Finding Happiness in Bhutan: Manya Mishra's Seven-Day Journey Through the Land of the Thunder Dragon

Thrillophilia Verified Booking
PNR: BKD62VVERCZ
Rating: ★★★★★
Travellers: Manya Mishra, Madhumita Duha
Trip Duration: 7 Days | 6 Nights
Date of Travel: 24 November 2024
Package Booked: Bhutan Tour Package from Bagdogra

Any trip comes with its share of planning and an even bigger share of excitement. But planning one with a group full of strangers brings its own quiet panic, the nagging worry over whether everything will actually fall into place. It was with this mix of nerves and anticipation that Manya Mishra, along with her friend Madhumita Duha, planned a seven-day, six-night trip to Bhutan through Thrillophilia, the land of happiness, to escape from the deadlines and hassles of everyday life.

And finally, Manya Mishra, along with her friend Madhumita Duha zipped up her suitcase for a country where happiness is treated as seriously as GDP, in November 2024, just a month before the year ends. They booked a seven-day, six-night trip to Bhutan through Thrillophilia, with a group that witnessed the misty valleys, riverside fortresses and a monastery clinging to the edge of a cliff.

First Steps Into the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon Kingdom

Manya and Madhumita, along with the group, finally started their journey with Thrillophilia, leaving all the tension and questions behind. They took their flight to Bagdogra and then drove onward through Siliguri, enjoying its serene beauty, before crossing into Phuntsholing, Bhutan's busy little border town.

There is something alluring about the first crossing, because that is the moment when they felt that the road simply was changing its character, and their soul actually felt it; they were about to witness everything that was just in their cellphone, then the signboards switched to Dzongkha, and the air started smelling faintly of pine and woodsmoke. Manya and her friends checked into their hotel and spent the rest of the day exactly as a good first day in a new country should be spent, slowly. 

A short stop at the Bhutan Gate, and they just stood there appreciating the detailed woodwork marking the country's threshold, setting the tone for the architecture they would keep running into all week. Karbandi Monastery, sitting above the town with sweeping views over the valley, gave them their first real taste of something which they were seeking even before the moment they actually started planning about the trip, the calm that seems to follow visitors around in Bhutan.

Thimphu: Where Tradition Takes Centre Stage

It was time to start exploring the country, and it began with Phuntsholing, and then the group drove on to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital and easily its busiest city, though busy is just about the time, but even in the busiest time of the day, Bhutan still means clean streets, unhurried traffic and the odd monk crossing the road at his own pace. 

As travel permits were sorted out at the immigration office by Thrillophilia along the way, a brief paperwork stop, but that did not really interrupt the scenery. Once they were settled in the city, Manya and the group spent an evening experiencing a traditional cultural performance, the kind of experience that turns a generic city tour into an actual memory worth keeping, because until one knows the traditions, the culture of the place, they can’t connect with the place and know the real story it holds and they already felt a part of the place.

When the dancers dressed in maroon and lavender kiras moved through slow, deliberate steps under strings of paper lanterns, their long sleeves catching the light, while carved masks watched over the room from the walls like silent spectators. The performance offered a deeper understanding of Bhutan's traditions and cultural identity.

Inside the Palace of Great Happiness

No trip to Bhutan is complete without a detour to Punakha, and Manya's group made the drive over the Dochula Pass, stopping first at Chimi Lhakhang, the small but famously unusual fertility temple, before arriving at the real showstopper of the day, Punakha Dzong. Built where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, the fortress earns its nickname, the Palace of Great Happiness, the moment you step into its courtyards. 

Whitewashed walls rise against a clear sky, gold trims catch the afternoon light, and the woodwork on every window frame looks too precise to have been carved by hand, except that it was. Manya later said the dzong was one of those places photographs simply cannot do justice to. You have to stand in the courtyard and look straight up to actually understand the scale of it.

Mornings That Came With a View and the traditional cuisine

By the time the group reached Paro, the trip had settled into its own gentle rhythm, and nowhere did that show more than at breakfast. With their table looking out over the Paro valley and the river curling past a hillside village below, mornings quickly became everyone's favourite part of the day. 

Bowls of mustard sauce and tomato chutney sat beside the salt and pepper grinders, a glass bottle of water caught the early sun, and beyond the window, the valley was just waking up too, rooftops glinting and the river running quietly along the fields. It was the kind of breakfast you linger over even after the plates are empty, mostly because the view refuses to let you leave.

Bhutan’s culture served in a Soulful Plate

If there was one thing the group agreed on by the end of the week, it was that Bhutanese hospitality shows up most clearly on the dining table. Meals were steady, comforting, followed by red rice, stir-fried beef, sauteed greens and crisp fried strips that disappeared faster than they could be refilled. 

Suja, the local butter tea, arrived in brass cups, mild and warming after a day out in the cold, and on one particularly chilly evening, a simple bowl of noodles with tomatoes and green chillies tasted better than it had any right to. 

None of it was fussy or overly plated. It was just good, honest food, served generously, exactly the way Manya would later describe it in her review: simple but tasty.

The Climb to Tiger's Nest

Day five was always going to be the one everyone remembered most, and it did not disappoint them at all. The group set off early for the base of Paro Taktsang, popularly known as Tiger's Nest Monastery. They picked up their wooden hiking sticks and posed for a quick group photo against the pine forest and sheer rock face before the climb, keeping the memory stored through lenses before they began one of their life’s most memorable and beautiful treks. 

The seven-kilometre trail rises steadily through the trees, strings of prayer flags fluttering overhead at every turn, until the monastery itself comes into view, white walls and golden roofs clinging to a cliff nearly three thousand feet above the valley floor. 

Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche flew here on the back of a tigress and meditated in one of its caves, and standing below it, slightly out of breath, it is easy to believe a story like that, simply because the place feels too dramatic to be the result of ordinary human effort. The group took their time at the top, walking through the prayer halls and meditation caves before starting the long way back down, legs tired but spirits noticeably lighter.

A Trip Worth Every Mile with Thrillophilia

The final two days brought the group back to Phuntsholing for one last quiet evening before the drive to Siliguri and the flight home from Bagdogra on the 30th of November. Looking back on the week, Manya credited much of the trip's smoothness to their guide, Mr. Dorji, of Thrillophilia, who she felt went out of his way to make sure nothing about the experience felt rushed or transactional. Because somewhere Thrillophilia knows that every trip is about a lot more than just a tour for the travellers.  In her review of the trip, she summed it up simply:

“I recently joined a group tour to Bhutan with Thrillophilia, and it was amazing! The hotels were clean, the food was simple but tasty, and all inclusions were delivered as promised. Our guide, Mr. Dorji, went above and beyond, making the trip even more memorable. Bhutan’s serene beauty, unique culture, and friendly people made it a truly unforgettable experience. Thrillophilia’s seamless organization made everything stress-free. Highly recommended!”

For Manya, Madhumita and the other people of the group who started as strangers and ended as travel companions sharing their stories and journey, exchanging numbers, Bhutan turned out to be exactly the kind of place its own philosophy promises, a country less interested in impressing its visitors than in simply making them feel at peace. Between the fortress monasteries, the cliffside climb and the unhurried mornings by the river, it is not hard to see why they are already talking about going back.

Also Checkout: Shirish's Bhutan Trip with Thrillophilia