Bhutan

Bhutan, The land of Dragons – DoW Mega Meet 2016

Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan

After the superlative success of our Zanskar Valley DoW Mega Meet in September 2015 to materialize the vision of DwD Community for promoting Responsible Travel and DoW Causes up in the remote parts of Himalayas, it gives us an immense pleasure to announce the fourth edition as DoW Mega Meet 2016 which will be held from 12th November to 20th November 2016 in Bhutan this year. In last few years of DoW Mega Meet, we have took the DoW Causes to the next HIGH and we would like to raise our spirits of Responsible Travel and spreading smiles up there in Himalayas but this year in Bhutan.

The Prologue

So yet another year has dawned and its time to write some new stories, weave some new memories, renew the vigor and start on a fresh journey, to a new destination and travel within. The memories of the previous such travels are still fresh and hardly showing any signs of losing it in future. “12 Lakes, 12 passes in 12 Days” of DoW Ladakh Mega Meet 2013, “Hidden Gems of Spiti Valley” of DoW Mega Meet 2014 and “Suru and Zanskar Valley, The Wonderland” of DoW Mega Meet 2015 were great success stories exceeding even our well calculated aspirations, each time. It was possible because of the unfailing and unconditional support and participation of each and every member, irrespective of their physical limits or personal comforts. The attitude of the participants and members of each of our previous Mega Meets has given us the belief and aspirations to attempt bigger causes and achieve larger satisfaction in each of our subsequent Mega Meets. So, keeping in with the tradition, we are dreaming even bigger for our next Mega Meet of 2016. And what better place it would be than to the spiritual land of the Monks, of the fortresses and monasteries, of the thundering Dragons, the nation called Bhutan, for our Mega Meet 2016? So we take this opportunity to declare, “Bhutan, The land of Dragons- DoW Mega Meet 2016” from 12th November 2016 to 20th November 2016 🙂 :)…

Needless to say, our aims, objectives and vision has always remained the same-spreading smiles and promoting responsible travelling. This year too we won’t deviate from our principles but only make it larger. Spread more Smiles and make bigger statements on Responsible Travelling. And we know that it won’t see the light of the day, unless each and every member joins hands and march shoulder to shoulder to achieve this endeavor. So, let us do it for ourselves, let us give ourselves a genuine reason to smile, let us ignite our own passion, let us invest in making better memories that last, let us increase the “Gross Domestic Happiness” of Bhutan a further bit. So, coming winters in November 2016, again, are you ready:

to spin over the lovely landscapes,
to unwind through the lush green valleys,
to fly with the wind at some of the highest villages/passes of Himalayas,
to get lost in one of the remotest yet magical places in Himalayas,
to spread smiles on the faces of Himalayan Lives through DoW Causes,
to feel the spirit of responsible travel,
to witness the burning colours in their most beautiful form,
to witness the honeycomb styled famous & unique Tiger’s Nest monastery,
to witness the chill on few of the most isolated stretches,
to experience the real feel of camping in lap of mother nature,
to experience a journey, like never before,
to experience the aura of this land of Dragons, called Bhutan,,
and finally, to explore THE unexplored !!

Are You Ready for Bhutan self drive adventure? If yes, then get going and read on… If not, then also get going and read on, who knows you are there right amongst the group after reading it through 😀

Bhutan, The land of Dragons – DoW Mega Meet 2016

Bhutan, The land of Dragons | DoW Mega Meet 2016 – Tour Plan

You can find all the details for this DoW Mega Meet below including the eligibility which, as usual, seeing the nature, difficulty, season and distance to travel would mainly be DECENT ENDURANCE and POSITIVE ATTITUDE towards anything and everything…

Here is the complete tour plan for this WILD, ON THE ROAD ADVENTURE which can be experienced LifeMeinBaarBaar 😉 …

Saturday – Nov 12, 2016 | Drive from Bagdogra to Chilapata (WB). In Chilapata forest, accommodation is only at Canopy Dreams Leisure n’Retreat, which has multiple accommodations like tent, cottage etc., It can accommodate a maximum of 50 persons.
Sunday – Nov 13, 2016 | Jeep Safari near Chilapata forest – Buxa Tiger Reserve. Execution of DoW Causes by distributing items to Nature Guides who are local people. Stay again at Canopy Dreams (Note: (1) Cannot take own car / vehicle, and safari will be in Forest Jeeps only (2) Lunch menu is fixed and will be served for all)
Monday – Nov 14, 2016 | Drive from Chipalata to Phuentsholing (Border) to Paro (Bhutan). After permit checking , Lunch is at Phuntesholing (fixed menu only available). After lunch, drive to Paro. On the way, visit Tamchog Lakhang and Kichu Lakhang. Hotel Nivvana for night stay. Note : (1) Permits need to be arranged (better to arrange permits for own vehicle & the persons from Bhutan Embassy in home town, else will delay the process here ; (2) Need to carry original Passport or Voters ID (if you don’t have these, cannot enter Bhutan; (3) From Phuentsholing to Paro, we have to drive in a convoy only (4) Stay at Nivvana lodge is on 4 person sharing, in case you need double sharing, free to arrange stay elsewhere; (5) Need to get permits for visiting other places
Tuesday – Nov 15, 2016 | Drive from Paro to Chele La and back. We will execute causes at Kila Nunnery. Evening Cultural Programme has been arranged specially for us at Nivvana Lodge. Note : Lunch is packed sandwich and juice
Wednesday – Nov 16, 2016 | Option 1 – Tiger’s nest Monastery (Drive + trek) OR Option 2 – Visit to Thimpu. Night at Paro.Start the day early with breakfast in the lodge. Drive to Che-le-la Pass, highest motor able road in Bhutan. The drive uphill through Alpine forest till the pass is one of the most beautiful ride. You will come across different flora and fauna. This spot is photographer’s heaven! After the sightseeing at Pass, time for Cause!!! Just below the pass, visit secluded Kila Gompa nunnery, a cluster of cliff-hanging homes for nuns. Those wanting to go to the Tiger Nest should make their own group and proceed there and join the rest of the team at the lodge before dark.
Thursday – Nov 17, 2016 | Paro – Dochu La – Lamperi – Punakha – Wangdue. After early breakfast, drive to Punakha via Dochula pass. We stop for a while at Dochula pass to view the Higher Himalayas. Drive further down and visit the Royal Botanical Garden at Lamperi. Drive further to Punakha. On the way, view Chimi Lhakhang, which was built by Lama Drukpa Kuenley (Popularly known as “The Divine Madman”, in the year 1499. He subdued the demons with his “Magical Thunder bolt” and built the temple on top of a hillock. The Temple is also known as “the Temple of Fertility”.
Friday – Nov 18, 2016 | Wangdue – Rinchegang – Phobjika / Gangtey. The first site that instantly rouses the curiosity of travelers driving down the Wangduephodrang town towards the bridge below is the cluster of old traditional mud-houses on the opposite hill facing the Burnt Wangdue Dzong. The ancient look of the houses built on sliced hilltop baring a dusty orange-soil reminds travelers of the crowded mud houses in Morocco or a closer resemblance to one of those clustered towns etched against hills in Kabul, Afganistan.
Saturday – Nov 19, 2016 | Gangtey. Spend the day at Gangtey and soak in mother nature.
Sunday – Nov 20, 2016 | Gangtey – Phuentsholing (end of Mega Meet) – Siliguri. After early breakfast, pack up to leave for final departure. Exit to Siliguri.

