SACRED TRANS-BHUTAN TRAIL SET TO REOPEN TO TRAVELLERS AFTER 60-YEARS

Bhutan is set to reopen its famous and sacred Trans Bhutan Trail to travellers after a 60 year hiatus.

The 400 km-long historic trail will reopen at the end of September following two years of extensive restoration. The official re-opening will include a formal ceremony hosted by His Majesty The Fifth King of Bhutan.

The Trail launch will take place, within days of the country’s borders fully re-opening to travellers. It will feature two new active trekking itineraries, an 11-day ‘Camp the Trans Bhutan Trail’ trip and a 12-day ‘Highlights of the Trans Bhutan Trail’.

The trail is considered revered because it served as the pilgrimage route for Buddhists travelling to revered sites in Bhutan and Tibet. The trail was used by messengers, monks and traders for thousands of years. The trail stairs were destroyed in the 1960s due to the construction of the national highway.

Eighteen major bridges, more than 10,000 steps and 400 km of trail have been built or restored over the last three years, involving thousands of Bhutanese workers and villagers in a unique private/public partnership between the Royal Government of Bhutan, the Tourism Council of Bhutan and the Bhutan Canada Foundation (BCF), which has worked for many years to further the development of Bhutan and its people through programmes that support the country’s educational ambitions.

Bhutan reopens its doors to international travellers

Many tour operators are already back int Bhutan as the country prepares to officially open its doors to international travellers again on September 23.

They will, however, have to pay more to visit the fascinating Himalayan Kingdom of 800,000 people. They will now be charged a Sustainable Development Fee of $200 (€198) per tourist per night, up from the $65 charged for three decades. Officials indicate that the new fee would offset tourists’ carbon impact.

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