Paradise Found – Bumthang to Punakha
Reading time 8 minutes
First off, meet these cheeky grey langurs we met steeling bags of salt near the pass at Pele La. They’re not rare, but they […]
Travel
Prunus serrula var. tibetica
Reading time 1 minute
As shaggy and appealing as an Irish Setter, this is the trunk of a magnificent, mature Tibetan cherry, Prunus serrula var. tibetica, which we […]
Flowers of Bhutan – Arisaema nepenthoides
Reading time 1 minute
Bhutan’s forests may bear a passing similarity to the great gardens of Cornwall, but you know you’re somewhere exotic when the forest floor is […]
Bumthang in Bloom
Reading time 8 minutes
You’d be forgiven for thinking we’d transported ourselves to Switzerland but, no, this is Bhutan’s cultural heartland, Bumthang. Four bucolic pine-clad valleys make up […]
Tulips from Kashmir
Reading time 1 minute
Every year, Srinagar’s Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden on the banks of the Dal Lake are planted with over 1.5 million tulips, creating the largest […]
Flowers of Bhutan – Clematis montana
Reading time 1 minute
I have finally solved the curious case of the flowering evergreen oak. All along our travels in Bhutan I kept spotting what appeared to […]
The Valley of the Black Cranes – Gangtey and the Phobjikha valley
Reading time 8 minutes
I once read that your preference for different kinds of landscape stems from a deep seated evolutionary instinct related to the race you’ve descended […]
Farewell Bhutan
Reading time 1 minute
And when I say fare well, I mean it, for Bhutan is an extraordinary country which deserves a prosperous and happy future. The rest […]
Flowers of Bhutan – Primula calderiana
Reading time 1 minute
Today’s little Bhutanese gem is Primula calderiana. After a visit from the Thunder Dragon himself last night (i.e. a very dramatic thunder storm), the […]
Flowers of Bhutan – Curcuma aromatica
Reading time 1 minute
This curious little fella is Curcuma aromatica, or wild turmeric. We discovered it today, growing amongst the pine needles at the side of the […]
Flowers in the Forest – Over the Dochu La Pass
Reading time 8 minutes
Much of the driving in Bhutan is tortuous and faintly terrifying. It’s best to pay as little attention as possible to where the car […]
Thorny Subjects – Paro to Thimphu
Reading time 6 minutes
Before I start waxing lyrical about the botanical delights of Bhutan, which are plentiful, I should firstly point out that our trip is not […]