Bhutan Tours and Treks

The global financial crisis has not affected the donor countries which assist Bhutan. The Finance Ministry says no donor country has shown indication of reducing their grant commitments. However, the Finance Minister said Bhutan may face difficulties seeking new partners for new projects.
So far no donor country or agency has shown indication of reducing their grant commitments. This, the Finance Minister Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu said is because most of the programmes with the leading lending and grant agencies and countries are ongoing. Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu also said that this could also be because Bhutan is ranked among the top performers by most of the partners.
However, the Finance Minister said Bhutan may face difficulties in finding new grants for new projects.
Donor counties still continue to support Bhutan. This, the Finance Ministry said is evident from the ongoing grants Bhutan’s donors are making.
Today, one of Bhutan’s major lending institution- the World Bank granted a little over US$ 20 million- US$ 9 million as grant and US$ 11 million as credit.
The Ministry of Finance says the money will be used to promote good governance, and public financial management, foster dynamic labour markets and generate employment opportunities in the country. It will also be used to expand access to infrastructure in an environmentally sustainable manner.
An agreement to this effect was signed between the Finance Minister Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu and the World Bank Country Director for South Asia Nicholas Kraft.

Day 1:
Twenty five minutes before you land in to the Dragon kingdom you will be able to view the highest.mountain range, The Everest and then other mountains like the Mt.Kanchenjunga, Mt. Makalu and at the later end you will also see the mountains of Bhutan like the most famous Mt.Chomolhari, Mt.Jichu Drake, Mt. Tsrim Gang etc. Finally after a great view you will reach Paro airport after 2 hrs 45 minutes (from BKK) or 1 hr 30 minutes (from KTM). The company team will receive you at the airport and Welcome you to Paro, the only airport in Bhutan. The local time is 45 minutes behind Bangkok’s time and thirty minutes before Indian Standard Time. A beautiful drive along the crystal clear river would take us to the Lodge where a sumptuous Bhutanese meal will be waiting. Check in to the lodge and freshen up. After lunch visit the Paro Dzong which houses the Monk and civil body of the region. Dzong’s are fortresses built on strategic location. The museum just above the Dzong is one of the best natural history museums in south East Asia. The six storey structure which houses the museum used to be the old watch tower and gives us an introduction to Bhutanese history, culture and tradition. (It’s closed on Sunday and Monday. After the museum we will visit down town Paro which will take us back in time with its medieval setting. A stroll along the main strip gives us an idea of Bhutanese commerce. Drive back to the Lodge.

Day 2: Paro to Thimphu/Thimphu Sightseeing
You can have an easy start from Paro since Thimphu (2300m) is just 2hrs drive. On the way you will see a monastery called the Tachogang lhakhang. After a drive of 1 hour you will reach a place called chuzom which means the meeting of two rivers. The Thimphu River and Paro River meets here at a confluence of three different kinds of monastery that you will see in the country. There will be a road junction from whom one goes to the south which leads to Phuentsholing in the southern part of Bhutan and the other to the capital. Before reaching Thimphu you will see a dzong on the top of a hill which is the Simtokha dzong. This dzong was built by Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel which is infact one of the oldest dzongs in Bhutan. It was built in 1627 and at present it is being used as a school for the monks and also for students who want to learn Dzongkha in a professional field. Read the rest of this entry »