Lonely Planet Bhutan

Bradley Mayhew

Description

Lonely Planet Bhutan is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Join the pilgrims at colourful Changangkha Lhakhang, hike to the dramatic cliff -hanging Taktshang Goemba, or explore the busy weekend market at Thimpu -all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Bhutan and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Bhutan Travel Guide: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - festivals, architecture, Buddhism, customs, wildlife, history, traditional arts Over 37 maps Covers Thimphu, Paro Dzongkhag, Trongsa Dzongkhag, Mongar Dzongkhag and more About Lonely Planet: Since 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every destination, an award-winning website, mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. The world awaits! Lonely Planet guides have won the TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Sujets

• Bután
• Bhutan
• Bhoutan

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781787010192
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 43 Mo

Extrait

Bhutan

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Bhutan
Bhutan's Top 17
Need To Know
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Festivals
Booking Your Trip
Planning Your Trek
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Thimphu
Sights
Activities
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
North of Thimphu
Sights
South of Thimphu
Sights
Western Bhutan
Paro
Upper Paro Valley
Southeast of Paro
Paro to Thimphu
Paro to Haa Via Cheli La
Haa
Around the Haa Valley
Haa to Chhuzom
Thimphu to Punakha
Punakha & Khuruthang
The Upper Punakha Valley
Punakha to Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang
Wangdue Phodrang to Pele La
Phobjikha Valley
Thimphu to Phuentsholing
Phuentsholing
Central Bhutan
Pele La to Trongsa
Trongsa
Around Trongsa
Trongsa to Jakar
Jakar
Chokhor Valley
Tang Valley
Jakar to the Ura Valley
Trongsa to Zhemgang
Zhemgang to Gelephu
Gelephu
Royal Manas National Park
Eastern Bhutan
Jakar to Mongar
Mongar
Mongar to Lhuentse
Lhuentse
Around Lhuentse
Mongar to Trashigang
Trashigang
Trashigang to Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
Trashigang to Gom Kora
Gom Kora
Gom Kora to Trashi Yangtse
Trashi Yangtse
Around Trashi Yangtse
Trashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar
Samdrup Jongkhar
Treks
Trek Routes
Route Descriptions
Our Maps
Altitude Measurements
Directions & Place Names
Health & Safety
Losing Your Way
Rescue
Druk Path Trek
Day 1: National Museum to Jili Dzong
Day 2: Jili Dzong to Rabana
Day 3: Rabana to Jimilang Tsho
Day 4: Jimilang Tsho to Simkotra Tsho
Day 5: Simkotra Tsho to Phajoding
Day 6: Phajoding to Motithang
Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek
Day 1: Geynizampa to Gur
Day 2: Gur to Labatamba
Day 3: Labatamba to Panka
Day 4: Panka to Talakha
Day 5: Talakha to Chamgang
Bumdrak Trek
Day 1: Sangchen Choekor Shedra to Bumdrak
Day 2: Bumdrak to Taktshang Parking Lot
Saga La Trek
Day 1: Talung to Khadey Gom
Day 2: Khadey Gom to Balakha via Saga La
Jhomolhari Trek
Day 1: Sharna Zampa to Thangthangka
Day 2: Thangthangka to Jangothang
Day 3: Acclimatisation Day & Exploration of Jangothang
Day 4: Jangothang to Lingzhi
Day 5: Lingzhi to Shodu
Day 6: Shodu to Barshong
Day 7: Barshong to Dolam Kencho
Day 8: Dolam Kencho to Dodina
Jhomolhari Loop (Soi Yaksa) Trek
Days 1-3: Sharna Zampa to Jangothang
Day 4: Jangothang to Soi Yaksa
Day 5: Soi Yaksa to Thombu Shong
Day 6: Thombu Shong to Sharna Zampa
Laya-Gasa Trek
Days 1-4: Drukgyel Dzong to Lingzhi
Day 5: Lingzhi to Chebisa
Day 6: Chebisa to Shomuthang
Day 7: Shomuthang to Robluthang
Day 8: Robluthang to Limithang
Day 9: Limithang to Laya
Day 10: Laya to Koina
Day 11: Koina to Gasa
Snowman Trek
Days 1 to 4: Drukgyel Dzong to Lingzhi
Days 5 to 9: Lingzhi to Laya
Day 10: Rest & Acclimatisation Day in Laya
Day 11: Laya to Rodophu
Day 12: Rodophu to Narethang
Day 13: Narethang to Tarina
Day 14: Tarina to Woche
Day 15: Woche to Lhedi
Day 16: Lhedi to Thanza
Day 17: Rest Day in Thanza
Day 18: Thanza to Danji
Day 19: Danji to Tsho Chena
Day 20: Tsho Chena to Jichu Dramo
Day 21: Jichu Dramo to Chukarpo
Day 22: Chukarpo to Thampe Tsho
Day 23: Thampe Tsho to Maurothang
Day 24: Maurothang to Upper Sephu
Bumthang Cultural Trek
Day 1: Ngang Lhakhang to Ogyen Chholing
Duer Hot Springs Trek
Day 1: Duer to Gorsum
Day 2: Gorsum to Lungsum
Day 3: Lungsum to Tsochenchen
Day 4: Tsochenchen to Duer Hot Springs
Day 5: A Day at Duer Hot Springs
Days 68: Duer Hot Springs to Duer
Rodang La Trek
Day 1: Ogyen Chholing to Phokpey
Day 2: Phokpey to Pemi
Day 3: Pemi to Khaine Lhakhang
Day 4: Khaine Lhakhang to Tangmachu
Day 5: Tangmachu to Menji
Day 6: Menji to Pemi
Day 7: Pemi to Taupang
Day 8: Taupang to Trashi Yangtse
Nabji Trek
Day 1: Tongtongphey to Jangbi
Day 2: Jangbi to Kudra
Day 3: Kudra to Nabji
Day 4: Nabji to Nimshong
MerakSakteng Trek
Day 1: Damnongchu to Merak
Day 2: Merak to Miksa Teng
Day 3: Miksa Teng to Sakteng
Day 4: Sakteng to Jyongkhar via Thakthri

