Bhutan active slow travel holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This 18-day slow-travel trip has no internal flights. We recommend guests fly Delhi–Paro and return the same way. Once in Bhutan, we have focused on a longer, slower trip, with time spent in local vehicles, on foot and by bike, giving guests more time to appreciate the scenery and countryside.

Many operators include an internal flight to Bumthang, but we travel by road instead, which produces lower emissions than flying.

There are several entry points to Bhutan, via Delhi, Bangkok, Singapore or Kathmandu. From the UK we suggest travelling via Delhi, which means a direct flight from London followed by the short Delhi–Paro flight, making it one of the most direct routes into Bhutan.

We focus on walking tours and hikes, which reduce the number of vehicle journeys. Around half the days include 4+ hours of hiking, and on the Druk Path Trek you’ll spend full days with no vehicle use at all. Most other days include at least a shorter hike, cycling or rafting.

In Bhutan, all the 3* properties we use try to source as much of their food locally as possible, and several of the hotels have a garden for growing vegetables seasonally. The emphasis is put on vegetarian meals to avoid shipping in meat. In particular, the family farm stay in Punakha (Dhumra Farm) is a family farm standing on ancestral soil, where farm-to-table food grown on site is a key focus.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

In Bhutan, all guests pay a daily tourist fee of $100 per person per day, which goes directly to the government to help sustain local environmental initiatives. This fee supports the country’s ‘High Value, Low Volume’ tourism policy, contributing to local education and environmental preservation.

Guests will visit the Black-Necked Crane Centre, where the entrance fee goes directly to helping preserve these amazing birds. Power lines in Gangtey Valley are buried underground so they don’t obstruct the cranes’ flight paths.

During the Druk Path Trek, our trekking guides are experts and well trained in where to set up camp, carrying out all waste, cooking simple local food, and respecting the land around the campsites.

Throughout this 18-day trip, our expert local guides share insights on the fragile ecosystems visited and offer practical tips for responsible travel, such as eating locally, choosing vegetarian meals, picking up any litter seen on treks, and accepting things like brief power cuts as part of the way of life in a country looking to keep its environmental footprint low. Many of the basic 3* hotels are ‘homely’ and no frills, and we explain to guests in advance that we recommend these over modern chain hotels because the money stays local, and this helps sustain local employment.

All this helps guests understand the local challenges and how to minimise their footprint.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

All of the hotels and lodges on this 18-day Bhutan trip are independent and locally or family owned. A great example of this is Dhumra Farm Resort in Punakha, a family-owned farm that grows much of the food served to guests on its own land. These locally run guesthouses and small hotels ensure we channel tourism revenue into the local economy, often with a focus on employing local staff and suppliers.

We ensure guests visit the craft markets in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, and encourage guests to buy quality, meaningful gifts made by local artisans, paid for in cash directly to them.

The trip includes full board, which means lunches in local restaurants as a rule, so local restaurant owners benefit from the holiday as well as hotels. All the food on the multi-day Druk Path Trek is purchased and grown locally.

Guides and drivers on this 18-day tour are from the local area, trained by our local ground partners, who are themselves from the local areas.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

100% of the people we work with on this trip (from the office staff to drivers and guides) are from Bhutan, and are all paid at least the minimum wage.

Many of the markets and bazaars visited during the trip will offer crafts made by poorer members of the community, so we encourage guests to make local purchases where the money goes directly to the local person.