Punakha Dzong Monastery

Photo: Shuzo Uemoto/Honolulu Academy of Arts

Bhutan is the least accessible and least known of the Himalayan countries. Unlike Nepal and Tibet, Bhutan forbids trekkers in its sacred mountains. Having never been colonized, conquered or invaded, Bhutanese treasures have never been looted.

Its art has remained relatively unknown both in and outside Bhutan. The government takes great measures to preserve the nation's traditional culture, identity and the environment.