Spring Program Dates: March 31 – April 11, 2012
Length: 15 days
Cost: $3,234 plus intl. airfare
3% discount if you pay by check!

Bhutan Spring 2012 program information (PDF)

Fall Program Dates: September 14 – 29, 2012
Length: 15 days
Cost: $3,460 plus intl. airfare
3% discount if you pay by check!

Bhutan Fall 2012 program information (PDF)

Imagine for a moment, a place where people grind grain with millennia old stone wheels while talking on cell phones and visitors view gorgeous Himalayan peaks through fluttering prayer flags from the comfort of a new SUV. A country unlike any other; no where else have the rulers decided that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product. Bhutan is where the old and new are alchemically intertwined, creating magic – to the delight of all who visit.

If there is such a thing as the road less traveled, this is it! You are embarking on a journey only a handful of tourists have made. Visitors were only allowed in the Haa Valley in 2004 and only 7 of them have been to Dorikha.

In Paro, you will witness one of the biggest festivals in Bhutan, the Paro Tsechu. Performed by monks and lay monks, a Bhutanese Tsechu is performed to recount the history of Bhutan and the Buddhism in Bhutan. For Bhutanese, performing and watching a Tsechu is an act of merit building honor. You will also witness the unfurling of the world’s largest religious Thangka scroll, the Paro Thongdrel.

On this cultural immersion program you will be spending time living with the villagers of Dorikha known as Dorips. Most Dorips, unlike many villagers in Bhutan, maintain two villages: a winter village and a summer village. In the summer home villagers grow potatoes, peas, barley, wheat, and buckwheat. In the warmer lower elevation winter village- they grow red rice, oranges, cardamom and other subtropical produce. Fall and spring are perfect times to visit as the timing coincides with the migration. Our spring trip will center around a home stay in the winter village and a popular festival (Paro Tsechu) in Paro. In addition, you will be seeing some of the highlights of this ancient hidden kingdom such as Punakha, Thimphu and a breathtaking visit to the Tiger’s Nest.