In Love With Bhutan: Punakha

Showing posts with label Punakha. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Punakha Dzong

BHUTAN STUNNING TOURS

Toughest Trek in the World - Snowman Trek
Bhutan Festival Dates 2013
Map of Bhutan
Bhutan weather
Gross National Happiness
Flights to Bhutan
Visa
Recommended 3 Star Hotels
Classic Treks of Bhutan
11 Days Enchanting Bhutan itinerary
7 Days Bhutan Festival Tour Itinerary

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Today, I share with you some of the pictures that I took at the lovely Punakha Dzong. During the upcoming festivals, the masked dances will be performed in the courtyard of this dzong (fortress). The dancers are either monks or villagers who dress in finest clothes of brocade, to perform the various dances which have significance to the life events of Guru Rinpoche( Padmasambhave) who helped to spread Buddhism to this Himalayan kingdom in the eighth century.

This dzong is located on the confluence of two rivers, Po Chu ,and Mo Chu.

Uma Punakha recently opened their second property in this kingdom, located at the higher Punakha Valley, strategically located at the bend of the river. Check out my previous posts.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Bhutan weather

I have included the table for the Bhutan weather, so it helps you in planning for your visit.

BHUTAN STUNNING TOURS

Toughest Trek in the World - Snowman Trek
Bhutan Festival Dates 2013
Map of Bhutan
Bhutan weather
Gross National Happiness
Flights to Bhutan
Visa
Recommended 3 Star Hotels
Classic Treks of Bhutan
11 Days Enchanting Bhutan itinerary
7 Days Bhutan Festival Tour Itinerary

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Peak season:
Mar-May - SPRING
Sep-Nov - AUTUMN

In Spring, you will get to see flowers all over the places. If you go hiking on the Druk Path Trek, you will see rhododendrons up in the mountains. There are a great varieties and many different colours. In Punakha, you will see jacaranda trees and the flowers in bloom.

In Autumn, this is always one of the best times of the year to travel. Do note that in Thimphu, temperature could be as high as 27 degree in the day, with bright sunshine. And due to the strong UV rays at the altitude of more than 2300m, it is highly recommended that you apply sunblock lotion to your face, and body. During the autumn months, there are many festivals happening all over the kingdom. In September, you will find the Thimphu festivals, along with Wangduephodrang, Tangbi, and etc. This is the month of the most tourists in the country, thus you need to try to book at least six months ahead to be able to get good hotels, and even flight tickets.

During the summer months, this is the period of the monsoon rain in the Himalayas. However, Bhutan is spared of too much of a heavy rainfall as compared to the Indian Himalayas. There might be intermittent rain, but in the day, you might get lovely sunshune still on certain days. This is definitely not the time for trekking, as you would like to avoid the muddy trails. But then again, you will find lush green fields everywhere. And you will be able to book hotel, and flight tickets very easily at short notice.

In winter, Paro and Thimphu still enjoy favourable weather in the day, as you can see from the table. Only in the night, that temperature drops. Go for the Semtengang Trek or Phobjikha Valley Trek to see the black-necked cranes which migrate to Bhutan starting from late November till March the following year. These are low altitude treks, which will be enjoyable during the winter season.

See you in Bhutan soon!
Feb - Punakha Drubchen, Punakha Tsechu
Dep - 11Feb (12D Nepal & Bhutan wonders) Specially timed to coincide with the Punakha Drubchen

Contact Olevia Cheong
olevia@gmail.com

Friday, October 19, 2012

7D Bhutan Festival Tour Itinerary

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The peak seasons in Bhutan are in Spring (Mar-May), and Autumn (Sep-Nov). Do note that the hotels/lodges are mostly quite small with not more than 20 rooms. Due to the many festivals that are being held in September, Thimphu, being the most festival, most of the hotels were fully booked a few months ahead. I had problem trying to get the hotel room, and in the end, had to settle for staying only in two places, in order to go ahead with our travel plan.

From Singapore, we have only two flights in a week, every Sunday, and Thursday, and then two returning flights - every Saturday, and Wednesday. But the tickets are not cheap, as it is a monopoly by DrukAir. Simply there is no competition, and hence, we have to pay $1,600 + including taxes, just to fly to Bhutan. Yes, the ticket costs more than flying to Europe!!!! So, many people were wondering why would a package to Bhutan costs so much!
I had checked for other alternatives from flying into the country, but again the tickets were fully sold, about three months prior to our departure. There are many International Tour Agencies that organise Bhutan holiday packages into the country, and most of them have to fly into Bhutan from Kathmandu or Delhi.

