Bhutan and Snowman Trek, Pt 1

Bhutan and the Snowman
Trek, Pt 1

https://www.bhutan.travel/destinations

Bhutan lives up to its reputation as a wonderland of nature populated by friendly and gentle people. Paro, the nation’s capital, is a laid back place with cool cafes and prayer flags everywhere while the Snowman Trek, a 23-day odyssey over 11 mountain passes more than 4000 metres high, contains some of the most gorgeous landscapes and wilderness in the world, overflowing with glaciers, birds, animals and stunning scenery.

The government’s commitment to Gross National Happiness as the goal of national success rather than Gross National Product promotes the positive, socially and environmentally enlightened atmosphere of this special country.

10 amazing facts about Bhutan

70% of the country is forested and all wildlife is protected.
Tigers are thriving in Bhutan, unlike in other developing countries, being able to move from low to high altitudes across landscapes. Camera trapping has revealed Bhutan’s tigers live at the highest altitudes in the world, with some being recorded as high as 4600 metres. (iucn.org/news/species/201707/high-hopes-mountain-tigers-bhutan)
There are no traffic lights anywhere.
A monthly pedestrian day bans all traffic from the roads.
Smoking is illegal.
All the people must wear national dress to preserve their culture.
Some people still walk or ride horses between villages in the absence of roads, but everywhere has good mobile phone coverage.
Bhutan has pledged to remain carbon neutral.
Buddhism is the national religion, so colourful prayer flags are evident everywhere in the country.
Archery is the national sport.

If you want to reconnect with nature or the god or goddess inside you, or just get away from the rat race of western society, Bhutan is the place for you.

About this video

This video forms Part 1 of a series on Bhutan. It covers our stay in Paro, a walk up the Paro Taktsang monastery where Christian Bale finds enlightenment in the first Batman film, and the first 5 days of the Snowman Trek, from Drukgyel Dzong to Mt Chomolhari.

Watch the video

Other videos:

Bhutan Snowman Trek, Part 2 - Days 6 to 10

Bhutan Snowman Trek, Part 3 - Days 11 to 14

Where to go

Paro

https:/www.bhutan.travel/destinations/paro

Paro is a valley town and the site of the country’s only international airport. It is a pretty, laid back place. The small town is a pleasant place to stroll around and there are interesting things to see including the National Museum of Bhutan and the Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) monastery, used in the first Batman film with Christian Bale.

A short distance away are the remains of a defensive fortress, Drukgyel Dzong, dating from the 17th century. Here we began the Snowman Trek

Snowman Trek

The Snowman Trek is one of the most difficult treks in the world. Depending on how fast you go, how many rest days you take and what route you follow, it can last from 22 to 25 days. It is 350 kilometres (217 miles) long; crosses 11 passes more than 4,500 metres (2.8 miles) above sea level (5 more than 5,000 metres); has very few level sections with many steep ascents and descents; and involves navigating tricky terrain including mud, rocks, snow and ice.

Independent travel to Bhutan is not generally permitted and in any event, it makes sense to go with a group of people managed by a tour agency. Bhutanese people are wonderful guides and really look after you, bringing cups of tea and warm washing water to your tent and telling you all about the birds and animals you see.

We walked in a group of 8 with a ‘western’ guide, Jo, and a Bhutanese guide, Ishay, both of whom were lovely, and 3 Bhutanese attendants who cooked our meals, put up the tents and helped guide us. Horses carried our gear so we were also accompanied by horsepeople.

This video covers the first five days of the trek.

Day 1: Drukyel Dzhong to Shana - 14 kilometres (8.7 miles). Altitude: 2860 metres (1.8 miles)

After a visit to the ruins of a 17th century fort, the Drukyel Dzhong, we had a pleasant walk through the Paro valley, passing painted wooden houses wreathed in prayer flags and prayer wheels, and following the route of a noisy, clean, gushing river that raged and sparkled. It was sunny and quite hot. We camped in a meadow by the river with a mountain backdrop, which was pretty.

