Wildlife Holidays in Bhutan
Tell me about Bhutan …
Druk-yul, the ‘Land of the Dragon’, as Bhutan is known to its inhabitants, has always been the most fiercely independent of the Himalayan kingdoms. It is also a highly individual country.
Its southern border, where the foothills of the Himalaya rise more steeply from the Indian plains than anywhere else, imposed a limit on the British Empire.
Even today Bhutan is difficult to visit. Tourists have been accepted since 1974, but the high prices demanded by the government of Bhutan have ensured that their numbers have been low – seldom more than a few thousand a year.
Bhutan is a land of boundless and beautiful forests, of enormous dzongs (remarkable buildings peculiar to Bhutan that incorporate fort, monastery and village in one!), and a proud and elegant people with a culture, architecture and dress that are quite unique and that they do not wish to change.
As one of the last strongholds of Tibetan Buddhism, its religious monuments are numerous and quite outstanding. Temples, shrines, monasteries and dzongs litter the high valleys of Bhutan, and the grandest of them are in the beautiful Paro and Bumthang Valleys.
What’s special about the wildlife?
The natural history of this small mountain kingdom is still little known, but we do know that its unspoiled forests and valleys hold the best of the great variety of birds and flowers for which the eastern Himalaya is famous.
Naturetrek tours to Bhutan
Naturetrek's 18-day botanical holiday to Bhutan focuses on the plants and birds of this last Shangri-la. The tour visits beautiful forests and includes a 6-day trek through the centre of the country. Our 18-day ‘India – Assam, Darjeeling & Bhutan’ tour also visits the country.
Highlights of our ‘Bhutan’s Bumthang Valley’ tour include:
- Flowering rhododendrons, magnolias, spring flowers & shrubs
- Plants covering an altitudinal range from 120 to 4,260 metres
- Dzongs, monasteries, temples & shrines, including the spectacular Tiger’s Nest Monastery