So, there are actually a few flights into Paro, the airport city.
Bangkok, Thailand
Kathmandu, Nepal
Delhi, India
Kolkatta, India
(In fact, the flight from Singapore make one stop at Kolkatta before flying into Paro)
Bear in mind that you need to apply for visa for entry into Nepal, and India. For Nepal, you could easily get the visa upon arrival for USD25 (up to 14 days stay, multiply entry). However, the visa for India is much more tricky. The India High Commission in Singapore actually grants a multiple entry for up to 6 months, but there is a catch. After the departure from India, you need to be away for two months before re-entering the country. So if you fly to Kolkatta, and transit (one night stay required due to the early morning flight from Kolkatta to Paro), you will need to apply for Re-entry visa, in order to be able to enter the country again on your returning leg. Yes, you would need to stay overnight again, as there are no daily flights from Kolkatta back to Singapore. So, you can see, that is quite a hassle, to apply not only for Indian visa, but also the need to apply for re-entry visa thereafter. This applies to Singaporeans.

Anyway, enough said of the flight into Paro. So, here is the itinerary that I covered Bhutan - with the main highlight , being the Thimphu Festival, and then the other, the excursion to Haa Valley, on the road to the most western part of the country.

To Achieve Massive Success

Festival Tour
08Feb, 11Feb - 12D Nepal & Bhutan

Do feel free to email me should you have any question regarding the planning of your trip to Bhutan.
Olevia Cheong
olevia@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Falling in love with Bhutan

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Bhutan - the landlocked Himalayan kingdom, that is sandwiched between China to the North, and India to the South, East and West, is a scenic country renowned for its rolling mountains, pristine virgin forests, and age old traditions! In this mystical land, you will be mesmerized by the majestic dzongs (fortresses), sacred Buddhist temples, unique traditional Bhutanese architecture, and warmth and hospitality of the locals.

For many years, it is closed to the foreigners, and TV was banned until 1999. Today, it is a country that strives to preserve its traditional culture, while heading towards modernisation. It is the first country in the world to ban the cigarettes, whereas in Singapore, we banned the chewing gums. With only a small area of 38,000sqkm, and the only country without traffic lights, it continues to lure visitors worldwide to see what happiness meant to these people. The overall well being of the people is measured by the Gross National happiness (GNH), and not by the Gross National Product.

I was attracted by the beautiful landscape of the untouched land, and the strong cultural heritage that it has kept. So I made my first trip to Bhutan last year in 2011, when there was news that in 2012, there will be an increase in the standard daily tariff rate from USD200 to USD250 per day in the peak season (Spring - Mar-May / Autumn - Sep-Nov). I wanted to see the country before the increase, and also eager to visit the Buddhist kingdom before the influx of too many tourists.

Never did I know that I will fall deeply in love with the country, that I like to go back there, again, and again. There are vast expanse of meadows, spectacular mountain vistas, and dense forests everywhere that we could see in the far horizon! There could never be another place that exudes the same sense of tranquility, and serenity... I hope you will make your trip to Bhutan soon, as there is the service of direct flights to Paro, the only international airport in the country from Singapore on every Sunday, and Thursday, and returning from Paro back to Singapore on every Saturday, and Wednesday. Join the following trips on a journey, and on your way to discover the charm of this little hidden kingdom nestled in the Himalayas.

12D Nepal & Bhutan

Highlights:
BHUTAN -
Spectacular mountain vista in Paro, Thimphu valley
Majestic Punakha Dzong, and the terraced rice paddies
Hike up to Taktsang Monastery
Visit a farm house
NEPAL -
Kathmandu, and Patan Durbar Square (UNESCO)
Beautiful Pokhara lakeside resort, and boating on Phewa Lake
Panorama of Everest & other Himalayan peaks from Nargarkot

Dep :
02Nov / 09Nov / 16Nov /
2013 -
Festival Tour - 08Feb, 11Feb, 13Feb
Paro Festival Tour - 18Mar
Ura (Bumthang) Festival Tour - 18Apr(9D Spectacular Bhutan)
Thimphu Festival Tour - 09Sep

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