Sangwa Camp

A night at Sangwa Camp unfolds like a dream, where the forest is the theater. Those who know about Bhutan’s best kept secret in its little-visited Haa Valley, the last district to open to tourism, are blessed upon arrival with an offering rooted in pre-Buddhist Bonism, then ushered through the woods by folk dancers to a communal tent with a crackling bonfire. Haa, the launchpad for the new 250-mile Trans Bhutan Trail, has very few hotels despite being right next to Paro and its international airport. But the isolated region has many charms—and that’s precisely why Sangwa Camp, which opened in spring, exists. “There are five valleys that everyone travels to, [each] with luxury properties, but 15 other districts that have fallen off the map,” says Matthew DeSantis, founder of Sangwa Camp and luxury travel outfitter MyBhutan. Sangwa, which means “hidden” or “secret” in Sanskrit, is a roving glampsite, complete with bamboo furniture and Bhutanese textiles, set up on a 10-acre parcel from March through October. It offers outdoor breakfast in Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve, which is usually closed to tourists; daytime activities such as yoga, cycling, natural dying, and archery; and after-dark tracking of foxes, wild boars, and owls. Come nightfall, guests can sample hoentey (buckwheat dumplings) and other local delicacies or partake in hot stone baths and personalized astrology readings from a monk. Between Sangwa’s “leave no trace” ethos (the camp and its solar-string forest lighting are only installed when guests are expected) and Bhutan currently being “on sale” (the country’s Sustainable Daily Fee has been slashed 50% to $100 per person , per day, through 2027 in an effort to boost post-Covid tourism), there’s never been a better time to visit.

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