Hilton's Shangri-la in Bhutan

Hilton's Shangri-La is an impossible composite- a remote temple with mixed Tibeten and Chinese Features backed by a towering snowcap and a fertile green Valley below. It is presided over by a wizened High Lama around 250 years of age, whose grand mission is to provide a sanctuary for preserving the values of civilization and cultural during times of warfare and destruction. And now, 75 years after the first publication of Lost Horizon, the legend of Shangri-La lives on in the imagination, more powerful than ever. Tourist officers all over the Himalayan region are keen to tap into the radiant Shangri-La mystique. The contenders range from enclaves like hunza Valley in northwest Pakistan to the newly created Shangri-La Country in the highland of Tannan in southwest China. But to my mind, the candidate with the most genuine aura of Shangri-La is Bhutan. Indeed, this nation often refers to itself in brochures as the last Shangri-La.' Here are some good reasons why Bhutan admirably lives up to that description.
Pristine environment
Bhutan went green and stayed green long before environment became a priority elsewhere on the planet. Bhutan’s system of national parks and wildlife preserves cover over 25 per cent of its total land area which is far more than you can say about neighboring India and China, both implicated in large-scale environment degradation (particularly deforestation). Bhutan embraces pristine forest and soaring snowcaps. Sheltered in its park sanctuaries, wildlife is well-protected with a complete ban on hunting of rare species like the snow Leopard. Bird-watchers love Bhutan which has over 700 bird species recorded and botanist are thrilled by Bhutan’s range of usual powering species.
Preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture
In the himalayans, bhutan is the sole self-governing entity with Tibetan Buddhism as its state religion. Outer Mongolia to the north, and the republic of Tuva, are also independent countries and follow Tibetan Buddhism but there the people and language are Mongolian. Once there used to be inter-marriages between the royal families of Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim-a situation now changed by political realities. Although Bhutan has strong links with Tibetan culture, it maintains its own distinct version of that culture. Dzongkha language for instance, is related to Tibetan but quite distinct from Lhasa dialects. Dzongkha is a compulsory subject in school, although the medium of instruction is English. Bhutan is the best place in Tibetan worlds to see traditional-style architecture, with sloping roofs (distinctly Bhutanese in design) such as the Tashichho dzong of Thimphu. These Dzongs at times incorporate the ancient skill of bridge-building, another art preserved in Bhutan.
Things you cannot find
The temple of Shangri-la is a remarkable for its remote high altitude location, nestled on the flanks of a soaring snowcapped peak. But it is equally remarkable for what is not there – no war,no sickness, no disease, no real concept of the passage of time. Shangri-la of Hilton’s novel has a kind of spiritual club Med atmosphere – remote, secluded, peaceful.