Our founder Marie Brown once wrote, “I wanted to go to Bhutan because no one I knew had ever been there. In fact, no one even knew where it was.” Marie was one of the first few westerners to venture into the Kingdom. She loved the kingdom so much that she ended up working as the Tourist Officer for the Royal Govt. Of Bhutan’s only tourist office in New York for couple of decades.
Opened for tourism in the mid 1970s, even now fewer travellers visit Bhutan than visit the Antarctica. The kingdom adheres strongly to a policy of ‘High Value, Low Impact’ tourism which serves the purpose of creating an image of exclusivity and high-yield for the country.
As our world becomes ever more complicated and threatening, as we struggle to find peace and balance, we search for experiences which deepen our awareness and open new doors of knowledge, of ourselves and the world in which we live. A place like Bhutan, far off the beaten path, entices with its remoteness from the increasing turmoil surrounding us, and the sense that it is possible here to figuratively walk through a door into another world.
Bhutan presents a Buddhist perspective of wisdom and compassion which illuminates every aspect of life. It may be the reason this remote mountain kingdom leaves such an indelible impression on those travellers that visit the kingdom. There is a feeling of mystery and discovery in its ancient traditions and deep connections to the natural and spiritual worlds.
The wealth of a country can be measured in ways far more important than its Gross National Product, which Bhutan’s king has deemed of less importance than Gross National Happiness. In terms of diversity of natural species, Bhutan is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, whose species number almost 800 birds, 150 mammals, over 7000 plants including more than 50 species of Rhododendrons, rare flowers, exotic ferns, colourful orchids; birds, butterflies and animals; and over 300 medicinal herbs. It has been named one of the world’s ten best places for bio-diversity– nature in its full and unspoilt glory.
Bhutan presents a Buddhist perspective on our environment: we are not owners but caretakers. The tiny kingdom has become an environmental role model. This isolated, faraway country, where most still live quite simply, has countless insights and discoveries awaiting the adventurous and receptive explorer. Come with an open mind and learn why so many have been touched by its wild and gentle beauty.