Understand

Understand Bhutan
Bhutan Today
History
The Bhutanese Way of Life
Buddhism in Bhutan
Traditional Arts
Architecture
Mountains & Valleys
Wildlife & Sanctuaries

Survive

Directory AZ
Accommodation
Activities
Children
Climate
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food & Drink
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ Travellers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Photography
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travellers
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Health
Before You Go
In Bhutan
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Bhutan

Bhutan is no ordinary place. It is the last great Himalayan kingdom, shrouded in mystery and magic, where a traditional Buddhist culture carefully embraces global developments.


Surprising Bhutan
Bhutan holds many surprises. This is a country where the rice is red and where chillies aren't just a seasoning but the main dish. It's also a deeply Buddhist land, where monks check their smartphones after performing a divination, and where giant protective penises are painted beside the entrance to many houses. Yet while it visibly protects its Buddhist traditions, Bhutan is not a museum. You will find the Bhutanese well educated, fun loving and well informed about the world around them. It's this blending of the ancient and modern that makes Bhutan endlessly fascinating.

Environmental Credentials
Environmental protection goes hand in hand with cultural preservation in Bhutan. By law, at least 60% of the country must remain forested for all future generations; it currently stands above 70%. Not only is Bhutan carbon neutral, but it actually absorbs more carbon than it emits! For the visitor, this translates into lovely forest hikes and superb birding across a chain of national parks. Whether you are spotting takins or blue poppies, trekking beneath 7000m peaks or strolling across hillsides ablaze with spring rhododendron blooms, Bhutan offers one of the last pristine pockets in the entire Himalaya.

Low Volume, High Value Tourism
The Bhutanese pride themselves on a sustainable approach to tourism in line with the philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Foreign visitors famously pay a minimum tariff of US$250 per day, making it seem one of the world's more expensive destinations. However, this fee is all-inclusive – accommodation, food, transport and an official guide are all provided, so it's not a bad deal. You don't have to travel in a large group and you can arrange your own itinerary. What you won't find is budget backpacker-style travel.

The Last Shangri La?
So why spend your money to come here? Firstly, there is the amazing Himalayan landscape, where snow-capped peaks rise above shadowy gorges cloaked in primeval forests. Taking up prime positions in this picture-book landscape are the majestic fortress-like dzongs and monasteries. This unique architecture sets the stage for spectacular tsechus (dance festivals) attended by an almost medieval-looking audience. Then there are the textiles and handicrafts, outrageous archery competitions, high-altitude trekking trails, and stunning flora and fauna. If it's not 'Shangri La', it's as close as it gets.

Monk watching the dancers at Paro tsechu | JORDAN BANKS/GETTY IMAGES ©


Why I Love Bhutan
By Bradley Mayhew, Writer
There is much to love about Bhutan, but it's the sacred side of the country that I enjoy the most. I love joining pilgrims as they look for the footprints of saints in a rockface, or explain monastery history in terms of flying tigers and unruly demons. On one hike alone, a reincarnated lama blessed me with a thangka made from the nose blood of a saint and then hit me on the back with the stone footprints of a divine skywalker. From Gross National Happiness to crazy wisdom, a journey to Bhutan is a journey into a different reality.
Bhutan's Top 17

Terrific Tsechus
Most of the dzongs and goembas have annual festivals featuring mesmerising dance dramas. The largest of these festivals is the tsechu – with dances in honour of Guru Rinpoche. The dances are performed by monks and laypeople dressed in colourful costumes and painted masks, and the dancers take on aspects of wrathful and compassionate deities, heroes, demons and animals. During the dances, atsara (masked clowns) mimic the dancers and perform comic routines, and even harass the audience for money in exchange for a blessing with the wooden phallus they carry!

Prakhar tsechu | TRAVEL INK/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Taktshang Goemba
Bhutan's most famous monastery, Taktshang Goemba is one of its most venerated religious sites. Legend says that Guru Rinpoche flew to this site on the back of a tigress to subdue a local demon; afterwards he meditated here for three months. This beautiful building clings to the sheer cliffs soaring above a whispering pine forest. The steep walk to the monastery is well worthwhile, providing tantalising glimpses of the monastery, views of the Paro valley and splashes of red-blossom rhododendrons.

MC_NOPPADOL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Mountain Treks
Bhutan's treks are physically demanding but hugely rewarding. They generally reach high altitudes and remote regions, and several are justifiably renowned in trekking circles, including the Jhomolhari trek and Snowman trek. On all treks you will be expertly guided and your pack will be carried by ponies. Trekking takes you beyond the roads and reach of modernisation. Meeting traditionally dressed locals tending their crops and animals according to century-old traditions will be a highlight of your trip.

Jango