Amankora

Amankora is one hotel in five places: lodges in the valleys of Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, across western and central Bhutan, with 76 suites between them. Aman was the first international hotel company allowed to operate in the kingdom, in 2004, and the lodge at Paro was the first to open.

It is meant to be travelled rather than stayed in.

A journey across the valleys

Guests move from lodge to lodge with a guide, and the longest itinerary visits all five over about two weeks, with a domestic flight between Bumthang and Paro to save the long road back. The suites follow one pattern, about 52 square metres, with a bukhari wood-burning stove, a window seat and a terrazzo bathroom with a freestanding tub, so that the rooms stay familiar while the landscape outside changes.

Five lodges

Paro, with 24 suites, stands in pine forest below the ruins of Drukyel Dzong, within reach of the Tiger's Nest; its two-storey spa gives each of its five treatment rooms an outdoor hot stone bath. Thimphu, with 16 suites, is on a forested hill in the Motithang area of the capital, its design drawn from the dzong, with panelled walls and double-height ceilings.

Punakha, with 12 suites, looks over the Mo Chhu and occupies a farmhouse about three hundred years old, once the home of Bhutan's chief abbot, with a 29-metre heated infinity pool above the rice terraces. Gangtey, with 8 suites, sits on a wooded knoll above the valley where black-necked cranes spend the winter, facing Gangtey Goemba; it offers the traditional hot stone bath. Bumthang, with 16 suites, is in the Choekhor valley, beside the Wangdichholing Palace.

Each lodge now has an orchard of fruit trees, planted while Bhutan's borders were closed. The kingdom limits visitor numbers and charges a daily Sustainable Development Fee, and journeys are arranged through the lodges with that in mind; OKYTO's guide to Bhutan lodge to lodge compares the other circuits.

Sources: Amankora fact sheet; Amankora; Aman, Amankora reawakening.