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Bhutan

Punakha dzong

The land of happiness that few tourists ever visit

Want to lose the crowds on your next holiday? Tourists are still something of a novelty in Bhutan, the country that invented Gross National Happiness.

  • by Trudi Jenkins
Beauty outside and in.

New luxury lodge makes this remote country more appealing than ever

Some 600,000 people visited the Himalayan nation of Nepal in the first eight months of 2023. Less than a tenth of that figure visited the nearby Kingdom of Bhutan.

  • by Julietta Jameson
Bhutan is still waiting for visitors to return post-COVID.

The country that didn’t want you to visit has changed its mind

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is to halve the $311 daily fee it charges tourists in an effort to boost a sector still struggling to recover a year after the end of COVID-19 restrictions.

Ema datshi: Here, chilli is not considered a spice. It's a vegetable. It's something you cook with as if it were a potato, or a zucchini.

What is ema datshi? The curious origins of Bhutan's beloved fiery cheese dish

In this country, chilli is not considered a spice. It's a vegetable. It's something you cook with as if it were a potato, or a zucchini.

  • by Ben Groundwater
A village in Bhtan.

The country that doesn't want you to visit

Here is a country, essentially, that is upfront about the fact that it doesn't really want tourists. Or at least, not many tourists.

  • by Ben Groundwater
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The Trans-Bhutan Trail, a more than 400-kilometre-long hiking track leads clear across the centre of the country.

Trans-Bhutan Trail: Epic, 400-kilometre hiking trail set to become one of the world's best

A 403-kilometre trail high in Bhutan has been revamped and reopened and is destined to become one of the great tourism experiences of the world.

  • by Ben Groundwater
Bhutan has been cut off from tourists since March 2020.

Bhutan tourism and border closures: Meet the only tourist in the entire country

Travelling solo is one thing, but Fran Bak has taken it to the extreme.

  • by Ute Junker
Running a monk.
14 images

Bhutan: On the bumpy road to happiness

Bhutan: On the bumpy road to happiness

A daughter of Bhutan.

Bhutan: A road trip through the ultimate trophy destination

Bhutan is beset with a major chilli shortage. How does this affect the land of happiness?

  • by Anthony Dennis
The 50-metre-tall golden Buddha that sits on a hill overlooking the city of Thimpu.

Things to do in Thimphu, Bhutan: A three-minute guide

Welcome to the world's only national capital without a single set of traffic lights.

  • by Anthony Dennis