Bhutan

The approach into Paro is one of the most demanding commercial landings in the world. The aircraft banks through a valley between mountains, wings apparently close enough to the hillside to count the prayer flags, and only a small number of pilots are certified to fly it.

It is an appropriate way to arrive. Bhutan does not make itself easy, and that is more or less the point.

Bhutan suits travellers who want something to think about rather than something to recover from.

It is not a beach, it is not a safari, and it asks a certain amount of you, mostly in the form of walking uphill at altitude.

Amankora is not a hotel but a circuit. Aman operates five small lodges across Bhutan’s western and central valleys, each in a different landscape, and guests move between them as a single journey. One booking, several valleys, the same standard and the same team throughout.

This is why it has become the default for a first luxury trip to Bhutan. The alternative is stitching together individual properties, which is entirely possible and which we do regularly, but the circuit removes a great deal of friction from a country where the driving is slow.

How many lodges you take depends on your days. Two valleys works in a week. Adding the central valleys, which are quieter and more agricultural, needs ten days or more and a domestic flight to avoid a very long drive.

Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world where the mechanics of visiting are part of the story, and where they genuinely require a specialist.

This is the part of a Bhutan trip that most rewards using one of our Travel Designers. The permits, the guide, the driver, the domestic flights and the dzong access all interlock, and none of it is bookable in an afternoon online. Our about page sets out how we work.

Spring, March to May, and autumn, late September to November, are the two seasons. Autumn has the clearest skies and the best mountain views. Spring brings rhododendrons in flower across the hillsides and slightly softer light.

Both seasons carry the major festivals. Tsechu festivals feature masked dances in dzong courtyards, and they are set by the lunar calendar rather than fixed dates, so they move year to year. If a festival matters to you, it should be the first thing we plan around, because accommodation in that valley fills accordingly.

Summer, June to August, is the monsoon. Cloud sits low, the mountains disappear, and trails are wet. The valleys are at their greenest, and there are very few visitors.

Winter, December to February, is cold but often bright, with clear mountain views in the western valleys. The central and eastern passes can close with snow.