We visit Bhutan, a mountainous kingdom nestled in a blissful time warp where roads are creases on the map and where many traditional communities remain isolated from the rest of the world. Words & Photos by Nick Walton.
The light drains from the valley below as though someone’s pulled the plug, the dormant, honey-hued rice paddies turning to ash and then indigo; the flanks of the mountains that wreath Paro closing in as the stars above begin to slip from cover. Bhutan, The Land of the Thunder Dragon, remains high on many intrepid travellers’ bucket lists, and for good reason.
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It’s my first visit to Bhutan. I’ve always been intrigued by a destination that remains so well fortified against the onslaught of modernity, that has retained an ancient (and well-loved) monarchy and which measures its progress, not in dollar signs or market points, but with a Gross National Happiness Index, a measurement of the collective contentment of the kingdom’s 740,000 citizens.
My balcony at luxurious Como Uma Paro is the perfect spot from which to witness the colour draining from the towering whitewashed walls of the nearby Rinpung Dzong, a 300-year-old Bhutanese fort that overlooks the town of Paro. Wisps of wood smoke drift up from homes below and dance on the cooling breeze as the first stars slip from cover above.
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Como was a pioneer of the Bhutan luxury scene, and the intimate 29-room retreat – like virtually everything in this vertiginous nation perched on the side of a steep mountain – is the perfect base from which to explore the ancient shrines and fortresses of the verdant Paro Valley. There are roaring fires, comfy beds, and shy but attentive staff dressed in elegant, silken kira dresses. There’s the Como Shambala Retreat, home to indulgent Bhutanese-inspired massages and an indoor pool, and Bukhari, a glorious, timber-clad restaurant that serves hand-ground buckwheat noodles, yak dumplings, and Como’s iconic juice blends.
It’s also the first stop on our group’s ground-breaking new six-night Scenic Heli-Adventure, a unique collaboration with the Royal Bhutanese Helicopter Service, the kingdom’s fledgling air ambulance fleet, which offers well-heeled travellers unprecedented access to some of Bhutan’s most remote corners. Combining two captivating helicopter flights with scenic drives, guided tours, and stays at the group’s luxe lodges in Paro and Punakha, this epic journey brings to life one of the world’s most isolated and enchanting destinations.
I explore Thimphu, Bhutan’s pint-sized capital, the next morning. At the centre of the town a police officer, resplendent in white gloves, directs traffic from a tiny kiosk decorated in bold reds and yellows. Bhutan has worked hard to improve its infrastructure, but when the country’s first traffic light was hoisted at the same intersection, so many accidents occurred it was quietly lowered the same evening.
The tranquillity is only interrupted by cries from the Dzongkha field, where the national sport of archery is the biggest ticket in town. It’s a curious tournament: opposing teams, strictly attired in national dress, crowd before a tiny bull’s eye, while archers sight their shot some 150 metres away. The teams bellow challenges and taunts to each other in an artful tradition of distraction called kha shed.
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When the arrow is finally loosened, all eyes turn to the sky, the bolt streaking silently through the sunshine and stabbing into the earth steps from the leaping opponents. A missed shot is met with more boisterous though surprisingly polite taunts, but a successful strike is rewarded with a traditional dance that blesses the target and acknowledges the talents of the archer. Throughout the day-long tournament there are smiles, singing, and dancing, as skills are praised, arrows bestowed and friendly rivalries stoked with local ara rice wine.
After cresting the 3,000m Dochula Pass, with its brilliant Himalayan vistas punctuated by Bhutan’s highest peak, Gangkhar Puensum, my guide and I descend through the dense forest into the lush Punakha Valley, winding through tiny farming hamlets before arriving at beautiful Como Uma Punakha at dusk.
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My guest room, one of 11, overlooks the meandering Mo Chu River that snakes its way through emerald rice paddies below. There’s a king-sized bed, elegant sheesham wood furniture and a deep soaking tub that’s perfect for frosty Punakha nights. Steps away, perched above the river, the Como Shambala spa offers signature massages using hot, oiled river stones, another wonderful antidote to a day spent defying gravity.
But I opt instead to wrap up warm and join fellow guests on the terrace for cocktails, served under a mesmerising canopy of stars, followed by a Bhutanese feast full of organic ingredients sourced from across the valley. The experience is nothing short of magical.
The next morning, after climbing to Chimi Lhakhang, a 15th-century fertility temple dedicated to Drukpa Kuenley, a Tibetan Buddhist saint who is said to have defeated evil spirits with his ‘manhood’ (earning him the nickname ‘Divine Madman’), we trace the winding mountain road north to explore Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong, the valley’s ancient fortress that dates from 1637. The traditional Dzong-styled fortress – ‘The Palace of Great Happiness’ – houses sacred Buddhist relics, but the cheerful monks who call it home leave us to roam its serene sun-kissed courtyards unhindered.
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It’s a special day to be in Punakha. Trulku Jigme Chhoedra, the present Je Khenpo, or national religious leader, is visiting and the fields that line the confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers are alive with colour. Here are monks swathed in terracotta and tangerine kasayas; elders from the mountain villages in black ghos with white shawls and matching whiskers; giggling novices with freshly shaved heads; and wizened old women wrapped in silk scarves the colour of glacier water. Saucer-eyed children ride on the backs of their parents and families picnic as monks recite scripture in a singsong tempo that echoes off the surrounding peaks.
I leap from the ancient scene to the 21st century, making for the river where a new Airbus helicopter awaits us. Como’s Scenic Heli-Adventure includes two flights – from Paro to Punakha via the rarely visited Laya Valley, and from Punakha to Paro via the Utsho Tsho, the turquoise lakes of the Labatama Valley, although I’ve managed to hitch a ride in the opposite direction, visiting Laya on the way back to Paro’s international airport. With a roar that reverberates off the mountainsides, British-Kiwi captain Nik Suddards pilots the helicopter up Punakha Valley, offering a bird’s-eye view of the Nalanda Monastery and the sacred peaks of Jigme Dorji National Park, home to snow and clouded leopards, Himalayan black bear, red pandas, and ancient glaciers.
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After 40 minutes in the air, we circle tiny Laya, at 4,100m the kingdom’s highest settlement. Located in one of the most remote and least developed parts of the country, Laya is home to the semi-nomadic Layap people, a relatively affluent community that harvests cordyceps, a rare fungus used in Chinese and Tibetan traditional medicine. Their Bey-yul, or hidden paradise, is framed by some of Bhutan’s highest mountains, including impressive 7,207m-high Tongshanjiabu. Foreigners are extremely rare, as are helicopters, and we’re greeted by curious locals, including two young sisters. I’m the first foreigner they’ve ever met and they can’t stop staring.
On the flight to Paro, we skirt frozen alpine pools, the jagged tips of lower peaks seemingly within reach as we descend into the valley. In this mesmerising patchwork of greens and yellows we pause for a photo-op at Paro Taktsang, the iconic Tiger’s Nest monastery, which guests – by now acclimatised to the altitude – explore on their final day.
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The climb to the lofty lamasery, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist site perched high on a dramatic cliff face, is no easy task and I return aching but satisfied to Como Uma Paro in time for a soothing signature massage and mugs of mulled wine served beside a blazing courtyard brazier. After such an adventure I can’t shift the smile from my face. I don’t know much about national contentment but Bhutan will certainly linger in my happiest memories for many years to come.
Travel Essentials
Fly: National carrier Druk Air operates flights from Bangkok to Paro from US$780.
Stay: Como’s six-night Scenic Heli-Adventure is priced from US$27,280, twin share, and includes airport transfers, two flights, scenic drives, meals, spa treatments, and accommodation.
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