Bhutan: special access to the kingdom

Set up just for you in a remote setting, this is a slice of comfort in the wilderness – designed around your tastes. Think hot-stone baths, masseuses on standby and en-suite bedrooms with full beds. It’s all decked out in local textiles and traditional artefacts, with options for Bhutanese festivities – from archery lessons and astrologist readings to meditation sessions and traditional dances around the campfire. And, overlooking glacial lakes or great stands of forest, expect star-glittering skies far from any light pollution.

Much of Bhutan’s charm is tied up in its spirituality, centred around its centuries-old monasteries, palaces and fortified dzongs. Our unique permissions open it all up. That means everything from bespoke tea setups in palace grounds and meeting high spiritual leaders for private meditations to VIP festival access for a revival of a long-lost cultural dance and an after-hours candlelit dinner overlooking historic monasteries.

By their very nature, Bhutan’s dramatic peaks and valleys demand to be explored by air. Perhaps head up to glacial lakes in the company of a glaciologist or fly over centuries-old fortresses before dropping in to heli-bike trails built by the royal family or raft and hike routes that have never been attempted before. Of course, everything is tailored to your interests and capabilities.

Join Bhutanese leaders for a special candlelit dinner in a monastery courtyard. Explore the royal family’s former summer palace before dining in its grounds. Or, simply pause for lunch with a gourmet picnic set up in a rushing stream. Throughout, expect the likes of out-of-hours access and private festival dances.

Sleep over at monasteries to experience the life of a monk and experience impossibly colourful festivals with VIP access. Or enjoy private blessings from the high lama himself and fly to one of the world’s highest human settlements to learn how its semi-nomadic people have carved out a unique way of life. Then, there’s cooking masterclasses and private audiences with artisans – the chance to learn how to make mandala artwork or shop directly from leading craftspeople.

Spirituality is at the core of the Bhutanese outlook – the world’s happiest country. With us, you’ll be able to immerse yourself into Buddhist traditions, enjoying private audiences with spiritual leaders that can include conversations, meditations and even purification rituals. However, given that it’s written into national law that 60% of the country is given over to forests, it’s a simple pleasure to enjoy yoga and forest bathing sessions with our leading practitioners.

Giant Himalayan peaks and forest-covered valleys are ripe for exploration. Depending on your tastes, this could be gentle horseback rides, hikes and river paddles, or it might mean such high-adrenaline favourites as ATV and bike rides. Throughout, we know the best in secret routes, often set up by the royal family themselves.

Head out with conservationists and expert trackers, perhaps to search for snow leopards near the Tibetan border, elusive red pandas in old-growth forests or everything from Bengal tigers and Asian elephants to clouded leopards in Bhutan’s first national park – not normally open to the public.

Formal royal palaces. Century-old homes that once belonged to Bhutanese nobility. And, charming farmhouses reimagined with modern style. We’ve hand-picked the best in mountain lodges for our guests, each combining authentic heritage with modern luxuries, from fine-dining restaurants and infinity pools cantilevered over the valley below to world-class spas complete with hot-stone bathhouses.