Tshechu: Witness one of the Bhutan's numerous Buddhist festivals.Festivals are full of masks, dancing and ritual, generally centre on Dzongs (fortified monasteries) in cobbled courtyards, the most famous of which is at Paro. More than 40 religious or folk dances are performed by the monks recounting tales of Buddhist history and myth. Formal dress is required for all festivals. At the Thimphu Festival which is held in the courtyard of the Trashichhodzong, hundreds of monks watch the Dance of the Stag and the Hounds - which represents the conversion of the hunter Gonpo Dorji to Buddhism by the saint Milarepa.
Stamps: Bhutan is well known for its stamps, and the best place to buy them is in Phuentsholing, where the Philatelic Office of Bhutan has its headquarters.
Handicrafts: Visit the Handicraft Emporium, which displays a wide assortment of unique souvenirs such as beautifully handwoven and crafted products, learn about and visit the traditional school of arts and crafts in Thimphu.
Museum: Visit the National Museum of Bhutan, located in the Paro Watchtower in the Paro Valley.
Short and long treks: Much of the pleasure of visiting Bhutan is enjoying the breathtaking scenery by trekking around the valleys and the mountain gorges. From Bumthang, travellers can start four- and seven-day cultural tours through the rural villages, including Mongar. Climbing some of the Himalayan peaks is banned, however, due to the belief that the mountains are the repository of the gods. Similarly, swimming, or even throwing stones into rivers, is forbidden: it is thought to disturb the souls of deities.
Mountain biking: Biking along beauiful landscapes is an exhilarating and recommended experience. The country has breath taking scenary.
Bird watching: Bhutan boasts of over 320 varieties of birds, including the rare black-necked crane. The Manas Game Sanctuary has a wide variety of wildlife (a special permit is necessary).
Archery: Appreciate the skills of the Bhutanese in archery (datse), Bhutan's national sport. Competitions are held frequently. These events usually prove fun and raucous. The male-only archers shout lewd and disparaging comments at the opponents, often concerning their sexual prowess, whilst female 'cheerleaders' rally support for their husbands and/or male members of their family.
Farmouse: Visit a farmhouse and stay for the night and experince the true traditional rural lifestyle of the farmers.
Vegetable market: If on a weekend stroll around the vegetable market.
Bhutanese cuisine: Bhutanese food at its best but be cautious coz most Bhutanese dishes are oily and pepper rich, however a Bhutanese meal more often than not comes with rice.
The national flag is divided diagonally with a dragon in the middle. The upper yellow signifies the country's secular authority of the King and the lower saffron-orange signifies religion, the dragon symbolises the local name of the country Druk yul meaning Land of the thunder dragon. The jewels in the dragon's claws signifies the country's wealth.
National Dress
Blue Poppy (Mecanopsis Grandis) is the national flower it is known as 'Euitgel Metog Hoem' in Bhutan. It was once considered to be myth because of its unconfirmed existence. Poppies are found along high mountain passes from the far eastern parts of the country across to the west.
The Takin (Budorcas Taxicolor)has a religious story associated with it. The great saint Lama Drukpa Kunley, the Divine Madman was asked to perform a miracle by the people, the saint in his usual unorthodox way, asked to be served a cow and a goat. He devoured these with relish and left only the bones. he then took the goat's head and stuck it to the bones of the cow. The animal rose to be what is now the Takin.
The Raven (Corvus Corax Tibetanus)
is depicted on the crown of the king as representative of Jarog Dongchen who, along with Yeshey Gonpo (Mahakala) and Palden Lhamo (Mahakali) constitute the most powerful deities of the country. As the Divine Trinity, they safeguarded the well - being of the kingdom and protect the king and people from harm.
The national sport is archery with two targets at each end of a 175 yard length, each player shoots a pair of arrows going from one end to the other. A hit is scored as a two.