Bhutan is one of the few places where sacred art is still a living tradition rather than a museum piece. Thangka painters grind mineral pigments by hand, monks build sand mandalas grain by grain, and the thirteen traditional arts – the zorig chusum – are taught to young apprentices in Thimphu. This journey puts a brush in your hand among them.
Painting materials are provided and the itinerary is planned around places worth sitting with: Punakha Dzong between its two rivers, the monasteries above the Wang Chhu, the long views of Phobjikha. Bhutanese artists travel with you for part of the journey, sharing how traditional painting is made and read, and introducing the contemporary scene in Thimphu.
