Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Royal Mountain Travel Magazine Issue 1 | Page 39

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan calls itself Druk Yul, Land
of the Thunder Dragon. Still in a partly secluded state, Bhutan
has retained its reputation as an exclusive destination for select
visitors. This has resulted in keeping intact the pristine nature of
its surroundings, the proud culture and civilization of its people
and the continuity of its deeply rooted religious traditions. Still
relatively unknown to most of the world, this charming Himalayan
Kingdom remains peacefully nestled in the eastern Himalayas
amidst verdant forests and lush green valleys. Nature at its best—
that’s Bhutan in a nutshell.

whose inhabitants are celebrated stonemasons. Punakha Dzong is
the winter residence of Bhutan’s spiritual leader, the Head Abbot,
and the Central Monastic Body.

Colorful Paro and restful Thimpu

The Bumthang region encompasses four major valleys: Choskhor,
Tang, Ura and Chhume. The Dzongs and the most important
temples are in the large Choskhor valley, commonly referred to as
Bumthang Valley. It would be difficult to find so many important
temples and monasteries in such a small area anywhere else in
Bhutan. Southeast of Jakar, Ura is the highest of Bumthang’s
Valleys with it is quite a large village, dominated by the Lhakhang.
About 40 closely packed houses line the cobblestone streets, giving
the town a medieval atmosphere.

The moment you land at colorful Paro which is overlooked by a
dramatic dzong, you will be surprised to see houses so beautiful,
they make you stop a moment to view and reflect. All around,
you will see forests and fields with isolated farms and tiny hamlets
strewn all over the countryside. Nearby Paro are the ruins of
Drugyal Dzong, a site of great historical significance. It was from
this fortress that the Bhutanese repelled many Tibetan invasions.
The name means the victorious Bhutanese. It offers a magnificent
vista of Mount Chomolhari, “Mountain of Goddess” (7329 m). A
short distance south of the road is Kyichu Lhakhang. This temple
is said to be one of the 12 great geomantric temples ordered to
be built by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in the 7th century. It
holds down the left foot of an ogress whose body is so large that it
covers Bhutan and most of central Tibet.
The capital Thimphu is a two hour drive away and is noticeably
small compared to other capital cities. However it more than makes
up for its small size with its majestic bearing. It lies in a wooded
valley, sprawling up a hillside on the west bank of the Thimphu
River. It is a most restful city to spend some time in. One will
come across storefronts along the streets displaying a rich tapestry
of Bhutanese handicrafts and textiles. It is also said to be the only
capital city in the world that does not have any traffic lights!

Into the heart of Bhutan
From Thimphu, the three-hour drive to Punakha and Wangdue
crosses the Dochula Pass (3150 m), offering a great view of the
Eastern Himalayan Mountains. Wangdue Phodrang Dzong is
perched on a spur at the confluence of two rivers, Phochu’ (male
river) and‘Mochu’(female river). It commands an impressive view
over both the north-south and east-west roads. The main road
climbs the length of the spur and on the left, across the river,
comes the first glimpse of the picturesque village of Rinchengang

It takes almost four hours to drive between the windswept town
of Wangdue and Trongsa. The route crosses the Black Mountains
via Pele la (3,240m) before entering the Mangde Chhu Valley.
Backing on to the mountain and built on several levels, the Dzong
fits narrowly on a spur that sticks out into the gorge of the Mangde
River and overlooks the routes south and west.

Tiger’s Nest
Retracing the route towardsTrongsa and Wangdue the road diverts
to Gangtey Valley. The valley is a designated conservation area
and borders the Black Mountains National Park. Because of the
large flock of black-necked cranes that winter here, it is one of
the most important wildlife preserves in the country. In addition
to the cranes, there are also muntjacks (barking deer), wild boars,
sambars, Himalayan black bears, leopards and black foxes in the
valley and surrounding hills. Gangtey Gomba overlooks the large
green expanse of the Phobjikha Valley.
Taktsang is the most famous of all Bhutanese monasteries. It is
perched on the side of a cliff 900m above the floor of the Paro
valley, where the only sounds are the murmurs of the wind, and
water and the chanting of the monks. The name Taktsang means
‘Tigers Nest’; the Guru is said to have flown on the back of a
tigress to the site of the monastery where he meditated in a cave
for three months. The monastery itself is closed to tourists except
by special permit. The one-hour walk up to the viewpoint, where
there is a small wooden teahouse provides a close-up view of the
monastery.
Indeed, this small Himalayan Kingdom promises much and what’s
more, it delivers on all counts!

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