National Museum of Bhutan

National Museum Café

In the future, the National Museum of Bhutan will construct a small café on the Museum grounds to take advantage of the commanding views of the Paro valley and Paro town.  It will provide visitors with local cuisine specialties alongside global favorites such as coffee, espresso, salads and desserts.  According to the master plan, this café will be located just inside the main gate where the views of the valley and surrounding mountains are most picturesque.  The café will be ready for guests by 2014.

Natural History Gallery

Bhutan is among the top ten countries in the world in terms of diversity of natural habitats.  From the tropical south to the alpine north, some of the world’s rarest and most vulnerable species are found thriving in the Kingdom, making Bhutan a leading destination for nature lovers, environmentalists, and outdoor sporting enthusiasts.  Few individuals have the opportunity to explore the most remote parts of the Kingdom. The Museum management believes it has a role to play in educating the public on the importance of preserving bio-diversity, and countering illegal poaching, hunting and encroachment.

The National Museum will further improve the display of the natural history collection by shifting it to a new location on the Museum grounds.  The existing collection will be expanded with photos and touch screen computers to allow visitors to travel through and view the landscape and animals from around the country.

Tribal History Galleries

While Bhutan is a relatively small Kingdom, people in different regions, villages, and valleys have developed unique customs including dress, diet, social relationships, customs, and dialects. Bhutan has well over a dozen different ethnicities contributing to Bhutan’s mosaic of people.  In order to increase understanding and appreciation of this diversity, the National Museum of Bhutan intends to showcase the traditions of various sub-regions by sharing their costumes, arts, and crafts, household implements and lifestyles.

The National Museum plans to feature one of several ethnicities on a rotating basis in the ground floor space of the new building above the Ta Dzong proper. These exhibits are scheduled to be ready for display beginning in 2017.