Spectacular hiking trail reopens in Bhutan
Bhutan has sealed itself off since the beginning of the pandemic, and tourists will not be allowed to visit again until May. The kingdom in the Himalayas used the break from the rest of the world to tackle the country’s largest tourism project: the Trans-Bhutan Trail.
In the Himalayas: The prayer flags at an altitude of 4000 meters lie on the Trans-Bhutan Trail
Quelle: Getty Images
Nima Dorji, 41, plants a tree to celebrate the day. This is a tradition in Bhutan, the small kingdom in the Himalayas nestled between China and India. The Bhutanese plant small trees on every special occasion, for example the annual “social forest day”, the king’s birthday, weddings, village festivals, school celebrations, Buddhist ceremonies.
Sometimes oaks or Himalayan cedars, sometimes juniper or a cypress, the sacred national tree. Nima Dorji, who works as a tour guide and translator, has every reason to be happy: Bhutan is planning to welcome international tourists again from May 2022.
The country had been one of the first to seal itself off since the pandemic and thus survived Corona unscathed: 91 percent of the 770,000 inhabitants over the age of twelve have now been vaccinated; since the beginning of the pandemic, only four corona deaths have been registered. There are currently 208 positive Covid-19 cases.
Hiking the pilgrimage route across Bhutan
The break from the rest of the world was used to tackle the country’s largest tourism project: the Trans-Bhutan-Trail. This famous pilgrimage route, once part of the Silk Road, will be ceremonially reopened in March 2022 after 60 years of closure. It leads across Bhutan, from Haa in the west near the border with the Tibet region to Trashigang in the east at the border with India, past fortresses and monasteries, through primeval forests and river valleys.
The Trans-Bhutan Trail is said to have existed 500 years ago. Buddhists thus reached the holy sites in the west of the country from the east or moved on to Tibet. After more and more roads were built in Bhutan in the 1960s, the sacred way fell into disrepair. But now its 18 bridges, 10,000 steps and 403 kilometers of overgrown paths have been renovated – and for every tree that had to be felled for this purpose, a new sapling was planted, of course.
The Trans-Bhutan Trail leads past fortresses and monasteries, through primeval forests and river valleys
Quelle: G Adventures
One of the highlights along the way is a hike through the rhododendron forests in Phrumsengla National Park. Spring is the best season for this. Then millions of rhododendrons, which do not grow here as bushes but as veritable trees, bloom in pink, red and white. The first May tours, offered by organizers such as G-Adventures and Gebecoare already fully booked.
A hike on the Trans-Bhutan Trail, which can also be discovered in sections, is also a remarkable conservation tour. As early as 1974, almost 50 years ago, Bhutan stipulated in its constitution that at least 60 percent of its area should be preserved as forest for all time. Since then, systematic reforestation has taken place, and it is logical that Bhutan also holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest tree planting (108,000 saplings in one hour).
With this type of policy, Bhutan has achieved what other countries can only dream of: It is the only country in the world with a negative CO₂ balance. That means it absorbs more carbon than it uses. And for every international guest, how could it be otherwise, a tree is planted in his name.
To mark the birth of the heir to the throne in February 2016, volunteers planted 108,000 trees across the country
What: pa/ANN/Kuensel/Tshering Dorji