Traveling to Bhutan takes a lot of preparation. For example, during our planning phase we had to organize driver, guide and compulsory exchange in the local currency.
Only groups of 4 people or more were allowed to enter but it was particularly lucky that we were given permission to travel to Bhutan in pairs.
After completing all the formalities with Drukair, the Royal Bhutan Airline, we landed in Paro Valley, where guides and drivers were already waiting for us with their Land Rover at the airport.
There are already impressive Dzongs in the Paro Valley, as the Buddhist monasteries are called in Bhutan.
The Rinpung Dzong (Rinche Pung Dzong) or Paro Dzong and the Nemi Zam Bridge, over the Paro River, is a particularly impressive fortress complex in the Paro valley. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Paro Dzong was an important bastion for the Kingdom of Bhutan against invasions from the north. The Dzong serves as a monastery and district administration at the same time and is the religious, military, administrative and social center of the Paro district. Some scenes from the film Little Buddha, directed by the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, were filmed in this dzong.
