Of all Himalayan countries, Bhutan is the most alluring to Westerners, at least to those with a romantic vision of the past. Bhutan is also the ideal place for trekking in a beautiful landscape of sacred mountains, lush valleys, remote temples and fortress-monasteries. Tucked between China and India at the eastern end of the Himalayan chain, it is the most remote, the least touched by modernity, and - apart from Assamese insurgents taking refuge from the Indian army inside the southern border - the least affected by violent political conflict. Its survival into the present century as an independent country is something of a marvel. With the neighbouring kingdom of Sikkim swallowed by India, and Tibet taken over by China in the 1950s, Bhutan is the only remaining Buddhist state in the region. With less than a million inhabitants and about a dozen languages it is also, arguably, the most varied, both in its terrain and human geography.
Direct foreign investment was authorised for the first time in 2001 and international hotel chains began to move in. The Bhutanese government is now attempting to widen the range of tourism on offer and quadruple the number of visitors.

AMANKORA
(00 800 2255 2626; www.amanresorts.com). This is the first hotel in Bhutan built by a foreign company. The 24-suite hotel lies in the shadow of Drukgyel Dzong, a 17th century fortress-monastery in the Paro Valley. The six two-storey buildings with rammed-earth walls and gently sloping roofs sit against the backdrop of the snowcapped Jomolhari peak. The suites have large windows, wood panelling, wood-burning stoves and freestanding baths. The hotel's spa offers traditional Asian treatments, beginning with local herbs and heated with hit stones. The cuisine is Western, Indian and Bhutanese, including the national dish emadasi (chilli with yak cheese). Amanresorts offers the 'Amankora seven-day journey', an itinerary including visits to Buddhist monasteries and monuments. ££££

UMA PARO
(00 975 8 271597; www.uma.como.bz). Christine Ong is following hot on the heels of Adrian Zecha with Uma Paro. This retreat, on a hillside in the tiny Himalayan kingdom, has nine superior doubles, featuring large, oversized bathrooms and separate showers, DVD players, minibars and in-room yoga mats. The nine deluxe doubles have the same facilities, but are larger at 32 square metres. Suites have separate sitting, dining and study areas and one-bedroom villas enjoy a private spa and courtyard. All rooms have views of the forest, mountains or valley. Uma Paro offers Vinyasa yoga and Asian-inspired treatments, with the emphasis on ayurveda. The spa has a steam room, indoor pool and a hot-stone bathhouse, set into the forest, for Bhutanese treatments such as bathing therapies, facials and massages. ££££

Perhaps the least engaging feature of the tourist regime in Bhutan is the bland European-style food provided for foreigners in most hotels. Local food, on the other hand, is the opposite of bland, and probably too much for Western palates. There is plenty to write home about after a visit to a Bhutanese tavern or restaurant, but not that much to recommend. There's the famous salty tea and tiny dumplings called momo, filled with pork or cheese. These can be tasty, perhaps because pigs in Bhutan are fed on marijuana, which grows in profusion in the central valleys. And there is zow, cold roasted rice, sometimes mixed with tiny red amaranthus seeds, and yak cheese, dried on a string (zow and dried cheese are handy when you are on a trek). On the whole, though, Bhutanese food is strictly for chilli lovers: strips of pork fat with chilli; giant white radishes with chilli; yak cheese with chilli. If you arrive in the country in autumn, there's a clear warning as you come in to land: the roof of every house is bright red with chillies, drying in the sun.

SUGGESTED ITINERARIES
Ten days is a good length of visit. Start in Paro and travel through Wangdiphodrang, Punakha, Trongsa and Bumthang. Leave two days at the end for Thimphu. This itinerary allows time to go 'off track' - vital in a country as unusual as Bhutan - and offers a little leeway for unpredictable journey times. With tour operator Himalayan Kingdoms, you can opt for a 40-day 'Complete Lunana Snowman Trek', a long-distance expedition reaching heights of 17,000ft or more. Or Bhutan can be incorporated in an Indian visit. Abercrombie & Kent's 'Bhutan extension itinerary - Hidden Mountain Kingdom' offers two nights at Thimphu, one at Trongsa, one at Punakha and two at Paro.

