A week in Bhutan

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
8
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
9
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
4
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
8
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
80 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
53rd/454
Top 20%
continent
Asia
country
Bhutan
Length of time
Around a week
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$320 ($1,400-$1,400 in 2018 prices)
Time of year visited
March
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Buddhist site Hiking Mountains
All Tags
Adventure Altitude Camping Driving Forests Glacial lakes Hilltop towns Isolation Lakes Museums Snow Sunrise
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

Stunning Himalayan scenery and a traditional culture that permeates throughout your whole visit. A visit to Bhutan is a great experience and one that is anchored in the Bhutanese prides in maintaining its traditional culture, environment and people’s happiness rather than focusing on purely economic factors.

This extends to the tourist industry where the minimum spend of USD250 and a strong government hand restricts some of the more commercialised downsides of the industry and makes it feel like you’re stepping back in time to this slightly forgotten Himalayan kingdom.

You’ll have to go with an agency, but considering you don’t have to travel as a group, can arrange your own itinerary and the $ includes everything other than flights, it’s a good deal.  We went with Swallow Tail Travels on a 7 day / 6 night trip for USD1400, who we would recommend.  This is the itinerary.

 

Monks by a monastery in Bhutan

Orientation

 

You’ve got two main area in what is a small country: the capital Thimpu and Paro where the airport is.  The key sites of the Druk Path and the Tiger’s Nest Monastery are within striking distance of both.

 

Highlights

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#1 Hiking Bhutan's most famous trek - the Druk Path and having 4 days of isolation and stunning mountain scenery

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#2 Climbing up to the Tiger's Nest Monastery, perched high up on one of the mountain sides

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#3 The Bhutan people! Genuinely super friendly and happy people

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#4 The feeling of isolation as you emerge from your frozen tent and look at some of the still unclimbed Bhutanese mountains in the distance

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#5 Seeing the wonderful colours of the various buddhist Monasteries and Fortresses all so close together

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#6 Experiencing the altitude as you pass Labana La Pass at 4,235m

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#7 The splashes of colour from the Buddhist flags that give that real Himalayan mountain vibe

Itinerary

Day 1 – land in Paro and head out straight away to check out the fortress of Punakha Dzong, Paro Dzong (the mini fotress that overlooks the valley), the National Museum and the monstery of Tronga Dzong

Day 2 – visit in the morning the most famous spot in Bhutan, the Tiger’s Nest Monastery perched high on the sheer cliffs.  See Climbing to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery for some tips on this experience.  The afternoon is for trying archery and visiting the Kyichu Lhakhang, the oldest temple in Bhutan

Day 3 – Day 6 -hiking the 54km famous Druk Path which takes you from Paro to Thimphu and with views of nearby Mt Jomalhori and Mt Gangkhar Puensum.  Moderate difficultly and can easily be squeezed into 4 days, but some take 5-6 days.  As with most things in Bhutan, you’ll have it largely to youself.  See Hiking Bhutan’s Druk Path at the end of winter for more tips and details

Day 6 afternoon – visit the Buddha Dordenma, a 51m / 167ft Buddha statue gilded in gold, and wander round Thimpu

Day 7 – fly out from Paro

Travel Tips

Time of Year – we went in March, which was cold, but added to the overall experience when trekking in the snow.

The main highlights of Bhutan are relatively compact.  You can check out Punakha Dzong, Paro Dzong, the National Museum, Trongsa Dzong and Kyichu Lhakhang easily within a morning or afternoon.

Accommodation – we stayed, all arranged by the tour company, at Taktsang Boutique Resort & Spa on the first two nights and Hotel Thimphu Tower on the final night.  Both were nice.

Various activities – there’s always bits and bobs to do in the evenings and quieter times, such as archery, hot stone baths, cooking classes, traditional dances, traditional crafts etc.  Time fillers to a degree, but they just seem to be a bit more genuine than the usual commercialised tourist approach.  Similarly, the Bhutanese take no offence if you’re just not in the mood.

Flights – flights can be a little restrictive, but your agency will help you see your various options.

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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