The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Bhutan - The Last Buddhist Kingdom

November 13th to November 23rd

Ride Coordinator: Pamela Kelly
Report by: Nikki Ellman

This cycling trip was nothing short of a magical adventure! Bhutan is a tiny, landlocked Buddhist kingdom wedged between Tibet and India. Bhutan is ruled by a benevolent monarchy that touts the importance of “gross national happiness” and provides free education and health care for all of its citizens.

Our Bhutan experience started with a fairly flat 32-mile ride, but the next day, the real climbing began with an ascent to Dochula Pass (10,300 feet). From the summit we were treated to views of the Himalayas, 108 stupas, and strings of prayer flags. We descended into the Punakha Valley, where we spent the afternoon touring the temple of the Divine Madman. The Divine Madman was a 15th-century monk who believed in spreading enlightenment through having sex with thousands of women. For centuries, women having trouble conceiving have come to this temple to perform a ritual to help them become pregnant. They carry a large wooden phallus on their back and circle the temple three times. The phallus is a symbol of fertility and protection in Bhutan, and large phallus paintings adorn many houses.

After a day off in Punakha, where we went river-rafting and saw the resplendent white-throated kingfisher and a family of otters, we cycled up to Lawa La Pass (10,660 ft.). Some people were lucky enough to see macaques and langurs on the way up. Then we dropped down into the Gangtey Valley, wintering grounds for the endangered black-necked crane. This day was particularly special because we found out that a relic of the Buddha was touring the country and was scheduled to be displayed at a local temple. As we dropped into the valley, we saw many people in traditional dress walking or crowded into the backs of pickups, coming up to the temple to view the relic. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the relic had left the premises, but our resourceful head guide made some calls and discovered that it was going to be on view at the Buddhist university down the road. So we hopped back on the bus and rushed to the new location, where we had the unique experience of entering the temple with local people to view the relic.

Our next day was a day off in Gangtey Valley. We hiked on a nature trail and visited the Crane Center, where we could see injured cranes up close in an enclosure and others far away through spotting scopes. After lunch we were introduced to two traditional Bhutanese sports, archery and throwing darts. We all got a chance to try our hand at these and to admire the skill of our guides and drivers. That night we had a raucous birthday party for one of our members, complete with cake and traditional singing and dancing by our crew, joined by hotel staff.

The next day, we went back up Lawa La Pass and continued to Pelela Pass (11,600 ft.) and then drove back to Paro after descending into Thimpu.

For our final cycling day we climbed our highest pass, Che Le La, 13,600 feet! It was literally freezing at the top. We added a string of prayer flags to the hundreds already up there and then bundled up for the winding, frigid 20-mile descent.

On our last day of the tour, we hiked up to the Tiger’s Nest, a Buddhist temple perched on a cliff at 10,000 feet. This epic day was topped off with an outdoor fire before our farewell dinner, where we regaled each other with speeches and testimonials attesting to the unparalleled experiences we all shared.

Aside from the fact that the scenery was beautiful, this trip was particularly special because of our extremely competent team of Bhutanese guides under the leadership of WeAdventures’ Daniel Moylan (BAC contracted withWeAdventures for this tour). Our guides were without exception attentive, warm, funny, and very well-informed about Buddhism and the culture and history of their country. Many thanks to Pam Kelly, our BAC tour leader, for making it all happen. She plans to lead it again in Fall 2025, and I highly recommend you join her!