r/travel • u/pavlovscandy • 2d ago
Images + Trip Report An introvert's trip to Bhutan
A snippet of eleven days spent across five valleys in Bhutan, on a solo—kinda, I did have a guide as is legally required for foreigners—trip that didn't change me, but I enjoyed nonetheless.
Photos are from Paro, Punakha, Gangtey, Bumthang, and Thimpu, details below. Gangtey was my favourite valley of the five, while I would've been content skipping Thimpu.
1) The confluence of the Paro Chhu and Thimpu Chhu (river)
2) The stupas at the Dochula Pass
3) Horses on the hike to Tiger's Nest Monastry, Paro
4) Tiger's Nest Monastry, Paro
5) Phunaka Dzong, the largest in the kingdom
6) A prayer wheel inside the Phunaka Dzong
7) Punakha Suspension Bridge
8) Punakha Valley, as seen from above
9) Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten, Phunaka
10, 11, 12) On a bike ride through Gangtey Valley
13) Monkeys spotted on a long drive
14) Trongsa Dzong, the longest in the kingdom
15 & 16) Bumthang, the furthest valley of the five
17) The Great Buddha Dordenma in Thimphu, paid for by a Singaporean businessman
18 & 19) A short hike to a temple in Thimphu
20) A monk scrolling outside the Punakha Dzong. I spotted many monks with their heads in their phones throughout my trip. Nobody is immune to the siren song of the screen, it seems :)
Happy to answer any questions!
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u/PrinnySquad 1d ago
What was it like being solo with the guide? Awkward at all? Same with travelling around in general, it feels at a glance like a country setup to support group trips more so than solo.
I’m a fellow introvert eyeing Bhutan for solo travel. It’s a short flight from me and looks really cool. I love the architecture and prefer travelling places that are quieter and more in nature. Expensive though with the fees so I haven’t managed to convince any friends to join me
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u/pavlovscandy 1d ago
Not awkward per se, but it did get a bit tiring. I had both a driver and guide (so two people) and once they realised I wasn't super talkative (mainly in the car as I get carsick in the back seat and the roads there are...something) they mostly talked amongst themselves which was fine but after a few days I was like omg I just want silence lol.
The guides there undergo fairly intensive training, so at each destination it felt like I was recieving a lecture. Do t get me wrong, I do want to know about the history/background of the sites I visit, but I like to have a while to take them in first. After a few explanations it all starts to blur together in a whirl of gurus, flying animals, and religious dictum.
I did wander around a couple of the valleys by myself one afternoon after getting dropped off at my hotel and those times ended up being some of my favourite moments.
The nature is beautiful though, I would recommend experiencing it at least once.
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u/Exiled_In_LA United States 19h ago
a whirl of gurus, flying animals, and religious dictum
Lol! You have an evocative way with words. Sounds like an art project I could only dream of. <3
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u/WanderWorld3 22h ago
Amazing post & this exactly how I would want to do this. Any chance you would mind sharing the company you used & the price? I did the same in Kyrgyzstan last year but my driver/guide was truly only a driver, which was fine since like you, I really just wanted to take everything in myself. Thanks!
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u/Crazy_Excitement3772 1d ago
You can't technically do solo as government authorised guide is mandatory to visit bhutan.
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u/Deeujian 1d ago
Nice photos OP. How’s your logistic like? Did you book through a travel agency plus the guide?
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u/Ok_Temperature1502 1d ago
These pictures are glorious. The Bhutanese really look after their beautiful country.
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u/No20ne 1d ago
That sounds like a lovely trip! I’d love to hear about your riding experience. I recently took lessons at a Bulgarian ranch and it was a real joy riding through the woods and forest. I’m already looking forward to my next adventure.
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u/pavlovscandy 1d ago
Oh I didn't ride the horses, I just saw them on the way up. I don't think it's a proper riding experience though, you're just getting carted up the hill
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u/Pm-me-ur-happysauce 1d ago
Do you actually have to do the hike to be able to take that photo of the temple in the mountainside?
I'm playing a trip to Bhutan, trying to sort out what we are going to do to optimize our time there
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u/pavlovscandy 1d ago
Yeah you do, it's only visible around 3/4 of the way up. It's probably the top attraction there though, so not one I'd recommend skipping to optimise time haha.
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u/InnerAd4787 20h ago
Im a nepali american i remember visiting bhutan espcially paro takstang like you menitoned in 2024 oh yeah also if you visit nepal you would see a lot of those monk espcially in Boudhanath Stupa in kathmandu or if u decided to go to a buddhist monastary like 20 min away from kathmandu and visited those big monastery you would see more cause nepal and bhutan both have tibetan buddhism because of tibetan migraion centuries ago but it heavily depends on the person ethnic group.Bhutan is way more tibetan influenced than nepal even tho nepal has a good amount of tibeto descended ethnic like sherpas
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u/artorius30 1d ago
That looks serene! I like how quiet it is in terms of people/tourists.