Away from the Crowd

Trashigang

The pretty, lively town of Trashigang is a good jumping-off point to visit the kingdom's wild east. Few travellers make it here but, as long as you're happy to leave behind the relative comforts of Thimphu and Paro, exploring this neck of the woods can have its rewards. This is the most densely populated part of Bhutan but also most definitely the hinterland.

Locals are fond of a tipple, and bodies sleeping off their excesses at the side of the road aren't an unusual sight. On the street leading toward the dzong, you'll find the Gyeltshen Bar open every day. The sign says 'bar' and has a picture of a cowboy on one side and a local artist's peculiar adaptation of Donald Duck on the other. This is a good place to sample the local arra and soak up the atmosphere (in that order). Villagers come to town on holy days, which occur on the first, 10th and 15th of the Bhutanese month. After selling their produce they get stuck into the arra and paint the town an unforgettable Bhutanese shade of red.

Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary

This 650 sq km (253 sq mi) sanctuary, in the easternmost part of the kingdom, is unique as the only reserve in the world created specifically to protect the habitat of the yeti, known in Bhutan as the migoi (strong man). The migoi differs from yetis found (or not) in other Himalayan regions. Its body is covered in hair that may be anything from reddish-brown to black, but it's face is hairless. It smells pretty bad apparently and has the power to become invisible, which explains why so few people have seen it. Another feature which helps the elusive, hairy fella escape detection is that many have their feet backwards confusing possible trackers.

The village, or goemba, of Sakteng is the place you need to be to jump into the wilderness of the Wildlife Sanctuary. Head to Trashigang, and then drive the extra 60km (37mi) to the border of eastern Bhutan, a total distance from Thimpu of 660km (211mi).

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Laya

Laya, in the far north-west of Bhutan, is one of the kindom's highest villages at 3700m (12,136ft), under the daunting peak of Masagang. A group known as Layap, comprising about 800 people with their own language, customs and dress, lives here. The village women strike dashing figures, wearing peculiar conical bamboo hats with a bamboo spike at the top, held on by beaded bands. They dress in black woollen jackets with silver trim and a long woollen skirt striped in natural earth colours. They adorn themselves with lots of silver jewellery which often includes an array of teaspoons. The women often stage an evening cultural show which consists of a lot of circle dancing accompanied by traditional Layap folk songs.

Without a helicopter the only way to get to Laya is on foot. The Laya-Gasa pass is part of the Snowman Trek, one of the most difficult and demanding treks in the world.

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