Jigme Dorji National Park

By Meera

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The Misty Mountainous Land With Its Many Hidden Colours And Life

The entrance to the Park

If you want to soak in unbelievable views, breathe pure and mountainous air that too at high altitudes, then take a trip down the royal kingdom of Bhutan. Even as such in this nation, when traversing from place to place, we have to either go up or down continuously. If you are nature lover and also freak on trekking and have young legs, this is the ultimate destination.

Beautiful flowing water add to the surreal beauty

Being a passionate wildlife lover and a sucker for stark Himalayan ranges, I landed in the country’s biggest and oldest protected areas for big carnivores like Royal Bengal tiger, snow leopards and Himalayan Bears. I was not looking for either the elusive leopards or the bear on a cold windy day, my aim was to soak in the scenic beauty of this park and look for changing colors of the forest floor. As it is, the wild profusion of flowers all over the canopies and the growth of rhododendrons here and there was a welcome sight even as I entered the Park with no one to stop me at the gate.

An hour’s drive from the capital city and located on the Thimphu -Paro road near the Dochula Pass, the Park is in fact, a huge and unexplored forest area with a variety of flora and fauna.  Birds, butterflies, monkeys are so easily visible that they seem to follow you everywhere demanding your attention.

The thick canopy offers a wonderful home to the birds and monkeys

The Jigme Dorji National Park area is massive, more than 4300 square kilometers and is considered risky as we have to move on our feet and that too on an undulating terrain. It makes one huff and puff if not used to heights. It is better to go with a guide who is familiar with the forest secrets.

The Park is not to be taken lightly and so one has to be prepared for a long uphill walk. As one starts following the foot trail, it meanders to the Paro Chhu River with its amazing views in the midst of the Himalayan backdrop. The wooden bridge itself is so quaint that one can spend hours together and look at the river flowing from here. However, the trail across the park is not meant for those unaccustomed to hiking as the land undulates most of the time with lung-bursting ascents and knee-mangling descents.

A meditative point in the Park

Fabulous views in this terrain is so vivid that even today I can recollect the snow-capped peaks, cascading falls as if it was yesterday. The view also changed from forest floor to the tree line dramatically in different bursts of colors and hues. I was amazed at the abundance and diversity of flora blooming in mid-October.

Sound of the flowing water
to add to the magic

This place is a paradise for birdwatchers. Many streams, rivers and tributaries is a habitat for a variety of local bird species and migrants. With the park’s elevation varying from 1600 to 7100 meters, one gets to see snowcapped mountains, glacial rivers as also alpine meadows. I walked only a few kilometers and even in such a short sojourn, the forest colors and the pristine blue rivers as also the stark misty mountains takes one’s breath away.

But for bird lovers, this place is a haven and if any bird watcher is planning a trip in the near future, the Jigme Dorji National Park nearby Thimpu should be on their priority list.

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