A globe trotter may have travelled to every hot tourist spot in the world and yet missed one of the most exclusive destinations on the face of this planet: Bhutan.
For one, Bhutan is sandwiched between two giants of the world – India and China – with their teeming billions. Between these two giants, it is easy to look over Bhutan, a tiny spot by comparison.
But Bhutan is the place to visit. It is nothing like India. It is nothing like China. In fact, it is nothing like anything. Bhutan is Bhutan, and there is no substitute for it.
Depending on who you ask, you will get different reasons to visit Bhutan. There is the Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Visit Bhutan. There is also 5 Reasons Why Bhutan is Worth the US$250 Daily Fee by CNN. Someone actually found 100 Reasons to Visit Bhutan.
My Trip Bhutan goes off the beaten track and offers you 11 extraordinary reasons why you should definitely visit Bhutan.
1. Bhutan is THE Kingdom in the sky
Everyone has heard of tales of wise Kings who ruled selflessly and courageously to bring prosperity and happiness to the people of the land. For that matter, to the plants and the animals and everything that has life. But not many would believe that Bhutan is in fact that land from fairy tales where the Kings are not only selfless but wise and visionary. The history of modern Bhutan really is a story of how the successive Monarchs of Bhutan led the country from a medieval setting to a modern nation state in less than 50 years. And for their service, what did they take? Nothing.
For you to have a true appreciation of what leadership really means, visit Bhutan.
2. The home of the cutest Royal Prince
Ah, yes. His Royal Highness Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the firstborn of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan, is definitely the cutest Royal in the world. With his arrival in February 2016, Prince George had to take the second place in the ranking of the cutest Royals in the world.
Cannot guarantee you will be able to actually see His Royal Highness during your visit, but you will definitely get a feel of what it means to be loved by everybody.
3. Happiness is a place
Happiness can be overrated especially the diluted and shallow version of personal happiness. But is it possible to create collective happiness? Bhutan has shown the world that it is possible to at least create the conditions for happiness so that people need not search for it in other places. War will not bring happiness to anyone. So will not poverty, environmental degradation, corrupt governance and lost culture.
But if you live in a peaceful land where the environment is clean, governments exists for the people, and culture and relationship thrives, your attempt at personal happiness will be more successful than if you were in a place with opposite attributes.
The concept of Gross National Happiness stems from this understanding. In Bhutan, you will see how it is implemented.
4. 71% forest cover
A big part of being a happy country has been the preservation of Bhutan’s natural environment. And what a success it has been. The country now has 71% of its land area under forest cover – most part of it natural, prestine forest. That means so many things including more than 800 million trees in a land area of about 36,000 square kilometres. One third of that area is in the alpine region where trees do not grow.
If clean mountain air is what you are after, you know where to look for.
5. Biodiversity hotspot
Its abundant natural forest cover also makes Bhutan one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is so rich that new species of flora and fauna continue to be discovered in Bhutan with the latest addition being a dragon fly which has been named after our Prince.
Bhutan is also home to numerous endangered species including tigers, black-necked cranes and white-bellied herons. Just to show how serious Bhutanese are to safeguard these species, the punishment for deliberately killing a black-necked crane is life imprisonment. That is a punishment equivalent to killing another human being.
And just to show that Bhutan really cares for these animals, the Royal Government of Bhutan is planning to name every Royal Bengal tiger found in its territory. Currently there are 200 of them having the time of their life in Bhutan. In fact, the mountains of Bhutan may have more Bengal tigers than in Bengal.
In 2010, a BBC documentary called the Lost Land of the Tiger captured footages of tigers at 3000 meters in Bhutan. Seeing the footage, the guy went all tears and BBC claimed that they discovered tigers in the mountains in Bhutan. They completely forgot that there is an old and a very famous monastery in Bhutan called the Tiger’s Nest. A nest without a tiger wouldn’t be a tiger’s nest, would it?
When you visit Bhutan, you will be in company of these species and many other species native to Bhutan.
6. Rich culture
Bhutan is one of the last pockets where the traditional Himalayan culture thrives at a national level.
Its rich culture makes it unlike any other countries. The force of globalization is strong in Bhutan, but everywhere you will see its culture rich and meaningful, more than ever.
7. No slaughterhouse
Bhutanese are mostly Buddhist, following the Mahayana Buddhism. Because of strong beliefs in life of not just humans but any living being, slaughterhouses have gradually moved out of Bhutan. While you will see shops selling meat, there is no slaughterhouse in Bhutan.
It, however, does not mean that Bhutanese are not meat eaters. Meat is an essential part of the diet for a vast majority of the people in Bhutan. But as faithful Buddhists, they pray for forgiveness soon after they eat meat.
8. No Butts
For those of you who absolutely abhor cigarettes and cigarette puffing folks, you are in for a treat. Bhutan has banned the sale and distribution of all tobacco products.
But if you are the kind who cannot stand without a puff every now and then, don’t worry. Pay the tax and bring your fags for your personal consumption. If you run short, there are plenty of wild marijuana growing freely in Bhutan. Using them, however, is illegal. You would have known that already.
9. Breathtaking landscape
In less than 300 kilometres, Bhutan rises from around 300 meters above sea level, crosses three climatic zones and rises to more than 7000 meters. The sub tropic belt in the southern part of Bhutan, the temperate region of the interior Bhutan and the alpine zone in the north makes for breath taking landscapes.
Trekking here will reveal the beauty of the Himalayas, and take you further into self discovery.
10. Chilli is not a spice; it is a vegetable
If you think chilli is a spice, you will be challenged. In Bhutan, chilli is a vegetable. You cook chilli and then you add more spicier chilli, salt and other spices to make Bhutanese curries.
Crazy people.
A favourite dish of Bhutanese is a dish called Ema Datshi. Unfortunately, you have to be in Bhutan to taste it. Unauthorized use of that recipe outside of Bhutan is banned. Kidding.
11. Highest unclimbed peaks
If you are a mountaineering kind, you will definitely like it when you hear Bhutan has the highest unclimbed peaks in the world. In Bhutan, it is prohibited by law for anyone to assail peaks higher than 6000 meters. If you attempt a climb and even if the law does not catch you, perhaps the yeti will.
The most prominent unclimbed mountain in the world is Gangkar Puensum (7570 meters) of Bhutan.
The high peaks hold special meaning for local population and as such are off limits to climbers. It is unlikely the law will change anytime soon.
12. The most dangerous airport in the world
Bhutan is mountainous, all right. That means it does not even have a decent place plain enough to build its only international airport. Since it was not recommended to build the airport on the top of a mountain, they took it to a valley floor. That means only one thing. The landing is pain. It is so challenging, only a handful of pilots are trained to land there.
Every time the flights come in for landing, it navigates the valley which prompts the collision warnings to go off. The pilots just turn them off and continue to fly. It is said the margin of error is like really low.
That has gotta be in your bucket list.
So what are you waiting for?