in order to get there. As the wooden path gradually winds its way up the mountain, each intermittent chime from a prayer wheel and string of prayer flags, their mantras being passed down to the valley (and people) below, represent the challenges and religious teachings in life.
As the saying goes, “The best view comes after the hardest climb.” After hours of gently traipsing up the seemingly endless path and gaining over 500 m in elevation, the trail culminates with a winding staircase of about 500 steps down a crevice and 200 steps back up the other side to the revered monastery itself. It is indeed a personal journey to what can only be described as an earthly nirvana.
This truly was time travel. Not just travelling back in time, but somehow travelling to the future too. Bhutan is a destination seemingly untouched by time, yet way ahead of its time too. The world has much to learn from this tiny Himalayan kingdom—from a sustainability perspective, but also from a human perspective. Bhutan has a kindness that truly transcends.
“Remember to take pictures with your eyes too, and put them in your heart, where they’ll last longer,” Jamyang reminds me. I leave, elated and deeply grateful to have been afforded time in this captivating country, where happiness reigns.
Talk to one of our travel specialists to tailormake your stay to any of our destinations