Bhutan: What to Know Before You Go

Cuisine Highlights

• Ema datshi, whole red or green chillis cooked in a cheese sauce; the national dish and eaten at virtually every meal
• Phaksha paa, pork cooked with dried red chillis and radishes; a hearty highland staple especially in winter
• Jasha maroo, spiced minced chicken or turkey stir-fried with tomatoes, ginger, and chilli
• Red rice, nutty, chewy short-grain rice grown in Paro Valley; central to Bhutanese meals
• Suja (butter tea), tea churned with yak butter and salt; acquired taste but central to mountain hospitality

Traditions & Festivals

• Tshechus (religious mask dance festivals), held at dzongs (fortresses) across the country; each district has its own annual tshechu
• Paro Tshechu (March/April), the most famous festival; the giant thangka (silk painting) unrolled at dawn is a once-in-a-lifetime sight
• Punakha Drubchen, mock battle reenactment commemorating a 17th-century victory over Tibetan invaders
• National Day (December 17), commemorates the coronation of Bhutan's first hereditary king in 1907

Language & Communication

Dzongkha is the official national language; English is the medium of instruction in schools and widely spoken by educated Bhutanese. All visitors must book through a licensed tour operator as part of Bhutan's "High Value, Low Impact" tourism policy.

Key phrase: "Kuzu zangpo la" (ཀུ་ཟུ་བཟང་པོ་ལགས) means hello and is always warmly received.

Cultural Etiquette

• Wear traditional Bhutanese dress (gho for men, kira for women) to enter dzongs and government offices, your guide will advise
• Photography inside temples and dzongs is often prohibited, always check before raising your camera
• Walk clockwise around all religious monuments, chortens, and mani walls, this applies throughout the Himalayan Buddhist world
• Remove shoes before entering all temples and monasteries, socks are acceptable inside