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While it might be better known for its temples, fortresses and spectacular cliffs and peaks, Bhutan also boasts some unexpected treats for travellers – like craft beer!
It’s no wonder then that it’s considered the happiest place on earth, with the phrase ‘gross national happiness’ coined by the fourth king of Bhutan in 1972.
Wellbeing and happiness are just as important as anything else here, so come on, get happy, with these five cool ways to enjoy Bhutan.
1. Enter the dragon
They look like Hobbit homes but enter the Dochula Meditation Caves under the symbol of the dragon, and you could score peace and good luck.
You’ll find these 11 man-made sanctuaries on the Dochula Pass, home to 108 memorial stupas – Buddhist shrines – at a dizzying altitude of 10,200 feet.
Refresh your caffeine levels at Druk Wangyel Cafe, a little way from the stupas, for the hike back.
The pretty Dochula Meditation Caves (Getty)
2. Sample a delicious craft beer
At Namgay Artisanal Brewery, in Dumsibu, Paro, you can learn about the brewing process, then get down to the serious stuff – tasting!
Satisfying all beer-lovers, the brewery makes eight thirst-quenching types: red rice lager, dark ale, wheat beer, Indian pale ale, milk stout, pilsner, pineapple gose and apple cider (the country’s first!).
Nestled in a picturesque mountain setting, it’s the perfect spot to refresh after a day of sight-seeing.
3. Hike to the Tiger’s Nest
The Tigers Nest, or Taktsang is one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries and iconic part of its landscape.
Guru Rimpoche is said to have meditated here before introducing Buddhism to Bhutan, after arriving on a tigress. You, however, will need to climb 900 metres, or take a pony halfway to Takstang Cafeteria, on the two to three-hour climb.
For more dazzling spiritual sights, don’t miss the 51-metre bronze Buddha at Kuensel Phodrang. The Great Buddha Dordenma rests on a three-storey pedestal which houses a chapel, and the statue itself is filled with 125,000 smaller Buddhas.
4. Hot spring therapy
Nothing soothes a tired body like a soak in an ancient wooden tub of river water and local Artemisia leaves, heated with fire-roasted river stones. Besides hot stone baths you can submerge your aching self in one of the country’s many hot springs (known as Tshachu) dotted around the country.
The people of Bhutan believe Tshachu have healing properties, with different springs helping different ailments. These medicinal benefits are attributed to the springs’ mineral content and, sometimes, blessings.
Try the Gasa Tshachu in north-west Bhutan, said to help ease sinusitis and rheumatism; or the Gelephu Tshachu in southwest Bhutan, believed to benefit skin complaints and arthritis. Tip: The Bhutanese are naturally modest people so don’t forget your sensible bathers.
5. Hit the bullseye
Archery is Bhutan’s national sport (the country even has an Olympic team) and with it comes festivals involving feasting, drinking and lots of cheering and jeering. If you don’t want to miss out on all the colour of the competitions, head to Bhutan in September or October (depending on the Gregorian calendar) for the Bhutan Archery Federation’s International Style Archery Competition.
Or, November plays host to the Coronation National Archery Tournament at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu.
Want to go solo? Line up a few targets yourself at the Changlimithang Archery Range in Thimphu.
Interested in discovering more about Bhutan’s rising craft beer scene? Check out BWS’ World’s Biggest Beer Run on Pedestrian.TV, where together with actor Tai Hara they ventured all the way to Tiger’s Nest in search of the man behind Bhutan’s much-hyped craft brewery. Enter to win one of the world’s rarest six-packs here.
Thank you
https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/cool-ways-to-experience-bhutan/7d989415-7949-420a-bb39-dbfecab41138
It’s no wonder then that it’s considered the happiest place on earth, with the phrase ‘gross national happiness’ coined by the fourth king of Bhutan in 1972.
Wellbeing and happiness are just as important as anything else here, so come on, get happy, with these five cool ways to enjoy Bhutan.
1. Enter the dragon
They look like Hobbit homes but enter the Dochula Meditation Caves under the symbol of the dragon, and you could score peace and good luck.
You’ll find these 11 man-made sanctuaries on the Dochula Pass, home to 108 memorial stupas – Buddhist shrines – at a dizzying altitude of 10,200 feet.
Refresh your caffeine levels at Druk Wangyel Cafe, a little way from the stupas, for the hike back.
The pretty Dochula Meditation Caves (Getty)
2. Sample a delicious craft beer
At Namgay Artisanal Brewery, in Dumsibu, Paro, you can learn about the brewing process, then get down to the serious stuff – tasting!
Satisfying all beer-lovers, the brewery makes eight thirst-quenching types: red rice lager, dark ale, wheat beer, Indian pale ale, milk stout, pilsner, pineapple gose and apple cider (the country’s first!).
Nestled in a picturesque mountain setting, it’s the perfect spot to refresh after a day of sight-seeing.
3. Hike to the Tiger’s Nest
The Tigers Nest, or Taktsang is one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries and iconic part of its landscape.
Guru Rimpoche is said to have meditated here before introducing Buddhism to Bhutan, after arriving on a tigress. You, however, will need to climb 900 metres, or take a pony halfway to Takstang Cafeteria, on the two to three-hour climb.
For more dazzling spiritual sights, don’t miss the 51-metre bronze Buddha at Kuensel Phodrang. The Great Buddha Dordenma rests on a three-storey pedestal which houses a chapel, and the statue itself is filled with 125,000 smaller Buddhas.
4. Hot spring therapy
Nothing soothes a tired body like a soak in an ancient wooden tub of river water and local Artemisia leaves, heated with fire-roasted river stones. Besides hot stone baths you can submerge your aching self in one of the country’s many hot springs (known as Tshachu) dotted around the country.
The people of Bhutan believe Tshachu have healing properties, with different springs helping different ailments. These medicinal benefits are attributed to the springs’ mineral content and, sometimes, blessings.
Try the Gasa Tshachu in north-west Bhutan, said to help ease sinusitis and rheumatism; or the Gelephu Tshachu in southwest Bhutan, believed to benefit skin complaints and arthritis. Tip: The Bhutanese are naturally modest people so don’t forget your sensible bathers.
5. Hit the bullseye
Archery is Bhutan’s national sport (the country even has an Olympic team) and with it comes festivals involving feasting, drinking and lots of cheering and jeering. If you don’t want to miss out on all the colour of the competitions, head to Bhutan in September or October (depending on the Gregorian calendar) for the Bhutan Archery Federation’s International Style Archery Competition.
Or, November plays host to the Coronation National Archery Tournament at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimpu.
Want to go solo? Line up a few targets yourself at the Changlimithang Archery Range in Thimphu.
Interested in discovering more about Bhutan’s rising craft beer scene? Check out BWS’ World’s Biggest Beer Run on Pedestrian.TV, where together with actor Tai Hara they ventured all the way to Tiger’s Nest in search of the man behind Bhutan’s much-hyped craft brewery. Enter to win one of the world’s rarest six-packs here.
Thank you
https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/cool-ways-to-experience-bhutan/7d989415-7949-420a-bb39-dbfecab41138
