Reasons to take a solo trip to Bhutan
Bhutan, the Land of Druk is no ordinary place and it’s not only famous among travelers, but it’s one of the most sought locations among solo travelers because of its amazing beauty, rich culture, and safety.
A landlocked country in South Asia, a state which is entirely enclosed by land. Located in Eastern Himalayas, the last Himalayan kingdom, also known as “The Last Shangrila”, because of its pristine beauty, peaceful location and amazing people.
Bhutan along with the spell-binding beauty is a home to rich culture and tradition that binds the kingdom while visibly distinguishing it from its neighbors.
The only Vajrayana Buddhist nation in the world. The people who are keen to go on solo trips and are not sure where to start from, Bhutan is the best option, even you will find lots of such people who started their solo trip from Bhutan. There are many tempting reasons to start your solo trip journey from Bhutan.
Bhutan Holds lots of surprises
Bhutan holds lots of surprises for you, it’s a Buddhist land, where chilies are served in the main dish and the rice is red. While protecting its Buddhist tradition they are moving forward, and not only tradition, you will be amazed to know that Bhutanese are well educated, fun loving and well informed about everything.
They have preserved their profound teachings very well and the strong influence of these teachings are seen in all aspects of their lives. What makes them more fascinating is the way they have maintained their roots while embracing new global development.
Beauty of Buddhism
Wherever you belong or whichever religion you follow, it will not stop you from appreciating the teachings of Buddhism. Your personal guide will keep on enlightening you about the rich culture, beliefs, teaching, religion etc throughout your trip and you will be glad to know them.
More you will know, more you will fall in love with the country and its peoples. Bhutan is dominated by temples and magnificent spiritual centers, featuring Dzong-style architecture.
To spend some peaceful time.
Bhutan is a place where people are in direct touch with each other instead of phones and the internet, so it’s the best place to enjoy your solo time far from the maddening crowd.
Bhutan got its TV and internet in 1999 and they are not very much attached to it, there are places where you will not find any wi-fi. Enjoy your time amidst nature, relax, click a lot of pictures, shop around, meet cheerful locals and live in the present.
Delicious food
Bhutan definitely promises you an amazing experience when it comes to food. You will not find your fast food chain very easily, but you will not even miss them.
The delicious local food is more tempting, fulfilling and healthy. The local food includes a lot of red rice which is nutty in taste (the only quality that grows in high altitude), along with a variety of non-veg dishes and chilies that are served as a main dish. Different types of dishes are there to quench your hunger.
Amazing wildlife and clean environment
Along with cultural preservation, Bhutan believes in environmental protection too, both of them goes hand in hand here.
As per law, 60% of the country must remain forested for all the future generations, currently its above 70%. For tourists, it’s the best experience to live in a place surrounded by beautiful nature and breath the pollution-free fresh air.
You will also get lots of options for a trek in the hills and woods. Nature is in its purest form here, along with the amazing wildlife. Phobjikha Valley, for example, is a great place to witness Black-necked Crane, one of the rarest species of crane. The people who love photography and bird watching can’t afford to miss it.
You are solo but never alone in Bhutan
The government of Bhutan has preserved its year-old culture properly while moving hand in hand with globalization.
To protect Bhutan from the impact of mass tourism, the Bhutanese government has a mandate that anyone who is traveling to the country should be accompanied by a tour guide unless traveling from India, Bangladesh or Maldives.
If you are a female and it is your first solo trip, then be relax, you will be safe and accompanied by a tour-guide throughout your trip, the best part is Bhutan tourism has given the facility of female travel guide too.
The guides are very friendly, polite, respectful and you will never feel insecure with them, still, if you have a concern in keeping a male guide, you have an option to request for a lady.
On the contrary, if you feel your independence or freedom will be hampered because of the guide, then you are not right. The guide will be a help and even they will add on to your trip with different local joints which are known to a locals only.
You will learn how happiness does not depend on wealth.
Gross National Happiness, a philosophy that guides Bhutan’s government. It’s an index which measures happiness and more important than Gross Domestic Product. Instead of focusing on economic prosperity, wealth, they focus on Gross National Happiness Index which is based on cultural preservation, good governance, sustainable socio-economic development, and environmental conservation.
They believe that wealth cannot keep a person happy, it’s an important part of life but not everything. That’s why they focus on the areas which are important in the well-being of their citizens, such as health, education, culture, living standards etc. That’s why they are able to protect their culture so well.
If you are from India, Bangladesh or the Maldives no visa or entry fees are required and these are the only nationals that have a permit for independent travel. If you are from any other country a visa is required, get the visa before traveling. Also, there is a minimum daily package, which is fixed, and mandatory for all the traveler coming with visa. As per the guidance of Bhutan tourism, you have to book the package in advance and compulsorily hire a guide, before entering beautiful Bhutan.
