Bad news for me.
I’ve been waiting on Bhutan to open up for independent trekking. Planning on being one of the first to get a hiking permit.
It was Rogier Gruys of BluePeak.net who first got me interested in hiking Bhutan.
original – BluePeak on flickr – more photos
Now Kira Salak penned a wonderful Snowman Trek trip report / article for National Geographic.
A small excerpt:
… Then I saw the tiny fortress, Lingshi Dzong, sitting on a hilltop before the great audience of the Himalaya. I stopped. For some reason I never quite understood, I sat down and wept. Maybe it had something to do with the starkness of the distances, with the dramatic vying of sunlight and storm. Or perhaps it was subtler, harder to explain. As if, in that ancient dzong—that speck of human proclamation sitting before the indifferent valleys and rise of the Himalaya—it was my own voice calling out into the void. I found myself making an appeal of grief about my brother, who’d had his own history, his stories. What would happen to them now? Where do they—where do any of our stories—go? …
Lingshi Dzong – larger version – flickr – reddoggirl01
read the entire lengthy, intense travelogue – Trekking Bhutan’s Higher Planes
VISITING BHUTAN: Though there is no cap on the number of annual visitors, the Bhutanese government charges at least $200 a day for any in-country travel, and all tourists must book trips with one of 77 government-approved outfitters. Once you’re there, a guide accompanies you at all times.
National Geographic Bhutan Adventure Guide
In her article, Kira Salak states that she’s heard price will double in the near future. Go from $200 to $400 / day.
Leave a comment if you can confirm that rumour.
(via The Adventure Blog)
Related posts:
A 63-year-old American hikes “end-to-end” — from Land’s End to John o’Groats — and reflects on Britain now and in his youth.
The 
besthike.com 