Hunting inner peace in Bhutan 🇧🇹

When you fly from Dhaka to Paro, you'll use the royal Bhutan airline Druk. Druk also means a dragon in dzongha and is used as a name for Bhutan as it is their national symbol. The yellow in the Bhutanese flag represents the royalty and the orange Buddhism.

The flight is absolutely crazy but stunning. Second only to the flight from Paro to Kathmandu which my mum and I took upon leaving.

While the airport is in Paro, the capital of Bhutan is Thimphu. Bhutan is no ordinary place. It is the last great Himalayan kingdom, shrouded in mystery and magic, where a traditional Buddhist culture carefully embraces global developments. The Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan lies along the lofty ridges of the Eastern Himalayas. It is bordered by Tibet in the north and west, and Indian states in the east, west and south. The country within these borders forms a giant staircase, from a narrow strip of land in the south to some of the highest unclimbed Himalayan peaks on earth.

In the afternoon, after lunch, enjoy an excursion around town: Kuensel Phodrang is the largest Buddha statue in the country with amazing views over the Thimphu valley.

Fun fact about Thimphu: it's the only capital in the world with no traffic lights.

Tashichho Dzong - The “fortress of the glorious religion” was initially erected in 1641 and rebuilt by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in the 1960s. Tashichho Dzong houses some ministries, His Majesty’s secretariat and the central monk body.

Zilukha Nunnery - Built more than half a century ago, Zilukha Nunnery is also known as Druthob Goemba. Housing around 60 nuns in its premises, a visit to the site energizes the soul because of its peaceful surroundings, which lures one’s mind to never leave the site. From here, you have the spectacular view of Tashichho Dzong.

The Motithang Takin Preserve houses the rare national animal of Bhutan. The Takin is listed by international conservation agencies as a vulnerable species and is only found in Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar (Burma).

In Bhutan, equal emphasis is given to both allopathic and traditional medicines. The rich herbal medicines made up from medicinal plants are prepared and dispensed at the Traditional Medicine Institute. At the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, students undertake a six-year course on the 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan.

Simply Bhutan is an integrative living museum that gives a quick introduction to various aspects of traditional life in Bhutan.

The next morning we drove to Punakha – driving approximately three hours through picturesque valleys and mountain slopes dotted with typical Bhutanese villages. From the Dochula pass, at over 10,000 feet, vast panoramic views of the high snowcapped peaks of the Bhutanese Himalayas can be enjoyed on a clear day.

Continue the drive down into the Punakha valley. On the way, visit Chhimi Lhakhang, founded in the 15th century by Lama Dukpa Kinley, who is also known as the “divine mad man”.

We visited the Punakha Dzong - built in 1637 by Zhabdrung.

Punakha as a city and the views from our epic resort. We also crossed the longest hanging bridge in Bhutan and saw some otters.

Drive approximately 4 hours to Paro, where we will visit Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest and most sacred temples in the kingdom, dating back to the 7th century. We will also visit Ta Dzong, a former Watch Tower which now serves as the National Museum, as well as Rinpung Dzong which houses a monastic school and the office of the civil administration.

In Paro, we had the day to explore the city, do some shopping and get some good coffee. We also visited the town fortress. Then we spent the night at the Tiger's nest camp where we red books by the fire and watched stars. The camp was amazing albeit a little loud.

I think they try and scare you off with the hike and yes, the first part to the cafe is much harder and quite steep especially considering the high altitude. You may also take a horse up to the cafe if you like. It took us an hour and three minutes to reach the cafe where we enjoyed some coffee.

The trail leads past along an ancient path marked by river-powered prayer wheels. As you reach Taktsang you will be struck by the architectural wonder of this most pious Buddhist shrine in Bhutan. Perched some 900m on a cliff overlooking the valley it justifiably qualifies as one of Bhutan’s wonders. Tragically wrecked in a fire in 1998, it has been rebuilt to its original glory. It is said that the legendary Indian saint, Guru Padma Sambhava, flew from Tibet on the back of a tigress to tame five demons, who were opposing the spread of Buddhism in Bhutan in 746 A.D. Hence the name, Taktsang, or the “Tiger’s Lair.”

Drugyel Dzong, or “Castle of the Victorious Drukpa”, which was also built by the Shabdrung to commemorate Bhutan’s victory over the Tibetans in the 16th centuries. From here, the Jomolhari Peak (“Mountain of the Goddess”) can be seen on a clear day (7,329m).

The hotels we stayed at and really enjoyed:

Thimphu: Jambayang Resort

Punakha: Zhingkham Resort (this was a little commercial and boring compared to the others but had amazing views over the fortress and the valley).

Paro: The Tigers Nest Camp