Bhutan, The land of Dragons – DoW Mega Meet 2016

DoW Responsible Travel Initiative

For all those who will be traveling with us, it is Mandatory to support one of the DoW – Causes which are briefly described as follows:
- Carry Rs 499 of general stationary items with you to be donated to local schools or children in the remote villages of Bhutan.
- Carry Rs 499 of generic medicines with you to be donated to local dispensaries in the remote villages of Bhutan.
- Carry whatever NEW or OLD but usable woollens you can donate to the needy people in the remote villages of Bhutan.
- Carry whatever NEW or OLD but usable Toys you can donate to the children up there in the remote villages of Bhutan.
Complete details of DoW – Causes can be found at the link: DoW – Causes | A Step Towards Responsible Travel
Kindly go through the link which enlists Tips for Responsible Travel in Himalayas, so that we follow them wherever possible.
Apart from that, we may be holding cleanliness drives along water bodies we will be visiting. We may be carrying the large plastic bags and carry out these cleanliness drives while visiting these lovely lakes in Bhutan, if required.

Eligibility

You can see that trip difficulty level is less or close to moderate only, so it is not going to be too heavy on your body and families with kids used to road trips should not have any concerns with the schedule. Hence, for being apt traveller for this tour:

You must be adventurous enough to take up this road trip.
You must have moderate levels of endurance and low levels of fatigue.
You must have a positive outlook towards adventure & should always respect the time to hit the roads.
These are Himalayas, a place where Mountain rules… So, you must always be ready for the surprises or change in plans.
If required, you must be ready to camp out or stay at moderate Guest Houses or Homestays especially when away from big towns.
I feel families are most welcome too this time in DoW Mega Meet being less hectic.

The Loose Ends

In order to have a varied flexibility, we have kept loose ends, head and the tail. So, in case you wish to start and end as per below options, please feel free to do so. Here are the options we can think about as of now:

Option 1 for Self drive guys covering delhi to delhi
Option 2 for guys who start from Chilpata, end at Phuentsholing
Option 3 for guys doing from Phuentsholing, end at Phuentsholing

Bhutan, The land of Dragons – DoW Mega Meet 2016

Are you interested?

In case, you feel the RUSH in the blood, want to feel the AWESOMENESS of ADVENTURE at its best, want to feel CLOSER to the nature, want to get OUT of the comfort zone, want to be a part of a journey where there is no destination rather JOURNEY itself is the DESTINATION… Then don’t wait to send out a request of registration in DoW Mega Meet 2016 to us by filling up this google form at the link: DoW Mega Meet 2016 | Registration

Please read the Rules and Regulations carefully which are linked at DoW Mega Meet 2016 | Rules and Regulations, in order to understand the expectation and process we follow when we Travel together for such DoW Mega Meets or DoW Himalayan Meets and how the cost gets split between us.

Last date of sending your registration will be 15th July 2016 after which we will not accept any further registration requests.

Confirmations

Please subscribe to the DoW Mega Meet 2016 | Bhutan-The Land of Dragons topic thread where we will be sharing/announcing the list of people selected and then confirmed after going through the details of registration forum submitted by them. We will be sending mails as well to all the travelers who are selected for the DoW Mega Meet 2016 to spread smiles in Himalayas with us. But, please also subscribe to community thread linked above.

Bhutan, The land of Dragons – DoW Mega Meet 2016

Conclusion

Looking forward to meet and travel with you all over this Mega Adventure trip of our DwD Community in order to spread smiles up there in Himalayas. For other details about Traveling over this adventure trip, discussions, queries, finding travel partners, please go through the DwD Community Mega Meet thread at the link: DoW Mega Meet 2016 | Bhutan-The Land of Dragons. Please read the Google Registration Form above carefully including Formal Disclaimer. You must especially understand and then agree, accept the Rules and Regulations linked in the registration form before submitting your request.

You can use Private Messaging feature of DwD Community in order to communicate or post on meet thread over there to get your queries resolved. We can talk over phone from there and discuss if it really suits / meets the expectations from both ends and get going from there…