THE DRUK PATH
The Druk Path trek is a short trek that begins near Ta Dzong and crosses a pass between Paro and Thimphu. It still goes to high altitude, making it moderately strenuous. This path was well worn long before any tourist came here. Historically, the most important figure to pass this way was the Buddhist saint Ngawang Namgyal, known as popularly as Shabdrung Rinpoche.

THE PARO VALLEY

The Paro Valley, where all air-travellers arrive, resembles an Oriental version of Switzerland, with plots of wheat and barley, rice fields and the valley floor gleaming silver with irrigation channels that flow from the Paro River. Southwards, it descends into quite a different environment: lower, flatter, hotter and more verdant, where rice paddies and tea plantations alternate with dense jungle. This is the habitat of elephant and tigers. The transition from north to south, from mountains to plains and cold to hot, is repeated across Bhutan. And travelling east or west, whether you are walking, or driving on the country's very limited road network, you must move continually up and over passes that join one valley system to another. Several treks begin in the Paro Valley. The Jhomolhari, Laya-Gasa and Snowman treks all lead west from Drukgyel Dzong to Jhomolhari base camp and then wind their way through Lingzhi and beyond.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK
Visitors flying from London usually use British Airways to Delhi (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com), Qatar Airways to Kathmandu (0870 770 4215; www.qatarairways.com) or Thai Airways to Bangkok (0870 606 0911; www.thaiair.com). Alternatively, Trailfinders (020 7938 3939) offers competitively priced tickets to any of these hubs. Entering overland from India is complicated: contact your chosen agent for advice.

VISAS
Application forms are processed through the agent, Bhutan-based or otherwise. The process is quicker by email and should be initiated at least six weeks prior to travelling. Visas are issued on arrival at Paro Airport for a fee, but visa clearance has to be confirmed in advance by the Bhutan Foreign Ministry. Note there is also a departure tax.

WITH A BHUTAN-BASED TOUR OPERATOR
The best of the Bhutan-based agents is Khendum Dorji, who runs Chhundu Travel and Tours (00 975 2 322592; fax: 322645; www.chhundu.com.bt), which provides adventurous itineraries. Other Bhutan-based agencies include Bhutan Tourism Corporation (00 975 2 322647; fax: 323392; btcl@druknet.bt) and Etho Metho Tours (00 975 2 326112; fax: 322884; emtt@druknet.bt). Prices are fixed by the government, and paid to the agent in advance by telegraphic transfer. Credit cards are not accepted. Agencies in Bhutan will arrange ticketing on Druk Air (00 975 8 271 856; www.drukair.com.bt), the country's national carrier, and the only airline to fly into Bhutan's Paro airport, which is 53km away from the capital Thimphu. However visas have to be obtained before Druk will confirm a seat, and there are only two aircraft in its fleet. This means limited services from Delhi via Kathmandu, and from Bangkok via Calcutta, Yangon or Dhaka.

WITH A UK TOUR OPERATOR
Himalayan Kingdoms (0845 330 8579; www.himalayankingdoms.com). Abercrombie & Kent (0845 070 0615; www.abercrombiekent.co.uk); Steppes East (01285 651010; www.steppeseast.co.uk); Western & Oriental (020 7313 6600; www.westernoriental.com); and The Ultimate Travel Company (020 7828 7778; www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk). Michael Rutland (email: mrutland@aol.com), secretary to the Bhutan Society of the United Kingdom (020 7580 2617; www.bhutansociety.org), is happy to advise would-be travellers to Bhutan.

Bhutan is very hot and rainy from May to September. Go in October, the peak time for trekking, which coincides with festivals in Bumthang.

Always consult the Foreign Office before travelling.