About 10 years ago I saw a trip report about Bhutan and I've been fascinated ever since. With remote monasteries, mountain vistas, and lots of wildlife, it ticked a lot of photogenic boxes. Visiting...
Blog posts from Bhutan
Himalayas 2025: flights
On this adventure we took 8 flights during the first two weeks in May, visiting two new countries (Bhutan and Nepal) and re-visiting Doha. We also had time with Chicago family, plus our favorite...
Himalayas 2025: where we stayed in Bhutan
As we wrote in the intro post, the Bhutan portion of our trip was organized and booked by Raven Tours Bhutan. The accommodations were generally good — we had checked reviews beforehand and our...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Paro (first and last day)
We started and ended our trip in Paro, home to the international airport and the famous Tiger's Nest monastery. May 7 + arrival The Paro airport is beautiful, first due to its valley location with...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Tang Valley and Ura Yakchoe Festival
We were hungry after arriving on our delayed flight, so after meeting our new driver, we headed directly to Sherab Dema Homestay for lunch, driving up increasingly narrow rural roads. On arrival we...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Bumthang to Gangtey
Day four featured a multiple hour drive with several stops along the way. From our overnight in Jakar, we started west, heading up in elevation until we eventually hit 3400m in the Yuto La Pass. The...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Punakha
The drive from Gangtey to Punakha was similar, scenery-wise, to the previous day and as it was only about 2 hours, we took a more leisurely pace, stopping for more waterfalls and macaque photos. We...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Dochula Pass and Ser Bhum Brewery
From Punhaka we had a long winding drive west, gaining elevation. After about 45 minutes, we stopped for a roadside grilled corn that was rather starchy. Pretty soon we were in the clouds, so it...
Himalayas 2025: Bhutan – Thimphu
We spent two days in Thimphu, the capital city, and home to roughly 1/3 of the population. After a week in quite rural areas it felt a little strange to be in a more developed area again. As we...
Our Itinerary
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls, Argentina + Brazil (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol, UK (Jun)
London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London + Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)