• Take in the bird's eye view of Thimphu from the Telecom Tower hill. The capital spreads in a fertile valley traversed by the Wangshu River, at around 2,400m (7,900ft).

• See Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu, the country's main administrative and religious centre. It houses the government ministries, Throne Room of the King and the country's largest monastery, the summer headquarters of the Je Khempo and 1,600 of his monks.

• Visit the National Library in Thimphu to gaze at holy books and scriptures and the National Museum of Bhutan in Paro, located in the Watchtower, where weapons, antiques, mammals and Bhutanese artefacts are all on display.

• See the beautiful and forlorn Haa Valley, reached from Paro over the Cheli La, at 3,810m (12,500ft), the highest road pass in the country.

• Delight in the temperate Punakha valley, which contains many sacred temples, including Punakha Dzong. Straddling the confluence of the Mo and Pho Rivers, the Dzong was built by the founder of the kingdom, Ngawang Namgyal.

• Explore the district of Wangdiphodrang, known for its slate carving and bamboo weaving. The Wangdiphodrang Dzong stands at the confluence of two rivers and, for many centuries, was the seat of one of Bhutan's most powerful Dzongpons.

• Do not miss Tongsa Dzong in central Bhutan, the ancestral home of the Royal family which commands a superb view of the valley, then explore the holy sites of Bumthang, the country's cultural and religious heartlands. 

• Enjoy the spectacular views as you drive up the rough vertiginous side road to Drametse Goemba. This is not for the faint-hearted.

• See the remote valleys of Eastern Bhutan where women spin and weave on the doorsteps. Most idyllic is Tashi Yangtse where rice paddies cling to the slopes above a gleaming riverside chorten (religious monument).

• Enjoy the breathtaking panorama over the eastern Himalayan chain from the Dochu La Pass at 3,100m (10,170ft).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.