The TBT, trans Bhutan trail

[mspath]

Nicole Melancon in this BBC article describes a network of farmhouses along the reopened Trans Bhutan Trail. Tips include how to avoid roaming tigers.

Farm-to-cushion dining along the Trans Bhutan Trail

A network of farmhouses has sprung up along the newly reopened Trans Bhutan Trail, offering travellers a taste of Bhutanese cuisine and a rare glimpse into rural life and culture.

www.bbc.com

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Wow...definitely one for the intrepid...& hardier souls than myself!
What a truly fascinating undertaking.
Thanks for the link @mspath.

 

[Lindsay53]

Looks great, but at $31,000 for the full 36 night walk I doubt very much if I will be doing it.

 

[Tickbush]

G Adventures has a trip for $4500. It’s not a thru-hike, but hits the highlights.

 

[GregorMc]

It’s on my list. There’s a mandatory Sustainable Development Fee
of US$200 per day imposed by the government, and all international visitors must be accompanied by a guide. Because of that it’s more like the organised agency Camino trips than a turn up and walk the trail. The Kingdom has gifted the 408km trail to the World but they’re also ensuring that it benefits Bhutan and its people. Definitely one for my bucket list though! https://www.transbhutantrail.com/

 

[GuyA]

Oh my! Fortunate to have trekked the Solu Khumbu Valley in Nepal way back in 1996 which was absolutely incredible. This looks incredible +! Must get back to buying lottery tickets . One must live in hope and keep dreaming…you never know!

 

[Kanga]

Looks fascinating. Wild tigers and chillies served as a vegetable are a bit intimidating but for those who are fit and brave enough (and can afford it) sounds like a wonderful walk.

 

[GuyA]

On the affordability question yikes ! However one must live in hope. At this point I can think of 3 options…admittedly all very low probability

1) inheritance from a long lost never known relative

2) lotto win - need to start buying tickets, or

3) an intriguing one! In fall 2022 while walking the Camino Primitivo with a Brazilian friend we came upon a Japanese Documentary team. They produced 3 high quality documentaries in 2020 of a pilgrim walking from Le Puy en Velay to Santiago de Compostela.

Well my friend and I were interviewed…sheer luck…and filmed by the documentary team. After the walk I followed up with the Director of the documentary and he has confirmed that in March 2023 when the documentary is released in Japan parts of our interview will be shown.

So how can I capitalize on this…well followup with the Japanese team to see if they would like to film a Canadian pilgrim walking the Trans Bhutan Trail and of course ahem support $$$ my walk. Or I could contact the Trans Bhutan Trail association directly and see if they wish to invite the Japanese team and of course film me

Either way my chances of walking the Trans Bhutan Trail increase from zero to well zero+++. Like I said one must live in hope and dream

 

[edandjoan]

https://www.transbhutantrail.com/
We can not get anyone to return a call or email from this web site.
We are currently communicating with Deki from:
https://www.transbhutantrail.com/
About the first half...about 14 days.
We thought we would go in mid October, he suggest that March and April have lots of festivals along the way. Anyway I do think this will happen for us in the next year.

 

[edandjoan]

All is falling in place. We have our visa for Bhutan and a start day of October 18. We will only walk for two weeks. Airline tickets purchased. The transit visa through India can only be submitted 30 day before leaving. I have had to do some work on my end to organize our travel plans. But our contact in Bhutan is excellent. Needless to say we are super excited.

 

[edandjoan]

The time has come..we leave tomorrow and should be on the ground in Bhutan Wednesday afternoon...that's a long trip. We have a blog site, but we aren't sure how much internet we will get along the way. https://walktransbhutan.wordpress.com/
Our first walking day will be Thursday, and in the first 8k we gain about 1000 meters of elevation.
We know it will be epic and beautiful and we look forward to interacting with the people.

 

[edandjoan]

That was one hard hike, but so rewarding. We had perfect weather and learned so much about Bhutan and it helped I had read a couple of books and learned a bit of language.
We were required to have a guide and he was good, but that is the one thing that left us feeling a bit "confined" (lack of a better word). We just didn't feel as free as when we walk alone.

 

[OTH86]

Wow! Bravo, @edandjoan !

 

[Bala]

I followed your blog and enjoyed every entry. That was quite an experience. And the scenery was extraordinary. Thanks for posting. All the best in your future hikes.