<strong>Sacred sites: </strong>Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the eastern edge of the Himalayas with a strictly controlled tourism policy. It costs US$250 per day per person to sample its charms, a fee which includes guide, land transport, meals and accommodation. The 320-year-old Taktsang Palphug monastery, known as the Tiger's Nest, is just one reason to go.
Sacred sites: Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the eastern edge of the Himalayas with a strictly controlled tourism policy. It costs US$250 per day per person to sample its charms, a fee which includes guide, land transport, meals and accommodation. The 320-year-old Taktsang Palphug monastery, known as the Tiger's Nest, is just one reason to go.
Bhutan Tourism
<strong>Breathtaking scenery:</strong> Bhutan's landscape ranges from lush subtropical plains in the south to the Himalayas in the north, where peaks rise to more than 7,000 meters (23,000 ft). Gangkhar Puensum is one of the highest unclimbed mountains in the world.
Breathtaking scenery: Bhutan's landscape ranges from lush subtropical plains in the south to the Himalayas in the north, where peaks rise to more than 7,000 meters (23,000 ft). Gangkhar Puensum is one of the highest unclimbed mountains in the world.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Laya Valley: </strong>The stunning river valley is a remote region ringed by snow-capped mountains where villagers lead a simple existence without the frills of modern life.
Laya Valley: The stunning river valley is a remote region ringed by snow-capped mountains where villagers lead a simple existence without the frills of modern life.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Laya Valley: </strong>The Layap people of the valley are semi-nomadic herders who depend on their yaks for meat, cheese, clothing and more. The women do much of the backbreaking laboring work.
Laya Valley: The Layap people of the valley are semi-nomadic herders who depend on their yaks for meat, cheese, clothing and more. The women do much of the backbreaking laboring work.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Prayer wheels</strong>: Integral to Buddhism, the religion of almost 75% of Bhutan's population, the wheels depict symbols and mantras and spinning them is like reciting prayers.
Prayer wheels: Integral to Buddhism, the religion of almost 75% of Bhutan's population, the wheels depict symbols and mantras and spinning them is like reciting prayers.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Punakha Valley:</strong> The tropical climate in own in the Himalayas of Bhutan is ideal for rhododendrons, jacaranda, cherry trees and countless poinsettias to flourish along the roadsides. Punakha was formerly the country's capital, with the magnificent Punakha Dzong Monastery, built in 1637, as its centerpiece.
Punakha Valley: The tropical climate in own in the Himalayas of Bhutan is ideal for rhododendrons, jacaranda, cherry trees and countless poinsettias to flourish along the roadsides. Punakha was formerly the country's capital, with the magnificent Punakha Dzong Monastery, built in 1637, as its centerpiece.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Punakha Valley: </strong>To reach the Punakha Dzong Monastery, visitors and monks alike cross a 300-year-old wooden bridge, spinning prayer wheels at both ends as mountain waters flow underneath.
Punakha Valley: To reach the Punakha Dzong Monastery, visitors and monks alike cross a 300-year-old wooden bridge, spinning prayer wheels at both ends as mountain waters flow underneath.
Chris Dwyer
<strong>Traditional dress: </strong>Bhutanese wear their national dress proudly. Concerns about the erosion of Bhutanese values have led to a government-imposed dress code for working attire.
Traditional dress: Bhutanese wear their national dress proudly. Concerns about the erosion of Bhutanese values have led to a government-imposed dress code for working attire.
DIPTENDU DUTTA/Getty Images
<strong>Unexpected attractions:</strong> Many houses in the Punakha Valley are decked in phallic murals. The temple of Chimi Lhakhang celebrates a 16th century Bhutanese saint, who turned the phallus icon from a taboo into a representation of fertility.
Unexpected attractions: Many houses in the Punakha Valley are decked in phallic murals. The temple of Chimi Lhakhang celebrates a 16th century Bhutanese saint, who turned the phallus icon from a taboo into a representation of fertility.
Chris Dwyer