Highlights
- RARE India adds Zhiwaling luxury hotel.
- Zhiwaling is Bhutan's first Bhutanese-owned luxury hotel.
- Bhutan recorded more than two lakh visitors in 2025.
Zhiwaling is located in the Paro Valley with views of Paro Rinpung Dzong and is Bhutan's first luxury hotel built and owned by Bhutanese entrepreneurs.
The property, built in 2005, includes three restaurants, a bar, a spa, outdoor hot stone baths and an indoor heated pool. It also prioritizes local employment and uses traditional building materials sourced locally, according to the company.
"Zhiwaling was built on the belief that luxury hospitality could emerge from authentic Bhutanese values rather than imported aesthetics," said Dasho Ugyen Rinzin, Zhiwaling founder and chairman. "We don't see hospitality as separate from culture; they are inseparable.That philosophy guides everything we do."
Shoba Rudra, RARE India founder, said Zhiwaling is exactly the kind of property the platform was built for, one that is rooted in its place and run by people who are deeply committed to their communities and cultures.
Zhiwaling's addition to the RARE India portfolio reflects Bhutan's growing profile as a high-value tourism destination, where visitor numbers reached 209,376 in 2025, a 44.33 percent rise from the previous year, according to Tashel Melong 2025, an annual tourism snapshot by Bhutan's Department of Tourism.
In February, RARE India and Wildlife Luxuries Pvt. Ltd. launched Tipai Wildlife Luxuries near Tipeshwar National Park in Maharashtra
