Spring comes to Bhutan in a rush of colour. Magnolias open on the hillsides above Dochula, rhododendrons flare red and pink through the oak forests, and in the valleys farmers turn the soil for the rice planting. It is also the season of village festivals – smaller, more intimate gatherings than the great dzong tshechus, where you can stand a few feet from the dancers.
This thirteen-day journey is built around light and timing. Punap Ugyen Wangchuk, who has photographed Bhutan for more than two decades, plans each day so you are in the right place in the early and late hours: Punakha Dzong at dusk, the chortens of Dochula at sunrise, Tiger’s Nest when the crowds have thinned. Between shoots there is time to slow down – farmhouse lunches, a hot-stone bath, a cup of butter tea with a family who have known Ugyen for years.
