Why visiting Bhutan is expensive but worth it
- The country that coined the phrase ‘gross national happiness’ is as exclusive as they come, with not a hint of mass tourism
- An average five-night package costs around US$1,200
Bhutan’s first beer festival kicks off in Paro next weekend (July 13-14) at the Namgay Artisanal Brewery, an enterprise put together by Swiss-trained Dorji Gyeltshen, who thought to combine Europe’s brewing traditions with locally grown wheat and barley.
Rather than pandering to inebriated hordes, the festival is focused more on celebrating local beers, which gulp the gamut from dark ale to pilsner.
Expensive by Asian standards, Bhutan is the most exclusive destination in the region. Independent travel is just possible, but government regulations – keen to preserve the country’s beauty as far as possible – point visitors in the direction of a package tour. As a result, just about everybody benefits: Bhutan is not overwhelmed by mass tourism; the ecology is preserved; and visitors experience the genuine article.
Where to stay
The 12-room Gangtey Lodge was designed to mimic a Bhutanese farmhouse, and the gentle pace of life here echoes its fabulously bucolic surrounds.
What to buy
“Ngultrum” (“silver money”) is a word to roll around the mouth; likewise “chhertum”, which is one-hundredth of a ngultrum, of which there are 70 to the US dollar. Linguistically, shopping is fun here, and the range of merchandise is as beautiful as it is original.
Nothing says Bhutan quite as explicitly as the scarifying yet somehow benign Technicolor masks that are hand-carved from native pine wood after it has been dried for several months; 3,500 ngultrums is a good starting price.
Thangkas – painted with natural mineral colours – are Buddhist by nature, but have a universal appeal. They cost about 7,000 ngultrums, but size and artistic merit are going to have a bearing on the final price.
And: Bumthang is the home of yathra – yak or sheep’s wool that is woven into coats, bags, rugs, wall hangings and the like. Reckon on 1,400 ngultrums for smaller items.
What to eat
Bhutanese are fond of spice and cheese, as anyone who has tried the stew called ema datshi (main ingredients: chillies and cheese, plus onions, tomatoes and garlic) will vouchsafe. Variations on the theme add spuds or dried beef, but don’t ease back on the chillies.
Red rice grows at high altitudes, so naturally makes a strong showing in Bhutanese kitchens. It’s got an earthy, nutty flavour, and – health fashionistas will be thrilled to learn – is gluten-free.
Unsurprisingly, India exerts a strong culinary influence, and it’s easy to deduce the antecedents of another Bhutanese favourite – jasha maroo. Diced chicken, onion, garlic, tomato and the inevitable chillies are given an extra kick from a generous portion of ginger. It comes with red rice and a bowl of chicken broth that help to balance out the spice.
Another side to Bhutan, and six things to do in the Himalayan Buddhist kingdom
Getting around
Package deals are usually quoted exclusive of airfares. The most direct first step is via Bangkok; both Bhutan Airlines and Drukair connect to Paro, but the former’s dawn departures make it less convenient than Drukair’s afternoon take-offs. Round-trip fares are priced at US$940: flight time is about four hours.
How often are the words “sustainable development” bandied about, and how often are they actually put to the test? The Bhutanese government sets a minimum nightly visitor tariff, the bulk of which is passed on to the national health and education systems.
A typical five-night package taking in Paro, Thimpu, the Punakha Valley and Tiger’s Nest Monastery costs around US$1,200, and covers where you’ll stay, what you’ll eat, how you’ll get about, one very amiable Bhutanese minder, plus otherwise tiresome taxes and charges, and a thoroughly praiseworthy US$65 sustainable tourism royalty.
Motorbike tours – preferably on iconic Royal Enfields – grant a rather more free and easy way to take in Bhutan’s unrivalled scenery. All-in prices start at around US$250 per day.
Plus
Bhutan could so easily be called the Kingdom of Quirk, not least for its far-sighted, eco-friendly bent. Plastic bags are banned, and so is the selling of tobacco. There were no televisions before 1999, and no tourists prior to 1974. Medical services are free, even to visitors. Everybody celebrates their birthday on New Year’s Day.
The national sport is darts, and the penalty for harming a black-necked crane is life imprisonment. Six-tenths of the country (about the size of Switzerland) must be forested at all time. Mountaineers are banned from climbing Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain (7,570 metres).
And, as almost everyone has heard, Gross Domestic Product takes second place to Gross National Happiness, a snappy campaign slogan coined in 1972 by the then king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and never bettered.
