Bhutan, you will taste it in the air!
If I had to name the biggest difference between Bhutan and the rest of the world, I could do so in one word; civility.
— Linda Leaming.
Bhutan is simply one of the most beautiful countries on earth, nestled between the Himalayas, this Dragon Kingdom was long close off for visitors from the outside world, but now it’s slowly opening up to the world. Not too big a nation, Bhutan occupies an area of 38,394 km² making it somewhat smaller than Switzerland or about half the size of the US state of Indiana. Bhutan’s landscape is mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna.
The country has a multiethnic population of 760,000 inhabitants (in 2015). There are three main ethnic groups in Bhutan, the Tshanglas (or Sharchop) are considered the aboriginal inhabitants of eastern Bhutan, the Ngalops, people of Tibetan origin who migrated to Bhutan, and the Lhotshampas, a group of Nepali language-speaking Bhutanese people. Official language is Dzongkha, a language closely related to Tibetan and Nepali. Capital and largest city is Thimphu.
Getting into Bhutan is a tough trick. Bhutan follows strict tourist regulation and everything is controlled by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) which issues visas and entry permits to the country. Visitors from the SAARC nations get a visa waiver but the rest of the visitors from other nationalities have to pay a mandatory tourist for visiting Bhutan.
Bhutan imposes a mandatory per day fee of US$250 per person for foreigners and US$16 for Indian nationals who come into the country as tourists (US$290 for solo travellers), but what many people don’t realise is that, for the US$250 you pay, this fee includes your guide, private transportation, comfortable hotel accommodation and all food and entry fees (and an entire trekking crew if you go trekking). The other key thing to understand is that you can completely tailor your Bhutan itinerary to go wherever you have the time, budget and inclination to visit. This gives you the freedom to throw in some hiking, overnight in a farmstay, or just spend time soaking in a hotel spa. You don’t have to follow an agency’s set tour.
At The Chikkiboo Travel Co., we always stride in making the process of travel simpler for our customers. In Bhutan we give the tourists the opportunity to visit various festivals and other classic locations which regular agencies do not offer. By having flexible time options, we offer a diverse level of travel experience for our customers. You get to visit the Haa Festival which comes about in July, or you can stay at a traditional farm house where you can taste and experience authentic Bhutanese cuisine and hospitality. We also take tourists to the northern regions which are least explored along with trekking expeditions along the Himalayas.
Bhutan is also a great place to take bikes on rentals and drive across the country. Bikes rentals are pretty affordable and can be arranged on prior request. The best rides can be done from Paro to Thimphu or from Thimphu to Punakha.
chikkiboo.travel.blog 