DavidO

The Amankora Journey

This is not your typical hotel site inspection report because Amankora is not your typical hotel. Amankora is actually five lodges, each located in a different mountain valley in Bhutan. From west to east, there are Amankora lodges in Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey, and Bumthang. You will arrive in Bhutan on Druk Air via the international airport in Paro, and there’s a small domestic airport in Bumthang with flights several days a week that can take you back to Paro in just 35 minutes.

Visitors to Bhutan will need to plan their trip around these logistical realities, and it is helpful to use a tour operator to handle your arrangements. If you stay exclusively at Amankora lodges, Aman will handle your arrangements; if you prefer to stay at one or more non-Aman lodges in the course of your stay, your travel consultant can plan your trip through companies such as &Beyond, Abercrombie & Kent, Travcoa, and Big Five Tours.

First a word about the rooms and service at Amankora. We stayed at all five lodges. There are two distinct room types. (Note that when I use “right” and “left” in the descriptions below, bear in mind that half of the rooms are “flipped”).

There is one room style at Paro, Panakha, and Bumthang. When entering the room, you will find the bed on the wall opposite the door, facing the doorway. A seating area will be found in front of the windows to the right. The Terrazzo bathroom is found in the left half of the room. There is a large soaking tub centered in the bathroom. A WC and shower are arrayed on one wall. Two separate vanities, separated by the closet, are arrayed on the other wall.

Rooms at Thimphu and Gangtey are designed in the second style. Entering the room, you will face a sitting area in front of picture windows. The bed is centered on the right side wall of the room, built-in night stands being found on both sides of the bed. The bathroom is on the left side of the room. The sizable double vanity along the far left wall provides a lot of counter space. The WC is to the left of this vanity vanity, and an open step-in rain shower is to the right of the vanity. There is also a large soaking tub, and plenty of storage space in a step-in closet.


If you love Aman suites, you should love the rooms at Amankora. They are extremely spacious, high ceilinged, and utilize Aman’s signature minimalist style. The use of wood paneled walls and hardwood (as opposed to marble) floors enhances the feeling of staying in a secluded mountain lodge.

Negatives: (1) The rooms lack a proper desk or work area. (2) Power sockets are inconveniently placed, but this can be overcome by requesting an extension cord from housekeeping. (3) Light switches are unlabeled and clustered in one location, making it hard to know exactly which light you’re turning on. I advise keeping the WC light on at night, with the WC door closed, to avoid waking the other guest in the room.

A word about the service — superb! The Amankora Journey is all-inclusive with virtually everything included except premium wine and liquors, spa treatments, and a few excursions. Otherwise, all meals, drinks, snacks, laundry, guide services, and transportation are included if you’re on a 7-day Amankora journey. The food was good and unlimited, with a choice of western à la carte choices as well as a Bhutanese set lunch and dinner daily. Desserts were dangerously good — especially the home-made ice cream.

Which lodges to include in your journey? We experienced the entire Amankora journey, and that’s the idea way to go — especially if you want to experience Gangtey, the most stunningly beautiful valley of them all. But if you don’t have the time or budget for all five lodges, you can work with Aman to design a suitable journey. Paro, Thimphu, and Bumthang (by air from Paro) are the most accessible lodges.

Paro is the most popular tourist location in Bhutan. It is home to the Tigers Nest and the most shopping of any of the towns in Bhutan. The resort is located in a beautiful valley, and you can see snow-capped mountains in the distance when it’s not cloudy. Pine trees are growing up around the resort which may, in time, totally obscure those views. The Virtuoso “hot stone bath” amenity is provided at Paro; a $150 value, this is a traditional Bhutanese custom. The water is heated by very, very hot stones, and two guests can enjoy the bath at one time.

Thimphu is located perhaps 20 minutes outside the town. This is the capital of Bhutan, and craft schools are located here.

Punakha is reached by crossing a suspension bridge over the river; carts then bring guests up to the lodge which has a renovated Farm House housing the dining room and library. Panakha hosts the largest dzong in Bhutan.

Gangtey is an incredibly beautiful valley. The resort has a gorgeous view across the valley to a hilltop dozing; the setup reminded me a bit of Amanjiwo. We had the Potato Shed dinner here; dinner was served in a private stone shed that was lit by dozens and dozens of candles, with a musician playing during our dinner.

Bumthang is easily reached by air from Paro (just a 35 minute flight). I especially enjoyed the Farmhouse Lunch (in a private home owned by a woman who was the King’s personal chef) and a tour of the Red Panda beer brewery. Bumthang hosts the oldest Buddhist temple in Bhutan.


But in the end, Amankora is not about the hotel rooms. It’s about the journey, and it’s for adventurous travelers. If your idea of the perfect vacation is to visit a great city with great hotels, great restaurants, world class museums, and a vibrant night life, then Bhutan is not for you. Here’s a check-list: (1) Are you an adventurer at heart? (2) Does the idea of visiting a remote and still unspoiled region of the world excite you? (3) Do you look forward to stunning mountain vistas? (4) Do you have an interest in learning more about Tibetan Buddhism? (5) Are you an Amanjunkie? If you can answer “yes” to at least some of these questions, then definitely put the Amankora Journey on your bucket list.

