Athick blanket of mist cloaks the chilly valley, forcing monks to pull their robes tighter as they scurry up and down the temple steps. Today is Blessed Rainy Day, a late-September holiday marking the end of monsoon season and the onset of cool, autumn weather in the mountains. Far away, on a nebulous horizon, breaks in the cloud reveal snowy Himalayan peaks.
“My grandparents met each other crossing these valleys,” says Bhutanese trekking guide Dorji Bidha, as we stand below the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang temple, surveying the awe-inspiring landscape before us. “My grandfather would bring meat, cheese and butter to barter for rice,” she explains.
Dorji’s relatives weren’t the only people to form bonds using this system of ancient mountain pathways — the network has its roots in the 16th century, when a series of strategically located dzongs (fortified monasteries) sprung up to create a 250-mile route connecting the east and west of the tiny mountain kingdom, ultimately helping to unify Bhutan as a modern state in 1907.
There are tales of traders journeying on ponies, stories of brave soldiers on patrol and legends of garps (royal messengers) who could travel vast distances even faster than the wind, with little rest or food. All of this on paths traversing Bhutan’s roller coaster mountain passes and deep valley floors.
With the arrival of roads in the 1960s, the trail fell into disrepair, explains Dorji. But now the route has been fully restored and relaunched as the Trans-Bhutan Trail — aproject that took place largely during Bhutan’s lengthy Covid-19 lockdowns, which only ended in September 2022.
A Himalayan kingdom tucked between India and China, Bhutan revels in the traditions, customs and beliefs that reinforce its own unique identity. No animals are killed in the country (instead, all
