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nAtUre

Our 850km journey commenced in the
warm south-east and we travelled west
across the breadth of this remarkable
country on a single-lane paved road which
followed the contours of the land, regularly
crossing dramatic mountain passes - like the
famed Dochu La (pass), littered with prayer
flags and chortens (shrines) - and passing
through magnificent forested landscapes
often dominated by imposing and
impressive dzongs (fortresses of towering
walls surrounding a complex of courtyards,
temples, administrative offices and monks’
accommodation).
West of the Black Mountain range running
from north to south, western Bhutan was
only equipped for tourism relatively recently.
This included the provision of wide roads
and luxurious accommodation, etc. At
the time of my visit, eastern and central
Bhutan were almost totally devoid of any
tourist infrastructure and hotels (if any) in
the widely-spaced towns catered only for
indigenous travellers. For this reason, as
well as for birding logistics, we camped for
11 of our 19-day tour, which necessitated
Above Black-necked that all of our food and camping equipment
Crane (RS) be transported in advance to the informal
Below: Himalayan view sites carefully chosen for our camps.
Brown Goral (MA)
Having spent the previous day travelling
Possessing unusually high biodiversity Bhutan’s population is around 770 000, and through the Assam state of India, our group
and enlightened conservation practices, the people are industrious, very hospitable of eight arrived at the Bhutan border an hour
the Kingdom of Bhutan is the jewel of the and friendly, but greatly influenced by and a half early, so our Bhutanese guides
eastern Himalayas, having one of the world’s religion - Vajrayana Buddhism (75%) and (Tserin, Solaam and bus driver Oula), who
most valuable, unique and intact ecosystems. Hinduism. Small in stature, they are thin but we were relying on to arrange our visas and
The extreme variations in altitude and tough (only one person overweight, a priest, guide us through the border formalities, were
climate also account for its remarkable observed during my travels). Attire consists nowhere to be found. They finally arrived and
assemblage of vertebrates. of a gho for the men (a long, knee-length shortly thereafter we were stepping through
robe tied around the waist with a cloth-belt a shallow trough of disinfectant into Bhutan
There are: known as a kera) and a kira for the women and making our way to the border town of
• more than 100 species of mammals (an ankle-length dress made of a brightly- Samdrup Jongkhar for the night.
including Snow Leopard, Bengal Tiger, Blue coloured finely-woven fabric with traditional
Sheep, Musk Deer, Bhutan Takin, Red Panda, patterns). The National sport is archery The next morning, we set off for our
Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, and Golden although shotput, darts and wrestling are first birding excursion, with the road
Langur (an endemic primate); also popular, and the staple diet consists winding through patches of evergreen
largely of red rice, wheat, maize, meat (pork, forest northwards into the foothills of the
• 620 bird species including Rufous-necked chicken, beef or yak), cheese and chillies Himalayas. Both Great and Oriental Pied
Hornbill, Black-necked Crane and Pallas’s Fish (used as a vegetable, not a spice). Hornbills showed well at a fruiting ficus tree,
Eagle;
• and more than 5 400 plant species, of
which 750 are endemic to the eastern
Himalayas and 50 to Bhutan itself.
The progressive and enlightened
conservation policies adopted by the Royal
Government operate on the premise of
environmental and cultural connectivity
with socioeconomic development thereby
controlling both its pace and direction
to ensure sustainability. Foreign visitors
are required to pay a minimum tariff of
US$ 250 per day, making it a very expensive
destination – as they believe that sustainable
tourism and Gross National Happiness matter
more than Gross Domestic Product. Unlike
its nearby neighbour, Nepal, whose economy
is largely financially dependent on tourism,
Bhutan has limited its investment in tourism
to the upgrading of infrastructure, roads and
accommodation in the western part of the
country.

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