Bhutan is a small, landlocked kingdom in the eastern Himalayas of South Asia. It is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north and north-west, and by the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to the west, south and east. It has no coastline and shares a border with only two countries.
Covering roughly 38,394 square kilometres, Bhutan is about the size of Switzerland and one of the smallest countries in Asia. Despite its compact size, it packs in an astonishing range of landscapes, because the land rises so steeply from south to north.
From subtropical plains to Himalayan peaks
In the far south, along the Indian border, the land lies at just 150–300 metres and is hot, humid and subtropical. Move north and it climbs quickly through broadleaf and pine forest into the temperate central valleys — Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and Bumthang — which sit between roughly 1,200 and 2,800 metres. Higher still, the terrain rises to the great Himalaya, with snow peaks above 7,000 metres, including Gangkhar Puensum (7,570 m), widely considered the world's highest unclimbed mountain.
Getting your bearings
The capital and largest city, Thimphu, sits at about 2,334 metres in the west, close to Paro, home of the only international airport. Most classic itineraries begin here and travel eastward through a chain of valleys, each separated by a high pass. This dramatic geography is why travel in Bhutan is mostly by winding mountain road — and why the scenery is so continuously spectacular.