Druk Air (Royal Bhutan Airlines) & the Land of the Thunder Dragon

[Fifa]

Planning

An opportunity arose to join friends on a trip to Bhutan in April 2011. Bhutan is nestled between India and Tibet in the Himalayas and is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon. The government has a philosophy whereby progress is measured by Gross National Happiness. Friends asked their friends and before we knew it we had a group ready to go!

On a recommendation we booked directly through Bhutan Gayul Tours which was an excellent choice as they exceeded our expectations in every way. Bhutan Gayul Tours arranged our visas, return airfares from Bangkok to Paro and every facet of the trip including guides, transport, accommodation and meals. E-mails were answered promptly, the owner’s English was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. As is standard practice in Bhutan the tour was paid for via direct money transfer to their bank in the USA with a minimum of fuss.

Tourism is regulated by the Bhutanese Government with a set minimum daily tariff which covers all transport, guides, drivers, accommodation, meals and sightseeing. All tourists must travel on prepaid package tours and the fee is set in US$ with 35% going to the government. This policy has ensured that Bhutan’s unique culture and traditions and its pristine environment will be maintained for future generations.

 

[RB]

Really looking forward to more of this.

 

[munitalP]

Edge of the seat... looking forward to the remainder

 

[Fifa]

And we are away…

We flew to Bangkok with QF and were lucky to get an Op-up to premium economy. Service by the two male flight attendants was excellent and so was the seat!







As our flight to Bhutan departed at 06:50 two days after arrival, we stayed the night in a club room at the Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. The hotel now promotes their 24 hour stays, so myself and +1 chose to wait up for a few extra hours after arrival and checked in at 4am!!! I’m sure the others in our group thought we were mad but we saved lots of $$$ AND got a club room for less than their standard rooms! Like many airport hotels this one was not cheap but the lounge access, excellent rooms and beautiful pool area certainly made up for it. We enjoyed a great sleep and had a satisfactory breakfast in the club the next morning. The remainder of the day was spent relaxing at the hotel in the pool and at the day spa. Afternoon tea was included in the club then evening drinks were served (including an extensive list of coughtails). The evening snacks were substantial and we didn’t require dinner that night so the hotel ended up being great value

 

[Fifa]

Druk Air to Dhaka, Bangladesh

Next day we were up early and caught the hotel shuttle to the airport arriving at 4.30am so we would be first in line for check-in. The early start wasn’t difficult and this enabled us to be some of the first in the queue to book the best seats on our Druk Air flight for views of the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas. It was then that we discovered our plane was not going via India as we thought but making a short stop in Dhaka, Bangladesh!

At Suvarnabhumi Airport we were bussed a considerable distance to a remote stand where we boarded the aircraft. Druk Air has a fleet of two Airbus A319 aircraft and when the Bhutanese Government took delivery of them in 2004 they were the biggest single transaction the government had ever made - they are the only airline to fly into Bhutan.

The interior of the A319 was immaculate with service to match. A substantial hot breakfast was served (not sure about the sausage though!) and Druk Air’s in-flight magazine “Tashi Delek” provided us with a sneak peak of Bhutan.






Druk Air breakfast


The approach to Dhaka

We spent an hour sitting in the aircraft on the ground at a very smoggy DAC offloading and loading passengers before continuing on to Bhutan. Morning tea on this sector included a chicken salad roll, cream biscuits and drinks.

 

[Fifa]

The flight over the Himalayas provided spectacular views and our excitement grew as we approached Bhutan. The approach into Paro Airport is a visual one and was the most amazing I have ever experienced. The aircraft weaves around the surrounding hills skimming over tree covered ridges before the final approach into the Paro Valley at an altitude of 2235m. Paro Airport is restricted to daylight flights and is dependent on the weather meaning flights are often disrupted.

 

[Fifa]

It didn’t take long to position the aircraft steps and we were on the tarmac taking photos.



No-one was rushed to move inside so we had ample opportunity to photograph the plane and airport before heading into the uniquely decorated immigration hall. This took some time as visas were checked manually against lists.



After customs we removed our bags from the one baggage belt and our US dollars were changed to Bhutanese ngultrum. The currency exchange counter had to set a limit for some of the last passengers due to reduced funds.

We met our delightful drivers and guides who loaded the bags onto the top of one of the buses and drove the 40minutes to Thimphu which is the only capital city in the world to have no traffic lights!

 

[Heleigh]

Look forward to the on going TR and have a great trip.

Also thanks for the info on Novotel I intend on staying there in Dec.

 

[Major]

Looking forward to more of this. Sounds like a great trip.

 

[drron]

Looks like rush hour at Paro!
Another interested in this.have been thinking of it for some time.

 

[Fifa]

I'm glad you are all enjoying it.
This is ONE place you just have to visit in your lifetime!

 

[Fifa]

Our guides, Tashi and Phub were the most personable, helpful and knowledgeable men, each with a great sense of humour. No request was too much trouble. The Bhutanese are amazingly friendly and hospitable and they have a genuine sincerity that was evident wherever we travelled.


Our fantastic guides - Phub & Tashi

Bhutan is a unique country, blending old and new. It is rich in cultural diversity with a pristine and unspoilt landscape.

Our first 2 nights were spent at the delightful Yeedzin Guesthouse (where Prince Charles once stayed) in Thimpu and on our first morning visited Bhutan’s largest Buddha statue, the country’s arts and craft school where Bhutanese students learn the age old traditions of painting and craft work, the folk heritage museum, a traditional paper factory where paper is made from the daphne plant, the national library and the ancient dzong (fortress) of Thimphu.


Bhutanese students



We also saw Bhutan’s most unusual national animal, the takin. (The famous biologist, George Schaller called it a ‘beestung moose’).


We were even lucky enough to see an archery tournament - archery is Bhutan’s national sport.


Then we had dinner at our host’s home which was a Bhutanese meal of red rice, potato cheese and chilli, chilli chicken, beef and vegetables - delicious!

 

[kpc]

Nice report Fifa....will add Bhutan to my long list of places to visit

 

[kamchatsky]

Fantastic! What a great trip report on places where you cannot really get there on award redemption!

 

[Fifa]

All Bhutanese are required to wear the national dress in government offices, schools and on formal occasions - for women it is a kira or long skirt and for men a gho. The gho comprises a dressing gown type garment which has a belt, a fitted skirt, big white cuffs and a huge pocket in the front and is worn with long socks.

We drove north of Thimphu to the southern border of Jigme Dorji National Park where we hiked up to the Tango University of Buddhist Studies and monastery with its magnificent views.


One of our guides, Phub, chatting with the monks at Tango University


Tango University of Buddhist Studies

Bhutan is a Buddhist country and the religion is an essential element of Bhutanese life. Dzongs, stupas, monasteries, prayer flags and prayer wheels dominate the Bhutanese landscape and are an essential ingredient of Bhutanese life.



Later it was on to Dochu-la (Pass) at 3,100m for the night where our room had magnificent views of the snow-capped Himalayas. It was kept warm by a round wood fuel heater placed in the centre! A few of our group had mild headaches that may have been due to the altitude but they recovered quickly the next day as we dropped in elevation.

Our room at Dochula Resort

 

[StevePER]

Keep it coming, Bhutan is a place I really want to visit!

 

[Major]

I can see an addition to my bucket list coming up.

 

[oz_mark]

I can see an addition to my bucket list coming up.

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[Fifa]

One incredible day we visited the Royal Botanical Park and met with the Park Manager and Bhutan’s leading botanist, who gave us a fascinating presentation on conservation in Bhutan and took us on an amazing nature walk. We were also fortunate to be visiting on the day of the annual Buddhist blessing ceremony.


The roads in Bhutan are something else! The main east west road was only built from 1969 by Indian labour and consists of a single lane of bitumen. Downhill traffic gives way to uphill traffic and often there is barely enough room for two vehicles to pass. We never travelled faster than 40kmh and the road wound along cliff sides with no guard rails, across bailey bridges and over mountain passes with spectacular scenery.

 

[Fifa]

Our next destination was Punakha for 2 nights. Here we climbed 45 mins to Khamsumg Yuelly Namgyel temple which was built for the present King by the Queen Mother then walked through paddy fields and quaint villages before crossing a swing bridge festooned with prayer flags where our bus met us.


Afterwards we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Chimmi Lhakhang fertility temple (popular with childless couples who come to be blessed) and walked to it through fields planted with numerous crops. Monks as young as 4 and 5 were living at the monastery and we were lucky enough to watch them in the temple during afternoon prayer.


We visited Punakha Dzong (dzongs, or fortresses dominate the major towns and serve as their administrative and religious centre) where a meeting had been arranged with the Governor who is the King’s representative. We all sat in a very formal room and were served juice before he made his appearance wearing his traditional gho and sword! He explained his role and lots of questions were asked.


We have seen some incredible flora and the huge white magnolias and red, pink and white rhododendrons are spectacular and grow everywhere at this time of year.


Bhutan is such an amazing country - every day brings new experiences.