Simply Bhutan

Simply Bhutan is a living museum in the Nazhoen Pelri youth complex on Genyen Lam, about 500 m west of the town centre. It opened in 2012, when Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck inaugurated it as the first museum of its kind in the country. The Bhutan Youth Development Fund built it using materials salvaged from traditional houses, and it was set up to give young people paid work and training in business and customer care, so the staff who show you round are part of the project.

What happens on a visit

Rather than looking at objects in cases, you move through a reconstructed village. There is a traditional kitchen with a mud and stone stove, an altar room and a small museum about Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Staff show how a rammed earth wall is built, with the work songs that go with it, and explain how ara, the local spirit distilled from grain, is made. You can try on a gho or kira, have a go at archery and khuru, the darts game played at village festivals, and stop for butter tea (suja) and snacks at the cafe.

It is a light, hands-on stop that works well with children, and a good contrast to the quieter Folk Heritage Museum, which shows a real 19th-century farmhouse. Changangkha Lhakhang and the National Memorial Chorten are both close by. Allow about an hour, longer if you want to try every activity.