Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [157]
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PEMAGATSHEL DZONGKHAG
The name Pemagatshel means ‘blissful land of the lotus’. This rural dzongkhag in the southeastern part of the country is Bhutan’s smallest district. Its headquarters, Pemagatshel, is reached via a side road that leads off the Samdrup Jongkhar to Trashigang road.
Yongla Goemba
Yongla Goemba is one of the holiest shrines in eastern Bhutan. It was founded in the 18th century by Kheydup Jigme Kuenduel, who was advised by the great terton Rigzin Jigme Lingpa to establish a monastery on a mountain that looked like a phurba (ritual dagger) and overlooked the vast plains of India. Later the goemba was used as a base for religious ceremonies by Trongsa penlop Jigme Namgyal during the great Duar War with the British in 1865.
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Trekking
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TREKKING IN BHUTAN
WHEN TO TREK
GUIDES & CAMP STAFF
TREKKING FOOD
CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
MAPS
TREKS IN THIS BOOK
RESPONSIBLE TREKKING
HEALTH & SAFETY
DRUK PATH TREK
DAGALA THOUSAND LAKES TREK
JHOMOLHARI TREK
JHOMOLHARI TREK 2
LAYA–GASA TREK
GASA HOT SPRING TREK
GANGTE TREK
BUMTHANG CULTURAL TREK
DUER HOT SPRING TREK
RODANG LA TREK
SNOWMAN TREK
SAMTENGANG WINTER TREK
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Towns, dzongs and temples are one aspect of Bhutan, but the majority of the country is deep forests with a scattering of tiny settlements and high grazing lands. A trek provides the best opportunity to experience the real heart of Bhutan and to get insight into the rural culture of the kingdom through contact with people in remote villages and the staff accompanying you.
Many places feel so remote that you can imagine you are the first person ever to visit. As you sit contemplating this, read about the invading armies or royal processions that preceded you decades – or centuries – ago and you will be amazed at what these people accomplished.
TREKKING IN BHUTAN
Government rules dictate that all treks must be arranged as camping trips. This also happens to be the only practical solution because there are few villages in the high country and no lodges or hotels in the hills.
A Bhutanese crew treks with you to set up camp, cook and serve meals. You carry a backpack with only a water bottle, camera and jacket. The rules specify that a licensed guide accompany all trekkers, but there is still a very limited number of guides who are seasoned trekking guides. The Department of Tourism (DOT) operates a guide training and registration program to try to overcome this shortage, but you might still find that you have more camping experience than your guide.
Treks in Bhutan do not use porters. All your personal gear, plus tents, kitchen and food, is carried by pack horses or, at higher elevations, yaks. There are so few villages and facilities along trek routes that the people driving the pack animals carry their own food and tents and camp each night alongside you.
You will sleep in a tent with foam pads placed on the floor as a mattress. All your gear goes into the tent with you at night. Because there are also tents for the Bhutanese guides and the packers, you do not need to camp near villages and can trek comfortably to remote regions and high altitudes.
Often you will arrive at your camp at 3pm and will not dine until 6pm or 7pm. Unless you choose to do some exploring, there will be several hours of sitting around before dinner. It can also be quite cold in the dining tent, so you will need to dress warmly for meals.
For information on trekking companies abroad and on Bhutanese tour companies, Click here.
A Trek is…
A WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE
Most of Bhutan’s landscape is covered with forests, and nowhere is this more obvious than on a trek. All treks climb up and down hills, passing through various vegetation zones with a great variety of trees. As there is a lot of wildlife in the hills of Bhutan, and most treks are in protected areas, there is a chance, albeit small, of seeing wildlife in its native habitat.
Once you step off the road to start