Bhutan is the best-kept secret in the travel
industry. Due to its relative isolation, the country is not known
to the outside world and until 1960, western visitors rarely visited
the country. Burt Kerr Todd, the first American to ever visit Bhutan,
wrote in a National Geographic article on Bhutan (Bhutan, Land of
the Thunder Dragon; December 1952):
"Bhutan lies squarely in the center of the Himalayas, amid
the highest mountains on earth...in its 18,000 square miles can
be found such variety of climate and scenery, such grandeur and
peacefulness, and such fascination of the novel and unknown as few
countries its size can boast. Its neighbors are Tibet to the north,
Sikkim to the west, India's West Bengal and Assam to the south and
east."
The "fascination of the novel and unknown"
to this day continues to enthrall visitors to Bhutan. Unlike neighboring
countries, which encourage mass tourism, the Royal Government of
Bhutan has chosen a more cautious policy on tourism largely to preserve
its natural and cultural heritage. As such less than 5,000 travelers
discovered Bhutan last year (compare this with half a million tourists
who visited Nepal in the same time period). Visitors to Bhutan can
feel the benefits of this policy and have a rich and unique travel
experience. Some travelers can spend their entire time in Bhutan
without ever coming across another tourist.
There has never been a "visit Bhutan year"
rather the country awaits to be discovered and explored and we promise
to be your guide and fellow travelers on this journey of discovery.
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