2017 Mahindra Authentic Bhutan In The TUV300

2017 Mahindra Authentic Bhutan

We drove to Thimphu, Punakha and Paro in Bhutan in the TUV300 mHawk100

2017 was coming to an end and as usual, I was figuring out plans for the New Year’s eve when I got to know about the Authentic Bhutan expedition that Mahindra was organising in association with XSO (Xtreme Sports Organisation) in the last week of December. I was a bit unsure of whether I should go for it or not, but then I decided that I might as well do something interesting and unique this time rather than the usual partying. So, having given my confirmation, I looked at our itinerary in detail and at first glance, the trip did seem very exciting as we would be driving across Bhutan to some really splendid locations.

On the first day, there wasn’t much to do as I flew into Bagdogra which is located in West Bengal and headed to my hotel in Chalsa. All the participants were given a proper brief for the drive along with a list of dos and don’ts and some other safety instructions. We were allotted our vehicles and most of the participants got the Scorpio 4WD while some of them got the XUV500 AWD too. Mahindra had also included a couple of KUV100 NXTs in the convoy along with the TUV300 mHawk100, which I was allocated. This was my third expedition with Mahindra and in the previous ones, I always got the Scorpio 4WD and was mighty impressed with it, so when I came to know about the TUV300 I had mixed reactions but nonetheless I was really charged up for the drive.

We started off from Chalsa the next day and headed towards Phuentsholing which is a roughly 100 kms drive. The drive itself was quite uneventful because of local traffic but once we neared our destination, the roads started getting emptier and there was a lot of fog which reduced visibility for a bit. Soon, we entered Phuentsholing and started making our way to Hotel Druk which was going to be our first halt for the day. The immigration office is right next to Druk and all of us went and got our permits done.

For getting an entry permit for Bhutan, Indians only need their Passport or Voter’s card. The process did take a couple of hours because there were a lot of people and a lot of cars. A sumptuous lunch and a long wait later, we started rolling towards Thimphu where we were going to stay put for 2 days. The distance is around 165 kms but most of the route comprises of twisty roads and narrow paths, meaning it took us more than 5 hours to cover that distance which also included a short tea break.

Thimphu is a really beautiful city and it was really quiet by the time we reached. The weather was chilly and there was so much fresh air around. Since it was quite late, we checked in at our hotel and wrapped up for the day after some hot dinner. The next day, I got up early and went for a nice walk around the city and kind of enjoyed the pleasure of exploring a new place. We all then headed to the Folk Heritage Museum for lunch which comprised of authentic Bhutanese cuisine.

Since I’m a vegetarian, I could eat only limited items but my favourite was definitely this plate called Kewa Datshi which is basically a mixture of potatoes and cheese along with chillies. Bhutanese people really love cheese and chillies and almost every delicacy they make comprises of these two things. Post lunch, we took a quick tour of the museum and then the day was free for all of us. I again went around exploring the town and the local markets and then chilled by the clock tower sipping on hot chocolate.

Done with Thimphu, we started rolling towards Punakha the next day. But before starting the journey, we fuelled up our cars. Good thing that they accept Indian currency in Bhutan! The TUV300 gulped in fuel worth Rs. 1450/- since it was still at half tank. Thimphu to Punakha is just 80-odd kms but since the entire route has twisties and narrow roads, it takes 3-4 hours to cover the journey, especially when you’re driving in a convoy where speeds get a bit limited. The roads were very good though with a totally breathtaking view!

For lunch, we halted at the most beautiful place I saw during this entire trip – Dochula Pass. This pass is located at a height of more than 10,000 feet and has a clear view of the snow-capped Himalayas on the left side. The sight is just too beautiful and I really wouldn’t mind sitting there an entire day. My TUV300 had some issues with the steering and wheel alignment and the service team tried their best to solve the issues at the lunch halt itself, however, the problems kept resurfacing.

We finally neared Punakha and the roads started getting narrower. Punakha is a very small town located right next to a river and temperatures are pretty low too. When we went, it was around 3 degrees and trust me, I really found solace in my heated hotel room. However, Punakha is one of those quaint and peaceful places that you can only dream about. There’s no noise anywhere, hardly any population and the scenery all around is a view to behold. There are mountains on one side while a river flows across the town and on the other side there are some nice hotels.

The joy of such trips is that you get to see some really beautiful sights

The evening in Punakha was spent in leisure and later on, Mahindra had organised a fun and frolic evening starting off with some cultural music and dances followed by some foot-tapping party songs. To top it all, we had some lip smacking food that day. The best part about this evening was that everyone got a chance to interact with each other properly and that really made for some interesting conversations.

We were supposed to drive from Punakha to Paro in the afternoon but before that, we were free in the morning and later got a chance to do some sight-seeing too. I got up quite early in the morning and went to the riverside to soak in the fresh air and enjoy the view around me without any sort of distraction. You know it feels very rejuvenating when you find such a peaceful place because I don’t think there’s anything like this at least in Mumbai! While I was basking in the morning sun, the other participants had gone to visit the temple of fertility which was pretty close to our hotel.

It was already noon by the time everyone arrived and we were directed to pack our bags and load them in our cars. We headed to the riverside for lunch and the entire arrangement was so beautiful, I still can’t get it out of my head. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a mind-blowing place. On one side, we parked all our cars with the mountains in the backdrop and right to it was the lunch area which was facing the river. Sitting on my desk in Mumbai while writing this story, I’m totally reliving those amazing moments.

