One of Asia’s more obscure destinations, Bhutan is also one of the world’s most expensive – so is it worth visiting…? I give my verdict in this three-part travelogue.
Welcome to
the Kingdom of Bhutan
When my partner and I boarded our flight from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Paro, Bhutan, our expectations for the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’ were as high as the mountain kingdom’s average altitude*. After all, we’d paid a ‘Sustainable Development Fee’ (SDF) of $200 per day per person** just to breathe its rarefied air.
Most casual travellers would baulk at such an exorbitant fee – and that’s essentially the point of the SDF: to deter mass tourism with all its negative consequences while reaping the rewards of a wealthier target audience. Given we can hardly be described as ‘wealthy’, it very nearly deterred us…
Ultimately, what won us over was the understanding that we’d probably never be so close to Bhutan again. We’d already booked our stay in Nepal, and Paro is a mere 70-minute flight from Kathmandu, so we decided to take a sizeable chunk out of our savings to experience just 48 hours in this mystical, mountainous land – but had we made the right decision?
*Bhutan has the highest average elevation of any country.
**Bhutan cut the SDF by 50%, to $100 per day, mere days after we visited. Lucky us.
Flying with dragons
Soon after the Kathmandu–Paro flight takes off, an announcement informs passengers that those sitting on the left of the plane may be able to spot Mount Everest from their window. Having done our research, we’d already booked port-side seats, although we needn’t have bothered – the flight was practically empty as this was August, the middle of Bhutan’s off-peak season.
One of two airlines serving Bhutan, Druk Air takes its name from the country’s local moniker, Druk Yul – ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’.
About halfway through the flight, it appeared in all its glory: Earth’s highest peak breaking through the clouds into the azure skies above. We hadn’t yet set foot in Bhutan, but we’d already had our first ‘wow’ moment – and there were many more to come…
One of the better aeroplane window views I’ve had in my time.
As the plane descends towards Paro International Airport, views of sky, clouds, and snow-capped mountains make way for equally enchanting vistas of the verdant, rolling Himalayan foothills. Tranquil music plays as the mountainsides close in – perhaps a distraction from the fact this is the most challenging runway approach in the world…
Safely on terra firma, we entered the most beautiful airport building we’d ever seen, constructed as it is in the traditional ‘dzong’ architectural style characteristic of Bhutan and Tibet. Outside the airport, we found our tour guide, Yeshi Wangdi, and driver, Yeshi Wangchuk, waiting to greet us. Moments later, we were en route to the capital, Thimphu.
Without the telltale lorry and man-in-a-high-vis, would you even recognise this as an airport?
About guided tours in Bhutan…
My partner and I generally prefer to travel under our own steam, but in Bhutan – which doesn’t cater to mass tourism – guided tours are advisable. In fact, they were mandatory until recently and remain so for travel outside the valleys of Paro and Thimphu.
There are hundreds of certified Bhutan tour operators, but Third Rock Adventures appealed to us most for several reasons: the glowing praise they had received online; the professionalism with which their founder and managing director, Naba Raj Amgai, had communicated with us (he wasn’t at all pushy but was always quick to respond to our queries); and their value for money.
In the second instalment of this three-part travelogue, we arrive in Thimphu, where we sample the local cuisine, have a close encounter with an unusual creature, and take in some truly impressive architecture.
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