Thimphu – the capital city of the tiny kingdom of Bhutan is two hours’ drive (65 kilometers) from Paro. It is the one among the two capital cities in Asia without traffic lights. The other is Pyongyang in North Korea.
Thimphu on Bhutan Map
The main traffic is controlled by a smartly dressed traffic police-man wearing white gloves. Some people are so fascinated by the sight of the traffic police-man gracefully waving and showing the way to vehicles that they spend time watching them in action.
Spread across 2,067 square kilometers, with a population of more than 100,000, it is located at an altitude of 2,380 meters. Thimphu has people from different districts; a lot of people migrate to Thimphu in search of a better life.
Thimphu became the capital only in 1961 and today it is the government and monastic headquarters. It was only after Thimphu became the Capital that developmental activities started taking place. The Royal family members also live in Thimphu.
Thimphu has mild summer with temperature varying from 15 to 30 degree Celsius and in winter the lowest temperature is minus 1.1 degree Celsius.
It is the most happening town in Bhutan and is very active during the day. Thimphu has a comparatively active night life with discotheques and drayangs (bar with entertainers). If you want a taste of night life in Bhutan, Thimphu is just the place for you.
An interesting combination of tradition and modernity can be seen here.
Many of the sights in Thimphu can be reached on foot. Some of the must-visit places in Thimphu are as follows:
