So, if you didn’t know, now you know.
Bhutan is a country with a different face and a different story to tell. Shrouded for centuries in the misty serenity of the great Himalayas, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, or Bhutan, as now known to the rest of the world, developed its own distinct civilization. The small nation lies deep within the Himalayas between China and India, two of the most populated countries in the world. It is a land of about 750,000 people who believe that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.

Amongst other things, Bhutan is renowned for the monarchy heading the transition to democracy and empowering the people. It is a nation at a crossroad, embracing its past, deciding its future, while fiercely defending its heritage. It is a land where the past and the contemporary co-exist in harmony, an undeniable recipe for a truly breathtaking journey.

In a span of just a few years Bhutan has become a much sought after travel destination. And the Land of the Thunder Dragon is going out of its way to make the nation a ‘place of happiness.’ The concept of happiness preceding materialism has its origin here. This is the true middle path between wellbeing and development and has now become a global phenomenon.

Tourism in the Bhutanese context gives globalization a human face, and mitigates societal fragmentation. However, it is highly imperative that material progress and demographic expansion should not come at the expense of the environment and culture. The societal balance sheet to evaluate tourism should extend beyond conventional GDP metrics. In their quest for a meaningful life, people increasingly long for a better balance between the material and non-material sides of their lives. This is where Bhutan has surged ahead of its contemporaries with its focus on development with values. Indeed, the moral concept, guiding principles and conceptual framework of Gross National Happiness has influenced the world to such an extent that the Resolution on Happiness was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011, leading to the creation of World Happiness Day in 2012, a day annually celebrated across the globe on the 20th of March.

Despite our small size, we have set some impressive environmental benchmarks. Bhutan is not merely carbon neutral, it’s also a carbon sink—making it one of the few countries in the world to have negative carbon emissions. This small tract of land, one of the most rugged terrains in the world, frames one of the world’s richest vegetations. They say that the one thing that never fails you is nature. The closer you are to it, the cleaner is your spirit. We live by this and therefore have actively decided against letting deforestation destroy our extensive green cover. The country is no doubt unique in a world that has too often valued economic growth above all else, often at the expense of the environment.

It is home to a unique identity, derived essentially from a fertile religious and cultural heritage. Bhutan brims with myth and legend. As a befitting testimony, a great Buddhist heritage of over 2000 monasteries and 10,000 monuments dot its peaceful open space and regal mountains. An ambience of near sacred tranquility permeates the land, fostering an environment of spiritual affluence that has shaped the foundation of that rarity that we know as Bhutanese life. And, we don’t have traffic lights telling us how to drive. This is the only place in the world where people are known to have been ‘Dzong-ed out’ and ‘Stupa-fied,’ and you will have to visit Bhutan to find out just what they mean.

In terms of the exclusivity of the experience, the fact that Venice receives more visitors in a single day than what we Bhutanese receive in a year just might put matters into perspective. A trip through Bhutan, in many ways, is still a journey into the past. Difficult as it is to summarize such a varied and richly packed journey, the experiences include trekking, flora and fauna, cities and villages, home visits, architecture, crafts, dances and festivals, temples and shrines….not to mention Suja (butter tea), Ara, and the fiery chili and cheese national dish, Ema datsi. The moment you come off the plane, you breathe in some of the freshest air on the planet as you drift off into a past that is always present. Bhutan is all about the harmonious union between man and nature, spiritualism and materialism, modernization and tradition. Prayers ride the wind while farmers till their lands just as they have done for centuries.

The sights of unfathomable mountains, foaming white waterfalls tumbling down the face of mighty cliffs, farmers backpacking their produce to the local market along the side of the road, prayer wheels churning out divinity, and archaic bridges straddling over streams that surge down the mountain slopes serves to revive the joy of being on the road all over again. A visit to Bhutan will include you in the list of the fortunate few who have experienced the mysticism and magic of one of the world’s most enigmatic countries rightly labeled as the ‘last Shangri La.’ After a visit to Bhutan, no matter which part of the world you are in, a piece of your heart will forever remain buried deep within the craigs of the Himalayas.

We have deliberately and zealously safeguarded and preserved our rich culture and traditions and our ancient way of life, in all its aspects. We make sure that our culture is not sacrificed on the altar of tourism. Of all the other things that Bhutan is renowned for, it is perhaps the rich religious and cultural traditions of the country that puts it on the tourist map as one of the most exotic and must-visit destinations in the world today. And it is perhaps one of the world’s last strongholds of unspoiled wilderness…….a part of the earth that represents a fabled realm. And the best part is that we are now open to visitors. So what are you waiting for? Happiness beckons….. It is but an email away.

You live only once. Take a break from the drudgery of monotonous existence and go ahead and make the bookings for the experience of a lifetime. If it is Bhutan, it is Bhutan tours or nothing else because you deserve nothing but the best and we at Bhutan tours know it better than anyone else….