Day 2: Shana to Thongo Zampa - 11 kilometres (6.8 miles). Altitude: 3250 metres (2 miles)

We walked through a lovely forest of oak, maple, birch, larch, pine and alder trees but the going was slow as we had to balance on rocky stepping stones over puddles of thick mud and ascend or descend steeply at the same time. We walked most of the time along the river, sometimes leaving the forest briefly and walking through clearings with gorgeous wildflowers. We had lunch on a rock overlooking the river, with lots of birds around us. We saw a plumbeous water redstart collecting nesting material from fallen twigs and a juvenile black kite roosting in a tree.

In the afternoon it started to rain heavily, and got very cold. We were walking even more slowly as the rocks became slippery and by the end of the day I was knackered.

We camped in the forest on a mossy damp springy surface which was comfortable and fell asleep with the leaves dripping water on the tent.

Day 3: Thongo Zampa to Soi Thangthangkha - 12 kilometres (7.4 miles). Altitude: 3700 metres (2.3 miles)
The forest was drippy but lovely and it was no longer raining. There was still the mud, however, so we continued walking slowly. Eventually we emerged from the woodland canopy into the sunshine, crossed a bridge over the river and followed the muddy trail past meadows, tiny villages and rocks covered in brightly-coloured lichen and mosses – orange, red, yellow, green. The blue of the water and the sky, the coloured rocks and the trees in autumn foliage made it a beautiful walk I thoroughly enjoyed. There were plenty of wildflowers, and birds in the bushes but they flitted around a lot and were difficult to see.

At one point there was a high waterfall in the distance and we got a fantastic view of Mt Jomolhari ahead of us. This mountain is sacred for Buddhists and has rarely been climbed, with the first ascent being in 1937. It is 7314 metres (24,000 feet) high and was a sparking, snowy sight, wreathed in mist.

We camped in a meadow, with a group of well-behaved Bhutanese schoolchildren nearby.

Day 4: Soi Thangthangkha to Jangothang - 17 kilometres (10.5 miles). Altitude: 4100 metres (2.5 miles)
The weather was cloudy and it was rather cold. The muddy terrain was a constant at first but eventually the bushes and trees gave way to flat grasslands with villages and meadows with wildflowers, and for practically the first time we could walk on firm land. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Today was the Festival of the Blessed Rains to celebrate the end of the monsoon. A village we passed through was having a darts match with heaps of young men aiming at a rudimentary target on a block of wood hammered into the ground. They were very good humoured, cheering each other on and applauding the winner of each round.

We spent a while watching the fun with the local women and older people.

We eventually reached Jangothang campsite, our over 4,000 metres. It was quite a busy place. The grasslands were bisected by streams and flanked by a ruined fort behind which loomed Mount Chomolhari. Local people were picknicking by one stream and another group sang and danced in a large circle near another.

Two trekking groups were camped nearer the mountain. It was a large area though, and there was room for everyone, including the many birds foraging in the bushes and groundcovers by the streams. We saw rufous-breasted accentors on the rocks and white wagtails playing in the water.

All in all, it was rather jolly and a good place to be.

As it was cloudy, we did not get good views of the mountain but were hoping it would clear up tomorrow.

Day 5: Rest day at Jangothang. Altitude: 4100 metres (2.5 miles)

A gorgeous clear sunny morning and a fantastic wildlife viewing time. After revelling in superlative views of sparkling Mount Chomolhari against a blue sky, we were all bustling about doing chores, with our Bhutanese mates kindly heating up hot water so we could wash our clothes and our hair.
Later, we walked further along the valley, spotting the distinctive robin accentor, and climbed steeply to a plateau with great views of a gorge. On the slope opposite was a large herd of blue sheep. It was so exciting to see them.

