Bhutan - the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Being the last remaining great Himalayan kingdom, it was restricted to all outsiders until recent years. Situated in the Himalayan mountains and hills, the beauty and diversity of this Forbidden Land are beyond any description. This is a place of Buddhism where Tibetan culture fully remains, and Gross Domestic Happiness is deemed more important than Gross Domestic Product.

Bhutan lies in the heart of eastern Himalayas, bordered by China (Tibet) to the north and northwest, and by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Sikkim on the east, south and west respectively. With an area of 38,394 square km., Bhutan is comparable to Switzerland both in its size,beauty and topography. The mighty Himalayas protected Bhutan from the rest of the world and left it blissfully untouched through centuries. The Drukpa Kagyupa school of Mahayana Buddhism provided the essence of a rich culture and a fascinating history.

Bhutan is the only extant Mahayana Buddhist kingdom in the world of today, and the teachings of this school of Buddhism are a living faith among its people. The air of spirituality is pervasive even in urban centers where the spinning of prayer wheels, the murmur of mantras and the glow of butter lamps are still commonplace features of everyday life. Bhutan's religious sites and institutions are not museums, but the daily refuge of the people.

By Air : Druk Air flies scheduled flights to and from Paro to Delhi & Kolkata (India), Kathmandu (Nepal), Dhaka (Bangladesh) & Bangkok (Thailand). It is obligatory to either enter or exit Bhutan by air. The nearest airports in India are Bagdogra and Guwahati..
By Road / Train : Phuntsoling and Shandrup Jonkhar bordering the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam are entry and exit points.
Best Seasons To Visit : April to May and September to December
Languages Spoken: The national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha. The people also speak more than 18 dialects across the country. Today, English is taught in the schools and is used as the official working language.
Recommended Clothing: Light woollens and cotton for summer Heavy Woollens for winters

Bhutanese language and literature, the areas and crafts, ceremonies and events, and basic social and cultural values draw their essence from religious teachings. The tradition of fine art is alive today, manifested, for example, in products like the legendary thangkas. The exquisite traditional painting is also visible in monasteries and houses, skilfully enhancing the architecture. Traditional shapes, colours and patterns on the walls, doors, windows , pave Bhutanese architecture in a class of its own music, dance and handicrafts, both by clergy and the lay population, play an important role in national, village, or domestic functions and festivals. Bhutan's textile tradition has, in recent years, gone international. The national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha. The people also speak more than 18 dialects across the country. Today, English is taught in the schools and is used as the official working language, but the national leaders emphasizes the development and the use of Dzongkha.

Attractions One of the main attractions of the kingdom is its annual religious festivals, the tsechus celebrated to honor Guru Padmasambhava (more commonly referred to as "Guru Rinpoche"). For local people, tsechus are an occasion for reverence and blessing, feasting and socializing. Two of the most popular tsechus are held at Paro and Thimphu, in spring and autumn respectively, but others are held all the year round at temples, dzongs and monasteries throughout Bhutan. Attendance at one of these religious events provides an opportunity for the outsider to experience the extraordinary.

Geography Nowhere in the Himalayas is the natural heritage more rich and varied than in Bhutan. In historical records, the kingdom is referred to as the "Valley of Medicinal Herbs", a name that still applies to this day. The country's richly diverse flora and fauna result from its unique geographic location in the eastern Himalayas where the Tibetan plateau meets South Asia, its annual rainfall which is significantly higher than in the central and western Himalayas, and its considerable altitudinal variation, from 200m above sea level in the south to over 7,000m above sea level in the north, and consequent dramatic climatic variations. Because of the deep traditional reverence which the Bhutanese have for nature, the kingdom is one of the leading countries in environmental conservation. Over 70% of Bhutan's land area is still under forest cover. Many parts of the country have been declared wildlife reserves, and are the natural habitats of rare species of both flora and fauna.

Opened for tourism in 1974, after the coronation of the present King, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Bhutan is perhaps the world's most exclusive tourist destination. The country still retains all the charm of the ancient world, and travellers experience the full glory of this land as embodied in the monastic fortresses, ancient temples, monasteries and stupas which dot the countryside, prayer flags fluttering above farmhouses and on the hillsides, lush forests, rushing glacial rivers, and - perhaps most important of all - the warm smiles and genuine friendliness of the people. Each moment is special as one discovers a country which its people have chosen to preserve in all its magical purity.