The thunder dragon is a trekker’s paradise and an environmentalist’s dream. With 72 percent of the country under forest cover, Bhutan’s pristine ecology is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna.
Trekking is simply walking. It is not mountaineering or climbing. You walk mostly on reasonable trails and will only occasionally encounter snow. We trek to enjoy, so the walking days are not long and we stop frequently. Most days involve 3 – 6 hours actual walking, so you don’t need to be an athlete.
The joy of Trekking
For the first time trekkers the prospect of trekking in the Himalaya can be daunting as well as thrilling. Compared to a week’s backpacking in the Rockies or bush walking in Tasmania, trekking in Nepal is an altogether different experience. Rather than jumping into the wilderness to get away from it all, you walk into a countryside free from roads.
The paths are timeless pilgrimage routes, trails between villages or tracks to high grazing pastures. It is by no means wilderness, but it is an incredibly beautiful natural world. Only higher up in the alpine valleys are the villages left behind, to be replaced by herder’s huts and higher still, the ice castles of the lofty Himalaya.
The practical aspects of trekking are surprisingly easy. In the villages and along the way are lodges and tea-houses where meals are ordered from menus in English. Alternatively, on a trekking tour 3 course meals are served by your crew. Without the need to carry food and camping equipment, backpacks are light and, if using a porter, you end up only with a day pack. So trekking is really little more than a pleasurable ramble through quaint villages, gazing in wonder at the terraced hillsides and wandering amid incredible mountain scenery.
The satisfaction of trekking is in the process. Following this most standard trekking days are not particularly long. There is enough time for spotting wildlife, photography, chatting along the way and relaxing over lunch or a reviving cup of tea.
To enjoy the Himalaya you don’t have to be tough outdoorsy type. Like rucksacks and cameras, trekkers come in all shapes and sizes, and with widely differing aspirations. Trekking is physical but certainly not beyond the majority of people. Most important is knowing that you enjoy the concept. Bring along a traveller’s curiosity and a sense of humour, and before you know it you will relish the thought of another trek.
Mountain Treks
The thunder dragon is a trekker’s paradise and an environmentalist’s dream. With 72 percent of the country under forest cover, Bhutan’s pristine ecology is home to rare and endangered flora and fauna.
Trekking is simply walking. It is not mountaineering or climbing. You walk mostly on reasonable trails and will only occasionally encounter snow. We trek to enjoy, so the walking days are not long and we stop frequently. Most days involve 3 – 6 hours actual walking, so you don’t need to be an athlete.