Bhutan

Bhutan is about as unusual a country as you could hope to find. Tucked away between Tibet and India in the eastern Himalayas, the geography of this small, landlocked kingdom ensured its isolation from the rest of the world for centuries, in the process preserving the country’s Buddhist culture and traditional lifestyle very much intact.

Inevitably, outside influences cannot be held at bay and Bhutan is slowly changing, but the nation’s government – recently transformed from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy – does its best to manage the transition. Hefty daily tariffs to visit the country keep tourist numbers low and help safeguard the nation’s culture, identity and the pristine natural environment.

Original Travel consultants know Bhutan well and can arrange for participation in archery tournaments, dancing at religious tsechus (festivals), trekking to fantastic monasteries, mountain-biking along 12,000 ft mountain passes or, between March and May, walks on hillsides ablaze with wildflowers.