1 BHUTAN
POPULATION: 764,727
CAPITAL: THIMPHU
LANGUAGE: DZONGKHA
UNIT OF CURRENCY: NGULTRUM
This tiny Himalayan paradise operates a strict ‘high-value, low-impact’ tourism policy, compelling travellers to pay a daily fee just to set foot in its pine-scented, monastery-crowned hills. The pay-off for visitors is a chance to walk along mountain trails unsullied by litter, in the company of people whose Buddhist beliefs put them uniquely in tune with their environment.
Bhutan punches well above its weight when it comes to sustainability. It is already the world’s only carbon-negative country, and the kingdom is set to become the first fully organic nation by 2020, so it’s only going to get more beautiful – and with the daily fee, it won’t be getting any more crowded.
For more about Bhutan, turn to p44
UNMISSABLE EXPERIENCE
Climb to Taktshang
Goemba – it’s the one must-see on almost every itinerary. Your first glimpse of the monastery, winking through the pines from its precarious mountain vantage point will more than justify the steep, high-altitude hike to reach it.
2 ENGLAND
POPULATION: 55.6 MILLION
CAPITAL: LONDON
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH