2020 GeoEx Catalog

DAVID LAZAR

Essence of Bhutan

EXQUISITE SCENERY, VIBRANT CULTURE, AND SACRED FESTIVALS

TOURING · DAY HIKING | 12 DAYS · GROUP

G etting to know Bhutan has been a balm and a revelation to our many GeoEx travelers through the years. Brent Olson, a veteran of nearly 50 trips to the Dragon Kingdom since we started our program there more than 30 years ago, created Essence of Bhutan as “a summary of all that draws us to Bhutan: its outstanding people, its sweet scenery, and its vibrant, proud culture.” Not to be immodest, but we’re confident that because of our long experience in the country, our deep affection for it, and the matchless know-how we bring to it, no company can showcase Bhutan like GeoEx. Rambling through rolling countryside, staying in wonderful hotels, and taking optional day hikes to tradi- tional villages and serene valleys, we immerse ourselves in this unique island of sanity and peace. We’ll attend one of the country’s festivals, joyous expressions of its Buddhist culture, joining hun- dreds of villagers to soak up the reverential

and watch mesmerizing masked dances. We’ll take close looks at the creation of Bhutanese art forms: thangka painting, textile weaving, and wood carving, art forms that are cherished and used by the Bhutanese. We’ll ven- ture into homes of friends and hike to the cliff-clinging, breath-stopping Taktsang Lhakhang, or Tiger’s Nest monastery. And throughout we’ll rejoice in the essence of a country that seems to have gotten it right, and is determined to keep it that way. Day 1  arrive in Paro ✦  2  fly to Bumthang region ✦  3  explore Bumthang ✦  4  by road to Trongsa ✦  5  on to the Phobjikha Valley ✦  6  Phobjikha walks ✦  7  drive to Punakha ✦  8  explore the Punakha Valley ✦  9  continue to Thimphu ✦  10  visit Thimphu, return to Paro  ✦ 11  hike to Taktsang Lhakhang  ✦  12  depart Paro. ABOVE  Young monks in Bhutan. The idea that a sovereign nation would use an index of Gross National Happiness to measure its success might strike us as utopian or naïve, but the Bhutanese are intelligently serious about it. nov. 8–19, 2019; mar. 27–apr. 7, 2020; oct. 22–nov. 2, 2020; nov. 1–12, 2020 from $7950

Bhutan

atmosphere, revel in a rollicking celebration,

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