On the roof of the world, shoe horned into the grand Himalaya, Bhutan, the thunder Dragon, is a fiercely independent kingdom. With an area slightly larger than Switzerland, there are only about 600,000 people. The name Bhutan appears to derive from the ancient Indian term "Bhotanta" which means the end of land of the Bhots, it could also extend from the Sanskrit word Bhu'uttan or highland.
The Kingdom lies east of Nepal and west of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Located in the heart of the high Himalayan mountain range, Bhutan is a land-locked country surrounded by mountains in north and west. The rugged east, visited by few Western travellers, the high Himalaya in the northern steppes separates the kingdom from Tibet.
Spring is the most beautiful time of the year in the kingdom. The fierce cold that characterises the winter months tends to subside towards the end February (around Bhutanese New Year, Lhosar). At the height of spring, the end of March, the whole kingdom comes to life with the spectacular flaming red, pink and white of Rododendrom blossom.
