Can Bhutan Maintain the Character That Makes it Paradise on Earth? Paro Taktsang, known as the Tiger's Nest, is an ancient Buddhist temple perched 3,100 meters above Bhutan's Paro Valley Bharat Sikka for TIME I have a promise to break. Like any self-respecting writer visiting Bhutan, I solemnly swore on a stack of travelogues to avoid clichéd references to Shangri-la, the mountain paradise of James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. So sue me: Bhutan, a nation of 700,000 souls in the lap of the Himalayas, is the closest thing to Shangri-la I've ever seen. In a week of traveling through Bhutan, my wife and I have trekked up 3,100 m to an ancient Buddhist temple complex perched on the side of a mountain; we've shot arrows from... To read the entire article, you must be a TIME subscriber. Already registered? Sign in below Current print subscribers to register Subscribe now to get TIME All Access Your subscription has expired. Please click here to gain access again. Email, Password or Region is incorrect A required form parameter was missing. The System is currently down. Please try again in a few minutes. Email Address is invalid Password is blank