Bhutan Things to Do

 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Bhutan : Jambay Lhakhang Drup

by mlguitar

I just visited this festival this year, 30 Oct 2012. I would say this festival is rather special and not the usual masked dances festivals you will attend in any part of the world.My first trip to Bhutan was in March 2011 for the Paro festival. I fell in love with this country because of its cultural, friendly people and beautiful sceneries. Because of this, I decided to visit Bhutan again this year to visit this Jambay Lhakhang Festival in Bumthang. During the day, you will witness the masked dances festival at the Jambay Lhakhang. The highlight is the midnight dance with 16 naked man around the bonfire. In the 8th century, in order to subdue evils which prevented the construction of this temple, the villagers danced nakedly in front of the evils to distract them. The great treasure discoverer, Tertoen Dorji Lingpa, managed to subdue the demons. Today, all the local bhutanese believe by...

Jambay Lhakhang (Bumthang)
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WHERE IS IT ???????? IN BHUTAN

by jillikins

Bhutan is a land-locked country bounded by Tibet and India. It's about 300km long, and 150km wide.Altitude ; 180m to 7550mm above sea level.Population; 699,000.Capital; Thimpu.Almost all of the country is mountainous,and can be divided into three regions; The high Himalayas ;The valleys and hills of the centre;The foothills and plains of the south.This is a superb place to visit, nothing ordinary here. The people are moving into the 21st century, but keeping up the traditions of their forebears.

BHUTAN
Takstang: The Tiger's Nest Monastery

by HasTowelWillTravel

Probably the most famous site in Bhutan for outsiders, the Tiger's Nest Monastery, sits alongside a sheer cliff thousands of feet above the valley. This Buddhist enclave was consecrated as the site where Guru Rimpoche, riding a flying tiger, faced, battled, and defeated the demon that lived on the mountain. This pious deed was remembered in the construction of the monastery, which now accepts pilgrims from across the Tibetan Buddhist landscape.While the monastery seems to be just a 20 minute drive from the city center, that's just the beginning. To get to the monastery, there is a hike that requires you to ascend the 900 m from bottom to top. It is a steep set of switchbacks for most of it, with a place to rest about halfway. The end is steps, steeply rising to the monastery.Note: no cameras or cell phones are allowed inside, and they check each guest, local or foreigner. You leave your...

In the Valley, looking up
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Hiking the Royal Botanical Garden

by HasTowelWillTravel

Hiking through the Royal Botanical Garden (which is more akin to a National Park than a garden), the landscape has a wide variety, ranging in elevation over 800 m and covering a diverse array of biomes as well as wildlife, including red pandas, Asian elephants, and even the elusive tiger. Up in the higher elevations, around 2700 m, the moist cloud forest dominates. The hiking was incredible, everything was dripping with lichens, and even though it was late November fungi were popping up all around. Everything was lush, and green, and quiet. It felt like what forests should feel like, with the silence of the autumn upon them, the quiet expanded in those green passages. The woods felt and looked ancient, from an age beyond years, and we were just passing through their midst. It was a wondrous hike, and a great trip out of the city of Thimphu.

Along the path
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Dochula Pass

by HasTowelWillTravel

In 2003, Bhutan was pushed towards war. Indian rebels were hiding in Bhutan, and the Indian government had given Butan an ultimatum of either driving the rebels out or the Indian Army would be forced to cross the border and do it themselves. Bhutan's traditions of pacifism and peace wanted to avoid a conflict, with an army of only 7,000 enlisted men, facing tens of thousands of rebels, and war was unpopular. So, the king made it voluntary for the soldiers, and personally led the campaign against the rebels. The mini-war was a success, and the rebels were routed with a minimal loss to the Bhutan army. Some wanted to erect a monument for the victory, but the King replied that war should never be glorified. So instead he commissioned this monument honoring the dead soldiers and the dead rebels from the conflict. The 108 stupas sit along the main road leading from Thimphu to the east, at...

The stupas of Dorchula Pass
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Bird watching - wildlife

by ziger

Bhutan has a unique wildlife and is worth a trip for bird watchers.Even waiting for the plane to leave you can spot a black eagle gliding not to high over the runway.Black necked crans spend the winter in Bhutan (in Lhadak too). Once male and female bird have chosen each other, they spend all her life togeather.

Search blue poppy

by ozalp

National flower of Bhutan is blue poppy, or Meconopsis. Since it lives in high altitudes, we couldn't see it on our way. I just bought a stamp with its picture and used it on my own postcard. I have read that it is hard to grow from seeds and I am sure that it is impossible to find its seeds.It is not the only special plant in this land. I wish I could join a trekking tour with plants theme here. There are so much to see.

Drink the local booze

by ozalp

In Bhutan, drink Bhutanese beverage. They have local beer and whisky. I tasted both and remember that the beer was smooth and delicious, and the whisky was hard and good. I had beer on a lunch and it was in a big bottle so I shared it with my friend. I tasted whisky in Wangdue, before dinner. And it wasn’t the only whisky on the menu. I drank it right after a Johnnie Walker. So, I don’t remember my exact impression about Bhutanese whisky. At least try one of them.

Beer
Taste local fruits

by ozalp

For example; apples. I ate most delicious apples here(except Amasya apple of my country). In September, all apple trees were full of fruits. They have a very dark red color. I’ve seen some trees, they were barely carrying their branches under the weight of fruits. I am still dreaming about having an apple orchard in Bhutan someday.

Find some natural medicines

by ozalp

Bhutan has a great flora and they use plants as medicine. I’ve read a lot about it but couldn’t find herbal medicines to buy. I asked about it to our guide and he said that they use herbal medicines but they only have it in a hospital in Thimphu. Medicines are prepared when they are needed. The only information about herbal medicines I got was from Druk Air’s magazine.Recently I am reading a book about powerful Ottoman Sultan, Kosem Mahpeyker Sultan. In the chapters about his son Murad IV , the writer mentioned a medicine from Himalayas. It is a kind of alga and the royal doctor was using it for cirrhosis.If someday my route will pass through Bhutan, I will try my best to reach some medicines.

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Bhutan Things to Do

Reviews and photos of Bhutan things to do posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Bhutan sightseeing.
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