Paro
Valley
All visitors are now required to enter the kingdom at
paro by the national airline, Druk-Air.It may be more
convenient for some visitors to leave the kingdom via
the southern outlets of Samdrup Jangkhar in the east or
phuentsholing in the west. Twenty-five years ago all visitors
would have had to walk for five days across the mountains
to each paro from the Indian border. Now the journey by
air is only 45 minutes from Calcutta, kathmandu or Dhaka.
The mythical dream-like kingdom comes into view as Druk-Air’s
BAE-146 aircraft swings in giant arcs and descends onto
Bhutan’s only airstrip at paro. Once on the ground the
dexterity of the international flight crew can be fully
appreciated as a glance in any direction provides an aweinspiring
view at very close range of the Himalayan mountains.
Thimphu
Thimpu, perhaps the most unnsual capital city in the
world, is a bustling town on the banks of its own river
and set gloriously in the hills of its own valley. A
regal town, Thimphu is home to the revered Bhutanese
Royal family and to several foreign missions and development
projects. On the blank of the river lies Tashichho Dzong,
the main secretariat building which houses the throne
room of His Majesty the king of Bhutan. The National
Assembly King of Bhutan. The National Assembly Hall
is housed in a modern building on the other side of
the river from the Dzong. Visitors are strictly prohibited
from entering the government building at all during
an active session. Next to the Dzong is Bhutan’s only
golf course. A nine-hole circuit that is far more picturesque
than it is testing. The thangka painting school in the
heart of Thimphu is well worth visiting. With sun streaming
through the window panes casting long shadows across
the wooden slats, student monks in burgundy robes sit
in the classroom for hours at a time learning from a
saffron-robed elder.
Punakha
The road winds up from simtokha Dzong into pine forest
and through small villages for 20 kilometers and then
opens miraculously onto the northern ridge of the mountains.
The view over the Himalayan panoply at Dorchula pass
at 10,500 feet is one of the most spectacular in all
Bhutan. Punkha lies about two hours drive from Dorchula
down low in its valley. Commanding a sparse population,
punkha Dzong is home to the central monk body and the
Je Khenpo during the milder winter months. A temperate
climate and natural drainage from the phochu(male) and
Mochu (female) rivers, the fertile punakha valley produces
abundant crops and fertile punakha valley produces abundant
crops and fruit. Punakha served as the capital of Bhutan
until 1995. Punakha Dzong was strategically built at
the junction of the two rivers in the 17th Century by
the first Shabdrung to serve as the religious and administrative
center. In spit of four catastrophic fires and a devastating
earthquake that destroyed many historic documents, punakha
Dzong houses sacred tempes including the Marchen where
the embalmed body of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal lies
in state.
Wangduephodrang
Wangduephodrang is the last town on the central highway
before central Bhutan. The town is no more than an enlarged
village with a few well-provided shops. One hotel with
basic facilities is situated behind Wangduephodrang’s
square. Sitting on top of the hill looking out over
the junction of the two rivers, Wangduephodrang Dzong
is the town’s most visible feature. In the 17th Century
Wangduephodrang played a critical role in unifying the
western,central and southern Bhutanese districts.
Tongsa
In the center of Bhutan four hours by road from Wangduephodrang,
Tongsa offers a welcome rest to travelers. The approach
to the involves a frustrating 14-kilometer trip around
Tongsa Valley. A vantage point from the opposite side
of the valley, still 14 kilometers from Tongsa, provides
a welcome view of the Dzong and the town. Like almost
all towns in the kingdom, the secular and religious
center, the Dzong, dominates the horizon, dwarfing the
surrounding buildings. The Royal Family’s ancestral
home is Tongsa. Both His Majeasty King Ugyen Wangchuck,
the Penlop of Tongsa, who was elected the country’s
first hereditary monarch, and his successor, king Jigme
Wangchuck, ruled the country from Tongsa’s ancient Dzong.
The Crown Prince of Bhutan normally holds the position
of the Tongsa Penlop Prior to ascending the throne,
including the present King who was appointed Penlop
in 1972, shortly before his succession to the throne.
East Bhutan
The drive across the Thumsingla pass and the subsequent
descent from high altitude pine forest to lush pastures
and orchards is one of the most exciting drives in all
of the Himalayas. Gushing waterfalls, steep cliffs with
even steeper drops, blazing flowers, and constantly
changing vegetation combine to make this journey as
varied as it is beautiful. If the weather is clear the
high eastern range of mountains comes into view from
range of mountains comes into view from the top of the
pass and in inclement weather misty mountain views across
many peaks can be seen. Eastern people speak a different
dialect to westerners and they often cannot understand
each other. The country is more rugged and the population
more sparse. However some of the best trekking can be
made in the east of the country.
Bhutan - South West
The road from Tashigang to Samdrup Jongkhr was completed
in the early 1960s and enables the eastern half of the
country to access and benefit from trade with the south
as well as to cross the Indian border. It is possible
to drive from Samdrup Jongkhar to Phuentsholing via
the Indian territories of Assam and West Bengal. There
is little for travelers to see in this area but some
visitors choose to use samdrup Jongkhar as a more convenient
exit town. The journey from Tashigang passes pemagatshel,
a newly created independent district with its own Dzong.
The road descends with its own abruptly through thick
jungle before arriving at Samdrup Jongkhar. This town
is no more than a frontier post with a couple of decent
hotels and restaurants to wile away the time when the
border is not open. Phuentsholing in the south west
is a bustling broder town and can also be used as an
exit point from Bhutan.
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