HEIGHTENED SENSES

As the last bastion of Vajrayana Buddhism, religion informs almost every aspect of the Bhutanese way of life. You sense the spirituality almost immediately, and it is evident even in the establishment of the Aman. The saying “the journey is the destination” is what the pioneering luxury resort Amankora had in mind when it opened in 2004. Kora, which means circular pilgrimage in the Bhutanese language, Dzongkha, also refers to Aman’s inimitable style of exploration. Consisting of five lodges in different valleys—paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Bumthang and Gangtey—each of Amankora’s characterful retreats celebrates its distinct surroundings. I began my six-day sojourn with a brief stop at the Paro lodge. When our guide