2020 GeoEx Catalog

T  his very special journey led by Brent Olson (to whom we pay tribute one page west of here) takes us deeper into Bhutan than most travelers go, exploring the Buddhist heritage, pristine mountain scenery, and splendid textile traditions of the kingdom’s eastern half. To dive in, we hop a scenic flight to the Trashigang District, the “Jewel of the East.” Then it’s an overland journey through bucolic countryside awash in tumbling rivers, bird-filled forests, and terraced landscapes to Lhuntshi, one of the kingdom’s most isolated and least developed districts. With a tented camp as our home base for three nights, we discover pilgrimage sites and the birthplace of Bhutan’s monarchy. In the village of Khoma, beloved across the country for its intricately handwoven kira (the national dress for women), we learn about weaving and may take a turn at the loom ourselves. When the area’s annual tshechu (festival) kicks off, we’re likely to be the only Westerners in attendance, beholding masked dances, folk songs, and crowds dressed in their finest. The road carries us westward into the Bumthang region, Bhutan’s spiritual heartland. We overnight in a charming guesthouse attached to a 19th-century nobles’ manor (now museum) and are invited into Pema Chol- ing, one of Bhutan’s only nunneries. Jambay Lhakhang, believed to be as old as the Jokhang in Tibet, and New �  Off the Map in Eastern Bhutan TOURING | 14 DAYS · GROUP

ROBERT MACKINLAY

Tamzhing, a UNESCO-listed monastery with 500-year- old paintings, are just two of the moving temples we see before flying back to Paro in the country’s west and capping off our trip at the Tiger’s Nest.

nov. 3–16, 2019; oct. 21–nov. 3, 2020 from $10,435

Day 1  arrive in Paro ✦  2  Paro ✦  3  fly to Yonphula, drive to Trashigang ✦  4  on to Lhuntshi ✦  5  Geonkhar Tshechu, Khoma ✦ 6  Lhuntshi exploring ✦  7  drive to Mongar ✦  8  by road to Tang Valley ✦  9  explore Tang Valley ✦  10 & 11  temples and hiking in Chamkhar and Jakar Valleys ✦  12  Jambay Tshechu, fly to Paro ✦  13  hike to Tiger’s Nest ✦  14  depart.

BELOW  Lhuntshi Dzong, eastern Bhutan. The roots of the royal House of Wangchuck reach back to this region.

EYE UBIQUITOUS / ALAMY