We climbed higher, to a plain where to our right were fabulous views of Jichu Drake, another impressive mountain, and to our left a track by a rocky stream with grassy hills leading to a small glacier winding round granite slopes. As I wandered along, I was amazed to see a marmot running into a hole in the soil. Then we saw more and more of them, popping their heads up out of their dens or running into them as we approached. They are lovely animals.

We came upon beautiful turquoise green lakes nestling beneath the mountains surrounded by flower-strewn grasslands festooned with marmot holes. Here we sat for a while, seeing a white-capped water redstart among the rocks.

After retracing our steps, the others descended back to the campsite but Matt and I stayed an extra hour, photographing the delightful marmots as they stood on their hind legs sniffing the air, grazed and played together. When clouds drew in, we went back home for a late lunch and spent the afternoon lazing round. A great day.

Birds and animals
Here is more information on the birds and animals we saw on this part of our trip.

Birds

Yellow-billed blue magpie Urocissa flavirostris
This beautiful bird lives in moist deciduous and temperate forests with oak and chestnut trees in Himalyan regions of Asia. It eats anything and everything.

Plumbeous water redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosa
The bird in our video is a male with the female a browner colour and lacking the red tail. These birds are found along rivers and other waterways in the Himalayas, China and South East Asia. They breed in summer at altitudes between 1000 and 4000 metres, and winter at lower altitudes.

Black kite Milvus migrans
This versatile bird has a very broad range, inhabiting much of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. It lives in open areas, forests, near water and on city outskirts. As a bird of prey, it eats small animals and birds. The bird in our video was a juvenile with adult birds being larger.

Rufous-breasted accentor Prunella strophiata
This bird is found throughout the Himalayas. It lives at higher altitudes in summer in forests of oak, pine and birch and descends to lower altitudes in winter. It eats insects, berries, fruit and seeds.

White wagtail Motacilla alba
The white wagtail has a very large range, residing throughout Europe and Asia. It also lives in Alaska. It forages on the ground around water for insects, crustaceans and molluscs.

Robin accentor Prunella rubeculoides
The robin accentor is found in mountainous regions of Asia, including China, at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,500 metres. Like the rufous-breasted accentor, it eats insects, berries, fruits and seeds.

White-capped water redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus

This bird lives and breeds around rivers, streams and waterfalls in mountainous regions of Asia and China. It can be found between 1800 and 5000 metres, foraging on rocks and in water for insects, spiders and molluscs. It lives in stony areas near water, building its nests under stones or tree roots, or in holes in rocks, banks and walls.

Animals
Blue sheep or bharal Pseudois nayaur
https://www.greathimalayannationalpark.org/greater-blue-sheep/

Blue sheep are neither blue nor sheep. Their coat ranges from cream through tan to grey in colour and they are more related to goats. They live in groups above the treeline on alpine meadows or grassy slopes.

The encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/animal/blue-sheep) says that ‘They seldom move farther than 200 metres (600 feet) from a rocky retreat. This is a sheeplike terrain preference, as goats tend to stay on steep slopes and rocky cliffs… Because of having settled in a habitat usually occupied by sheep…’, the species has adopted some sheep-like behaviour.

They have a broad range, living throughout the Himalayas and in China. During the breeding season, males will rear up and strike each other with their horns, mouthing their own red penises as a threat to rivals.

Himalayan marmot Marmota himalayana
https://www.arkive.org/himalayan-marmot/marmota-himalayana/

This endearing animal is found throughout the Himalayas and on the Tibetan plateau. It is one of the larger species of marmot, having thick, dense, cream to dark yellow fur. It lives in extended family groups which join other groups to become colonies of up to 30 families.

These marmots live in holes dug in alpine grassland slopes between 3,000 metres and up to 5,500 metres high, above the tree line and below the snow line. They eat shoots, leaves, roots, grains and fruit. In the winter, they hibernate and have litters of between 2 and 11 young between April and July.

Do you have questions or comments about this article? Email maddestinations@gmail.com or leave a comment under the video.