Responsible Tourism in Bhutan

Amitabha works hard to insure that our journeys protect the cultures and environment of Bhutan.  Throughout Bhutan, our guides take time to explain the cultural norms and make sure our guests adhere to these unwritten cultural rules.  We want to foster a sense of understanding and mutual respect between local people and foreign visitors. This can be as simple as

Over Yotongla Pass, Bumthang Bhutan. Photo by Kelzang Rinchen

wearing the appropriate clothing and not taking photographs inside temples, or as complex as explaining how communities come together to plant and harvest the fields.

We ask guests not to give gifts directly to people we meet.  We understand the desire to help poor people we may encounter, but also want to avoid situations where guests are looked at as a source of free gifts.  Amitabha is more than happy to help you donate materials to schools or help you sponsor an individual child to attend school.  We can also help you sponsor monks or monasteries in remote areas.

Environmentally, our journeys are fairly low impact as we use existing hotels, and driving is kept to a minimum.  When camping, we take care to leave the areas as untouched as possible when we leave.  Camping is also restricted to certain designated areas in order to minimize impact.

Recycling has just made it to Bhutan and more businesses are starting to become aware of the need to reuse glass and plastic bottles.  We plan to work with these responsible lodging options.  Many restaurants already buy their produce locally and all waste food is used to feed animals or composted.

As we learn more about how to limit the impact of our journeys, we will adopt those practices in order to make Amitabha as environmentally and socially responsible as possible.  We welcome your suggestions.

Thank you for your interest in responsible tourism in Bhutan.

Contact Amitabha for more information.