Zopa Adventure Travels | Dos And Don'ts for Visitors

Dos and Don'ts

Photography

  1. Request permission before taking photographs of people, events, or objects
  2. Inside the premises of temples, dzongs or monastery, taking photo is not permitted.
  3. Taking photograph is only permitted from court yard area

Religious artifact or Antique

  1. Please do not touch any religious artefact or antique
  2. Purchase of religious items especially antiques is prohibited
  3. Please do not climb on or do anything that would show lack of respect to all Buddhist artefacts or antiques, large or small, ruined or not, are regarded as sacred.

Dress Code

  1. Please wear shirts with collars, preferably with long sleeves.
  2. Please take off hats while entering a dzong, temple or monastery
  3. Shorts/half pants are not permitted while entering a dzong, temple or monastery
  4. In some religious sites, sneakers are not permitted.
  5. It is safer to dress up in “smart casual”

Communication

  1. Before entering a dzong, temple or monastery, please switch off all mobile phones or keep in the silent/vibrating mode
  2. Please speak softly within the religious premises

The Bhutanese Way

  1. Please remember not to point with a single finger but use an upturned flat extended hand especially to indicate a sacred object or place.
  2. Please do not walk over any clothes, books, hearth or materials left open in religious sites.
  3. Please do not encourage begging by giving alms, candies, etc. But if you wish you may leave small donations for genuine purposes at designated areas.
  4. Please refrain from smoking or drinking alcohol while visiting religious places
  5. Please always walk in clockwise direction while visiting religious places or objects like temples, monasteries, stupas (chortens), prayer flags, etc.
  6. Please do not spit and throw rubbish only in designated areas.
  7. Please refrain from touching any ritual objects or mural paintings
  8. If you are not sure, please ask local people about the Bhutanese way.