Bhutan, the last great Himalayan Kingdom, is a truly unique – culturally, geographically and environmentally. Shrouded in mystery and magic, Bhutan will astound, charm and mystify. On this exclusive educational travel experience, students and teachers explore the monasteries, mountains, rivers and cities of this stunning country to gain an unforgettable first-hand insight into Bhutan’s incredible implementation of Gross National Happiness, Carbon Negativity, Buddhism and their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of CAS Trips, we encourage our travelers to take part in a fundraising activity prior to departing on your trip. We believe that involving students in the process of fundraising is key to learning and understanding the concept of becoming a Changemaker and being the future generation of this planet. We work with local non-governmental organizations, who know the needs of the individual communities and the best methods to bring about change.

Gross National Happiness

Since the 1970’s, Bhutan has sought to measure its success and wellbeing not by using the prevailing Gross Domestic Product methodology of many countries, but instead by measuring Gross National Happiness (GNH).

GNH values the collective happiness of the people of Bhutan as the goal of governance. It does this by emphasizing harmony with nature and traditional values, as expressed in the 9 domains of happiness and 4 pillars of GNH.

Carbon Negativity

Intrinsically linked to Gross National Happiness is Bhutan’s pioneering approach to environmental conservation. Two of the 4 GNH pillars are sustainable development and environmental protection.

By law, a minimum of 60% of Bhutan must be covered by forest. Combined with minimal pollution and the promotion of organic farming methods, this has resulted in Bhutan becoming the world’s only carbon-negative country.