Bhutan

The history of the Kingdom of Bhutan is shaped by religion and religion continues to play an important role in the lives of the god fearing and spiritual people. Religious festivals are the real exhibits of Bhutanese culture which are celebrated throughout the country and occurring in a host of diverse forms, depending upon the scale, the nature of the ceremonies performed or the particular deity being revered.

The best known being Tshechus, a festival to honor Guru Rinpoche which is celebrated annually in or around all the monasteries and the great ‘Dzongs’ – fortress, attracting both foreign visitors and a large number of people alike from surrounding districts. The festival lasts for several days with the center focus being the series of prayers and religious dances. These dances, made especially striking by the spectacular costumes of the dancers – bright silks and rich brocade, orange hats or extraordinary masks- may either depict morality tales, invoke protection from demonic spirits or proclaim Buddhist victories and the glory of remarkable saints. The festival is also a social gathering for the Bhutanese families.

Besides Tshechus many other colorful festivals are celebrated in Punakha when the weather will already be warm during early spring, as well as Wangdi festival in Autumn and Trongsa festival during the middle of winter. Primarily the festivities consist of masked dances, chanting, blessing or reading religious texts aloud and last two or three days.

The Punakha Dromchoe, which is celebrated either before or after the Tsechu, is performed to commemorate victory over the Tibetans when they invaded in the 17th century.

Bhutan, besides being rich in it’s culture and traditions, is a mountainous country so it’s one stop destination for any cycling enthusiast exploring it’s mountainous terrains. Most of the winding roads of Bhutan go dramatically up and down with exhilarating drops of thousands of meters, and there’s always a challenges of crossing over high mountains passes of over 3,000 meters. The high routes often passes through mixed forests, pasturelands, rich meadows and hills dotted with age-old villages and towns rich in culture. Ride through and discover the prominent cities and towns of Bhutan like the colorful Paro, the tiny capital – Thimphu and the ancient capital city of Punakha including Trongsa, Bumthang, Gangtey, Ura Valley, Haa Valley and Phobijikha Valley, considered the most beautiful valleys in Bhutan. The choices are from easy to adventurous trails backed up by the professional supporting staff at all times. Mountain biking is slowly gaining it’s popularity ever since the government opened up the country for tourism. It’s like taking a breath of fresh air when biking in Bhutan.

The west-east highways of Bhutan (approx. 600 kms) are a challenging route that passes along several mountain passes over 3,000 meters. You will feel the adreline rush cycling down the highway winding up and down with the drops of thousands of feet. There will be a dramatic change in the flora and fauna and temperature while gradually descending, from the alpine heights into the temperate regions of the east. Biking in Bhutan certainly is a different experience discovering Bhutan ancient culture and witnessing majestic views of the snow-capped mountains.

Bhutan, an independent kingdom in the eastern Himalayas, is the last bastion of Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion in its purest form. Often also known as the Land of Thundering Dragon, it’s a mystical place rich in natural beauty of the fascinating Himalayas and the remote monasteries and spiritual temples. Although Bhutan opened up for tourism in the late 70’s, it has managed to minimize the effect of the outside influences and virtually untouched, be it environmentally, religiously and in architecture and lifestyle too. Thus, it is considered as a traveler’s paradise. Various tours are on offer in Bhutan which is filled with fun and excitement taking you to its open landscapes, beautiful mountains and visits to artistic cultural temples and monuments. Plus you get to know more about rich Buddhist culture, ancient Buddhist traditions and many more customs and traditions still practiced today. Breakfree Adventures offers you different such packages for your trip to Bhutan; all you need to do is choose one of them as per your interest and traveling time frame. No Matter which tour you select, it will be an enjoyable and fascinating experience.

‘Bhutan tour’ Bookmundi

Bhutan is a country still untouched by modernization and with it’s splendid scenic beauty, lofty mountains and deep valleys, there are hoards of trekking opportunities. For any adventure seeker trekking in this Himalayan Kingdom is an amazing experience, hiking in it’s rich natural habitats and at the same time meeting the indigenous people and get to know their culture first hand. It is slightly different experience if compared to trekking in Nepal where you meet every other trekker round the bend. A person may walk for several days before sighting a village here.

Bhutan is one of the most exclusive and exceptional destinations for any enthusiastic travelers. The land is thinly populated with scattered settlements and from dense forest of sub-tropical jungles to the alpine shrubs coupled up with a wide spectrum of Himalayan flora and fauna. It’s unique culture, architecture, snowcapped mountains; fortress like dzongs, Buddhist tradition plus the friendly people leaves an ever lasting impression on the visitor and entices to visit the land again and again.

Like all tours to Bhutan, trekking can only be organized through a registered agency in Bhutan. October-November and March-May is the best trekking season in Bhutan for all the high treks going over 4000 meters. Some shorter and cultural treks like Druk path, Bumthang, Gangtey can be done anytime from October to May. There are other choices of treks from four to twenty-five days, and the seven to ten days trek to the base camp of Chomolhari, the sacred mountain of Bhutan, is the one of the most popular hikes in Bhutan. Others like the Laya, Lunana and Snowman treks are challenging trekking programs that goes to the remote areas. Autumn is the season when clear mountain views can be seen and spring is best for flowering rhododendrons along with magnolias and other flowering plants.