Eight great things to experience while visiting Bhutan

An awe-inspiring cliff-side monastery, blazingly fiery local food, incredible mountain views, and more in the remote but proud Himalayan country of Bhutan.

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Our first real holiday together was in 2007: a trip to the secluded Himalayan nation of Bhutan on the northeast border of India (at the time, it was one of the last true monarchies in the world, but since then has switched to democracy—incredibly, on the orders of the king himself). We had heard a lot about Bhutan’s beautiful landscape and imposing Buddhist architecture, and decided we wanted to see for ourselves. We did, and we loved it—and still dream of going back for another visit.

So, based on what we saw during our trip, here are eight great things to experience while visiting Bhutan.

1. The adrenalin rush of the flight into Paro

Bhutan’s single airport has been built in the town of Paro, for the sole reason that it’s the only place that offered any sort of approach for an aircraft to land. That’s not saying much, though, because the plane still needs to do some serious weaving between mountains before suddenly straightening out and landing at the tiny airport.

The plane needs to do some serious weaving between mountains before landing.

The last few minutes of the flight are quite intense, with the trees on the mountainsides looking close enough to touch every time the plane banks in either direction!

Also read: Eight things we learned in Ladakh, the highest desert in the world

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2. The solid but intricately decorated architecture

Bhutanese buildings are squat and blockish, like a lot of Himalayan Buddhist architecture. This is offset, though, by lots of decorative flourishes like wooden latticework and hand-painted patterns and religious motifs. Overall, the effect is a little incongruous, but charming nevertheless.

Also read: 12 places with heritage sites that left us spellbound

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3. The head-exploding spiciness of their national dish

Before we visited, we had heard a lot about the amount of chilli the Bhutanese use in their food. We weren’t too concerned, though, because we thought it couldn’t get much spicier than the food we were used to, living in India. We were extremely wrong.

Bhutan’s national dish uses green chillies as a vegetable!

It turned out that their national dish ema datse (literally ‘chilli and cheese’) uses green chillies as a vegetable—and not the big mild ones, either! One bite was enough to convince us we needed a lot more practice before we could finish a bowl, even between the two of us.

Also read: 12 interesting Indian veggie dishes that you need to try

4. The profusion of furry doggies everywhere you look

I’ll admit, this may not be for everyone, but it was great for us dog lovers. Sadly, Bhutanese stray dogs are a lot like the people—quiet, dignified, and not very outgoing. None of them (the dogs, not the people) reacted to our friendly overtures beyond giving us a slightly disbelieving stare, so we learned to leave them alone and just admire them from afar.

Also read: 63 cute doggies we’ve met on our travels

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5. The imposing bulk of Punakha dzong

The dzongs of Bhutan are an interesting combination of military fortress, administrative center and Buddhist monastery, and use the traditional blockish Bhutanese building style—but on a massive scale! Each administrative district has one, and the dzong in the former capital town of Punakha is said to be the most imposing. We found that quite believable as we walked through the gates in the huge walls and along the various stone courtyards inside, with even the interior buildings towering intimidatingly overhead.

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6. The view from Chele La pass

The road from the town of Paro to the Haa valley leads up and over Chele La pass—supposedly at a height of almost 4000 meters above sea level. The views from the pass are breath-taking, and the flapping prayer flags just add to the atmosphere.

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7. The incredible Taktsang monastery

Of all the things in Bhutan, this is what we most highly recommend: the trek up to the amazing hill-hugging Taktsang Lhakhang—the Tiger’s Nest monastery. The well-defined path up the mountain would, under ordinary circumstances, not be considered very difficult. The thin air at that altitude, though, can make even the fittest take it slow!

The spectacular monastery is built right into the hillside, on the edge of a cliff.

We huffed and puffed our way up over three hours, stopping every ten minutes for a breather while our impassive guide looked on with a faint air of amusement. But it was all worth it in the end, as we finally drew level with the spectacular monastery, built right into the hillside and almost falling off the edge of the cliff!

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8. The fading post-colonial glory of Calcutta

I’ll readily admit, this isn’t really part of a trip to Bhutan. But since your flight to or from Paro will probably be through Calcutta (now Kolkata), it might just be worth it to take a break here and explore what used to be the British Empire’s capital in India. Almost everywhere you go in Kolkata, fading remnants of the Empire’s presence are visible, from architectural landmarks like the Victoria Memorial to more subtle cultural influences like an enduring love for high tea.

IQ’s top tips for Bhutan

• Bhutan is fiercely protective of its culture and natural heritage, and makes international tourists pay for the privilege of being there. If you’re not an Indian or Bhutanese national, be prepared to pay a steep pre-determined all-inclusive daily fee for your time in the country.
• Indian Rupees are widely accepted as currency, though you will probably receive change in Bhutanese Ngultrums (pronounced ‘nyultrum’).
• The public restrooms outside Punakha dzong are neither very clean nor very well maintained (at least when we were there). Be prepared.
• When at a restaurant, it’s probably better to stick to order something local or maybe Indian. The Bhutanese don’t seem to do international cuisine very well, even if it’s on the menu.
• If you’re the active type, remember that the air can get very thin, and stay on the alert for signs of altitude sickness.

Also read: 7 fun things to do in Pokhara, Nepal while social-distancing

More pictures of Bhutan

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