Stories from the Himalayas
Fifteen pieces on Bhutan, culture, festivals, food, practical planning, and the things worth knowing before you go. Written in Thimphu.
Best time to visit Bhutan
Spring and autumn get the attention. But the quieter months have an argument of their own.
How many days do you need in Bhutan?
Five, seven, eleven, and the mistake almost everyone makes with the middle option.
Do you need a guide in Bhutan?
The rules changed. Most articles online are out of date. Here is what independent travel looks like now.
The visa, step by step
Not complicated, just unlike most countries. What you supply, and what we handle.
The Sustainable Development Fee
What the nightly fee funds, and why it is the reason the country still feels this way.
Understanding Tshechu
What the masked dances depict, the clowns’ ritual licence, and the thangka unrolled before dawn.
Why the robes are maroon
Saffron belongs to another Buddhism entirely. The colour tells you which Himalaya you are in.
Gross National Happiness, explained honestly
Nine domains, a government agency, and the complications the postcard version leaves out.
How to read a dzong
Not a castle, not a museum. A working fortress, monastery and district government at once.
Walking to Tiger’s Nest
Everyone asks how hard it is. The honest answer, including the part nobody warns you about.
Ema datshi, and eating in Bhutan
The national dish is chillies and cheese. Chillies as the vegetable, not the seasoning.
The farmhouse and the hot stone bath
River stones heated until they crack, dropped into a wooden tub. The oldest hospitality here.
Weaving, and the thirteen crafts
A single kira can take a year on a backstrap loom. Price it accordingly.
Phobjikha and the black-necked cranes
A valley that buried its power lines underground so as not to endanger a few hundred birds.
Bumthang, the spiritual heartland
Where Buddhism entered Bhutan. Most visitors never get here, which is the reason to go.
Reading is a good place to start.
When you are ready to turn it into a route, tell us what caught you.
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