Post lunch, we drove down to the Punakha Dzong to explore the place and learn a bit about its history. There’s this rule in Bhutan where you’re not allowed to wear hats, caps, shorts, etc. to places like these and hence all of us were asked by our guide to remove our caps and stuff. The Dzong looks very majestic and it is also the second largest Dzong in the country. The structure has been constructed beautifully and it consists of some really interesting designs and a lot of colours. We were given a detailed tour of the Dzong and it was quite exhaustive. Once we were done with this, it was time to start driving towards Paro because it was already 5 pm.

Bhutan is a very pleasant country and it is neat, clean and most of all, happy!

The drive from Punakha to Paro took around 5 hours to cover despite the fact that the distance is just 127 kms. Speeds reduce gradually when you’re driving on tight and narrow roads and the average speed of a convoy is also a bit lower than that of individual cars. We started out from Punakha and made our way towards Paro and on the way, we crossed Thimphu too, though we didn’t really enter the city again. But before that, we again halted at the ever so beautiful Dochula Pass again for some food. For me, the highlight of the trip has definitely been this because the scenery all around is just too mesmerising and these are the times when you realise there are so many pretty places on our planet.

It was quite dark when we entered Paro and we got a chance to see the Paro Airport which was right adjacent to our road. The Paro Airport is the only international airport in Bhutan and air traffic is also very less with hardly a few flights coming in everyday. Up ahead, we even saw the spectacular Rinpung Dzong fortress monastery which overlooks the Paro Valley. Rinpung means Heaps Of Jewels and the monastery is made of stones instead of clay. Above this Dzong is a hill which houses the Ta Dzong watchtower which has actually been the National Museum of Bhutan since 1967. Up ahead of the Dzong is the main city of Paro which has a couple of small streets housing a lot of cafes, restaurants and shops.

The next day in Paro was the last day of 2017 and it was again a free day for us. Paro is known for Tiger’s Nest (Paro Taktsang) which is a very famous Himalayan Buddhist sacred site. It is also very popular with trekkers because the climb is quite challenging and takes at least a few hours. While I didn’t go for the actual trek, we did go up to the base of the trek where our guide showed us around and explained us the history of the place. After this, we again headed towards the Rinpung Dzong for a quick photo op. Had a lovely lunch at one of those tiny cafes on the street and then explored the city for a couple of hours before heading back to the resort. Paro is quite a busy city and the marketplace always seems to be buzzing with activity. Shops are lined up neatly, cars are parked accurately and in the midst of all of the hustle-bustle, the city stills feels so peaceful.

For most part of this trip, I drove the Mahindra TUV300 mHawk100. The compact SUV is spacious and feels very robust when you drive it on bad roads but the ride feels quite bouncy. While the engine has a strong enough mid-range, the car just feels too underpowered on empty roads and on inclines and ghats you can actually feel it grasping for breath at times. All our cars were running on CEAT tyres thanks to them being one of the official sponsors. Fuel efficiency is excellent though, and the tank range is also very long which is really useful for long drives. The car which I was driving had issues with the steering alignment and the audio system was acting funny too. However, my eyes were set on the Scorpio Getaway which was a part of the convoy and was being driven by Mahindra official Manish Sarser. I love pick-up trucks a lot and since it was a free day in Paro, I got the car for a couple of hours and drove it quite a bit to check out how it feels.

The very first thing I noticed is how the ergonomics on the Scorpio Getaway are better than the TUV300. The driving position is also spot on, though the old-school dashboard is reminiscent of the old generation Scorpio. Fired up the 2.2-litre engine and went around Paro and on some of the twisties. The engine feels so tractable and the Getaway is actually super enjoyable to drive. The steering gives awesome feedback and even though it is a bit heavy on the ghats, you get the hang of it pretty soon. The Getaway can also carry loads of luggage and has more than enough punch on the highways, which makes it a very good car for long distance cruising. It lacks features and modernity though.

The year ended on a high note in Paro but the temperatures were really low and it was very chilled. I am super thrilled about the fact that I embarked on this wonderful trip this New Years and this has been an experience that’ll be cherished for long. The first day of 2018 started on a lazy note and then we started driving back towards Chalsa, via Phuntsholing. It was indeed a long drive and we reached Phuntsholing in the evening where we took a quick halt for some piping hot pakodas, before heading towards India. When you cross the gate from Bhutan to India, you can instantly make out the difference between both the countries right from the quality of air to the cleanliness to the general etiquette followed by people.

After we finally entered India, we still had another 100 kms left before we reached Chalsa. We reached the hotel by 10 pm and exactly a week back, from this very same hotel, we did our official flag-off at a similar time. Damn, this week flew by very quickly but the feeling of satisfaction of completing a nice road trip safely is just another thing. Just like some of the previous expeditions we’ve attended, this one too was managed by XSO (Xtreme Sports Organisation) which is a part of Northern Motorsport and it is amazing to see the way they handle things, the way they prepare for the entire trip with so much attention to detail and a lot of emphasis is given to safety too. The next day, we bid our goodbyes to everyone and headed to Bagdogra airport to catch our flights back home. Bhutan, you shall be remembered!

Further Reading –

2017 Mahindra Wild Escape
2016 Mahindra Himalayan Spiti Escape
2015 Mahindra Royal Escape