Bear in mind that logistics will be an issue. Though the distances are not great, driving times are significant.* Roads are barely more than single lane, often rough, shared with grazing animals (cows, dogs, and the occasional horse), and did I mention the curves? If you are prone to motion sickness, dramamine or its equivalent is highly recommended. Consider also that, with the exception of Punakha, these are high mountain valleys, 2500 - 3000 meters above sea level. Some travelers have difficulty at altitude. So consider the logistical realities.



* approximate driving times:
Paro to Thimphu - 1.5 hours
Thimphu to Punakha - 2.5 hours
Punakha to Gangtey - 2.5 hours
Gangtey to Bumthang - 5 hours

FlyerEC

Wow , what a TR , thanks David !
Shouldn't procrastinate any more , with the tourist increasing , etc ..
Any best period you reckon ?

DavidO

Weather is the variable. Winters are cold, but the skies are clear and dry. The wet season is June - July - August.

FlyerEC

Thanks , David , not the wet season for sure .
Will have to figure out when / see how to ' fit in ' between other Amans , ..

sfoactuary

Thanks so much for this report, David. Bhutan is high on our bucket list so this information is very helpful for planning purposes!

greg99

Very cool TR, David! I think it will be a while before we make it there, due to kids, but would love to go.

BTW, and this is totally unsolicited, for anyone who is reading the report and isn't familiar with DavidO, he's a travel agent par excellence. He regularly helps me, my family and friends/colleagues with hotels.

I've stopped using Amex Platinum FHR for hotel reservations, because I've yet to find a situation where David and Virtuoso can't find a better offer than what FHR gives.

In short, since David can't do it himself, I'll say it - I can't recommend him highly enough.

Greg

aa213bb

Wonderful report, David.

This has been on my "Travel Bucket List" for awhile, and is now creeping nearer the top.

quitecontrary

Great Trip Report - thanks - I read the entry on your Blog also. Bhutan has been on my bucket list since 1980 when we were backpacking from Australia through Asia - didn't do it as was very difficult to get to back then but now I wish we had persevered. Will get there some day! The only thing that worries me are those domestic flights so I think even if very slow I'd stick to road travel.

ridefar

Bhutan was one of the very best trips Ms. Ridefar and I have ever done. Amazing, and we weren't even staying with Aman.

For the poster that asked about weather: we found mid-October to be perfect. Warm during the day at 20-25 centigrade, cool at nights, often down to near freezing, and generally sunny--we had almost no clouds in the 7 days we were there.

It really is a very special place and should be visited sooner rather than later as development continues and the number of visitors these days is 3-4x what the number was a decade ago. Back then it was possible/probably that you would have temples all to yourself during tours. The only place were it was obvious that we were in a tourist destination was Tiger Nest monastery. Great memories and a great report David.

Ericka

Good for you, David! Breaking trail for the rest of us.

How did you feel after doing all 5? Were there any of them that you could have done without? And how many nights did you spend at each one?

Larkin

David, thank you for posting. We went 4 years ago and it was one of the best trips of our lives!We also went to all 5 resorts, but at the time there was only the airport in Paro. What a great difference it must have made to have the second airport! That alone would make a huge difference in the drive time.
Our favorite spot was also Gangtey. It is one of the loveliest places I have ever seen. Very untouched by modern civilization. We visited a school there which was really special as well. Some if the children walk ( we would say hike), 2+ hours each way to get there. Loved all the hikes too!
This makes me want to go back!

Baghoarder

Thanks David, great summary.

We went last year (only to Paro, Thimphu, Punakha though) and we all loved it. As to timing, my suggestion would be to ensure you are there for one of the religious festivals. They are fascinating and the whole town comes to life. One of my most enduring memories of the trip is joining what seemed like the entire population of the Paro valley for the unfurling of the Thangka at 2am during the festival there. We were also very fortunate to visit a convent just as the nuns were making altar decorations - sheer chance and wonderful to see that tradition. Amazing.

DavidO

We spent one night at Thimphu, then two nights at each of the others. Because of the lengthy traveling times between the valleys (due to twisting roads rather than distance), "skipping" one of the five will result in even longer drive times, so it's a trade-off.

I enjoyed all five, but Gangtey is the one that I wouldn't miss. However, it's also the most remote.

PbodyPhoto

I was amongst the first guests at the Paro property many years ago and before the other 4 were even built. We did the full tour of Bhutan but stayed in little guest houses as the Amans had not yet been built. There also wasn't regular domestic air services anywhere in Bhutan at the time so we had to drive back the entire way again. It was truly an amazing trip!

TRAVELSIG

Thanks for posting this- I have been thinking about this trip for a while- should be sooner rather than later.