Visiting Bhutan

Introduction

Map of Bhutan

Bhutan a prevailing and an primeval land. Proceedings of history takes us back to the sixth century A.D. and the modern history hardly spans three decades. Located in the heart of the mighty Himalayas, the country of not more than 650,000 people constitutes one of the most rugged surfaces of the earth. This gift of geography combined with the determination of the inhabitants allowed the Bhutanese race to be itself regardless of the world and its changing ways beyond its mountains and gorges.

Location
Wedged between Tibet(China) to the north and India to the south is a country far cry from the modern world. A country still intact with its age old living culture and tradition that play an important part role in their daily lives. Bhutanese or locally call themselves as the drukpas’ are mongoloid by race.

Language
The official language of Bhutan is ‘Dzongkha’. It is widely spoken in the kingdom. Lhoshamkha is also a major language widely spoken by the people of southern Bhutan who are of Nepalese origin. Tsangla or Sharchopkha is another major dialect spoken by the people from eastern Bhutan. There are also many local dialects used in many regions of Bhutan.
Drukpas are composed of three main ethnic groups, that is: Ngalops, Sharshops and Lhotsampas. Ngalops the first group originally from Tibet who are the followers of Buddhism and settled mostly in the western & central Bhutan. Sharshops, the second group who immigrated from northern Burma & northeast India and settled in eastern Bhutan. Lhotsampas are the third group migrated to Bhutan from Nepal in the early 20th century for agricultural land and work. They live predominantly in the southern plains.

Currency
Bhutanese currency is Ngultrum(Nu/BTN) which is pegged to the Indian rupee (1US$ is equivalent to about Nu. 82 as of Jan. 2023 which fluctuates by a bit more or less).

Environment
Bhutan still holds about 65 % of intact forest coverage that is home to Bhutan’s diverse flora and fauna comprising of an estimated 700 bird species and at least 5000 species of vascular plants.

Climate
The climate varies widely depending on the elevation. In the south, it is tropical; at the northern extreme, there is perpetual snow. Very little rain falls in the autumn from October through December making it ideal for trekking. Bhutan’s climate is changeable and unpredictable, not only varying among the various regions, but also varying enormously from day to day or even on the same day.

In degree centigrade(‘C)

Time Zone
Bhutan has only one time zone, Bhutan Standard Time (BST). It is six hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), 30 minutes ahead of India.

Tours in Bhtuan:

Places of visit include cultural and heritage sites where Bhutan has many ancient sites of such holdings such as ancient dzongs (ancient castle fortresses) and monasteries. Visit to such place can be blended with hikes, trekking or drive by car. Such visit can also be a combination of witnessing a grant mask dance festival. There is a good variety to choose from, for your intended type of tour viz. trekking, hiking, festivals, cultural heritage, mountain-biking, bird-watching, botanical, rafting, religious etc.

Entry /Exit Bhutan:
One can visit Bhutan overland via Phuentsholing (Bhutan south-west border town to India), Samdrupjonkhar (Bhutan south-east border town to India) or can fly into Paro (Bhutan) by Druk Air (Bhutan National Airline). Druk Air is the only airline operating flights to and fro Bhutan and  have flight connections with Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, Kolkata, Kathmandu and Dhaka. Bhutan Mountain Holiday will make your flight arrangement as well.