bhutan

One of our most memorable “oops” moments of 2025 came from a solo traveler from the US who joined us on a dream journey through Nepal, Bhutan and India. Her wish list was long, thoughtful and wonderfully specific. But right at the top? One tiny, fluffy superstar: the Red Panda.

Before the trip even began, we had been very clear. Red pandas are wild animals. They do not perform on schedule. Sightings depend entirely on luck, season, weather and a healthy dose of karma. She understood. Or so it seemed.

Fast forward to Bhutan. After a scenic 3.5-hour drive into one of the country’s best-known red panda habitats, the guide stopped along a stretch of mountain road. The plan was simple and standard: walk slowly, scan the trees and keep eyes open for movement. In Bhutan, red panda sightings are most often attempted from the roadside. Why? Because there is no designated red panda trail, the forest is extremely dense and wandering off into it can be risky – home to wild boars, bears and terrain that is anything but friendly.

That day, our guest and guide walked nearly six miles along the road, back and forth, searching every branch, bamboo cluster and shadow. No panda appeared.

Cue disappointment.

Her expectations had been different: parking the car, hiking a trail deep into the National Park and searching in what she imagined to be the panda’s “true habitat.” From her perspective, walking along a road felt… underwhelming. She later shared that while she understood sightings weren’t guaranteed, the experience itself wasn’t what she had pictured.

Here’s the part that makes this story painfully ironic: our guide had seen red pandas at that exact spot – right beside the road – just days before. Same location. Same method. Different luck.

This wasn’t a planning failure. There was no hidden trail we skipped, no shortcut we ignored. In Bhutan, red panda excursions are carefully designed around safety, conservation and local knowledge. Our guides, together with nearby communities, choose the areas with the highest probability of sightings – always respecting wildlife and the environment.

Sometimes, nature simply doesn’t RSVP.

Did we feel bad? Absolutely. No one wants to promise magic and deliver… trees. But this was one of those moments where the experience was honest, ethical and exactly as described – just without the star guest. Because in wildlife travel, the biggest truth remains: you can do everything right… and the panda still gets the day off.