Uma Paro is an intimate, 29-room resort with some of the most exclusive private villas in Bhutan, perfectly located in the Paro Valley near to cultural landmarks.

The King’s Birthday is a national holiday in Bhutan and it is customary to dress in traditional clothing. The Bhutanese partake in parades and festivities including eating emadatse and drinking home-distilled spirits.

Archery is the national sport of the Kingdom of Bhutan, often played at religious and cultural festivals, and is a hugely popular pursuit for locals and tourists alike. Most afternoons you can see groups of men competing with each other, aiming at impossibly small targets about 120 metres away. Rivals taunt and tease each other mercilessly to make them lose their concentration; when they hit the target they sing and dance. A heart-warming and often hilarious spectacle!

Don't miss the dramatic cliff-hike up to the sacred Tiger’s Nest monastery – a remarkable liff hanging spectacle and well worth the 2 and a half hour hike.

Settle down to zesty cocktails on the terrace of Uma Punakha, overlooking the lush valleys and rivers of this fertile region of Bhutan.

Take a traditional Bhutanese breakfast including butter tea overlooking the forested Paro Valley at Como's Uma Paro.

All Bhutanese are required to wear national dress everyday but at festivals, locals can be more creative with carved masks and unusual costumes that depict scenes from their rich cultural history.

You know you are in good hands when your hotel is part of the superb Como chain. Uma Paro is no exception with contemporary design contrasting with the natural environment of the Paro Valley. 

Bedrooms at Uma Paro are sparkling clean and stylish, in keeping with re-knowned Como ethic.  Expect spacious terraces, Bhutanese fabrics and a butler on-call 24 hours a day.

Sink into a deep, stone bath tub whilst admiring the pine forest view of the dramatic Paro Valley at Uma Paro.

Watch a traditional masked dancer at the annual Paro Tsechu, one of the most spectacular and deeply symbolic Buddhist festivals celebrated in Bhutan.

Admire this fresco of a fierce tiger at the Paro Dzong – a huge fortress and monastery in Rinpung.

After a hard day trekking around the cultural sights of Bhutan relax on the terrace in the stylish surroundings of the five-star Taj Tashi in Thimpu.

Take in the view of the misty mountains that rise above the Thimpu valley at the luxurious Taj Tashi hotel.

The detail and intricacy of Bhutan's traditional architecture is mind-blowing. Take time to explore the temples and courtyards of this ochre-hued palace.

Your first glimpse of the Punakha dzong is breath-taking. The fortress style architecture of this important Buddhist monastery is the best of its kind in Bhutan.

If you visit The Tiger’s Nest Monastery in spring you’ll be blessed with blue skies, a temperate climate and mountains covered in blooming rhododendrons.

Be captivated by Bhutan's famous hand-drawn Buddhist murals which adorn the walls of temples and local homes. 

A frequent but treasured site for visitors to Bhutan: a line of monks pad past dressed in vibrant red robes.

Take in these epic views of the Phobjika Valley from Amankora Gangtey, Aman’s small-but-perfectly-formed luxury hotel.

Follow this track through the pine forests of the Paro Valley and breathe in the fresh Bhutan air on a trek accompanied by your guides.

Watch a religious dance take place, called a cham, in the courtyard of a Buddhist monastery during the annual Paro Teschu festival. Monks perform festival dances and act out dramas as a form of meditation to personify their deity. Masked and dressed in elaborate silk brocade costumes, dancers demonstrate the triumph of good over evil and the power of compassion.

Let your guide shed light on the ornate murals that cover the inner walls of the Punakha Dzong.

Here are just a few of the 108 stupas arranged around this viewpoint of the Dochula Stupa, at over 3000 metres above sea level. On a clear day, marvel at the snow-capped Himalayas in the distance.

Enjoy fresh local produce and authentic Bhutanese food such as red rice and wholesome meat stews on the terrace of sumptuous and stylish Uma Punakha.

This typically colourful truck makes the passage through Bhutan's high roads on a crisp winter's day.

Open your mind to some of Bhutan’s more unusual murals. Phallic symbols, mostly seen painted on walls of homes, represent fertility.

You’ll find rows of butter lamps a common sight in religious places and monasteries in Bhutan. Monks light a butter lamp every day to help focus the mind.

The beautiful town of Trongsa occupies the central region of Bhutan. Here you’ll find valleys covered in forests and a yellow-roofed dzongs perched on the edge of the mountain.

Relish in the space and tranquillity of the Amankora Bumthang's bonfire courtyard, surrounded by pine-clad mountains.

Amankora’s lodges are scattered throughout the rural Bhutan kingdom. Here at Amankora Bumthang, the lodge occupies a unique location in the grounds of a Royal Palace.

The view from Amankora Punakha is seriously restful. Enjoy vistas of wooden valleys, the Mo Chuu River and lush paddy fields.

Enjoy a traditional Bhutanese breakfast in the courtyard of Amankora Punakha and make the most of the pristine views backed by snow-capped peaks.

Amankora Thimpu’s living quarters are as cosy as they are luxurious with soaring ceilings, wood panelled floors and traditional log burners.

Enjoy an al fresco fire to keep you cosy in the early evenings while you admire the pristine Himalayan scenery at the stylish Amankora Paro.

Experience some of Bhutan’s rich cultural heritage with a cham, a traditional masked dance, at Amankora Paro.

Winter at Amankora Gangtey often provides a beautiful blanket of snow over the ridges and knolls of the surrounding valleys.

Enjoy traditional stews and authentic cuisine in the wood-panelled dining room of the Amankora Gangtey, which overlooks the stunning valley landscape.