Across Bhutan is excited to share the news of this extraordinary national project with you — a bold transformation rooted in Bhutan’s deepest values, and a beacon for mindful development on the global stage.
A New Chapter for the Land of the Thunder Dragon
A monumental project reconciling ancient traditions, living culture, spirituality, and eco-conscious urban design.
In southern Bhutan, near the Indian border with Assam, a city unlike any other is taking shape: GFU Mindfulness City. Unlike cities built to maximize consumption and spectacle, such as Dubai or Las Vegas, this city is designed to foster inner peace, mental health, and spiritual growth: a Real-Life Himalayan Utopia!
Bhutan’s urban experiment comes at a time when global cities glorify skyscrapers, constant activity, productivity, and digital surveillance. GFU Mindfulness City dares to take a different path: a city built around harmony with nature, cultural continuity, and the well-being of its residents—a return to what ancient civilizations considered the core purpose of urban life: spaces for living together, self-discovery, and community.
Today, Across Bhutan is thrilled to share with you this visionary project, offering a glimpse into Bhutan’s ambitious plans for the future!
A City Shaped by Mindfulness, Nature & Culture
Gelephu Mindfulness City is designed as an urban mandala — an environment where natural systems, spiritual practice, and community life flow into each other seamlessly.
A Landscape Forged by Water and Terraces
Descending from the Himalayas to the tropical plains, the terrain is carved by 35 rivers, rice terraces, forest corridors, and wetlands. Rather than reshaping the land, planners chose to let nature lead, creating:
- Urban terraces inspired by agricultural fields
- Blue–green corridors that manage monsoon waters organically
- Rice paddies and permeable ground that act as natural flood absorbers
- Wildlife pathways protecting species migration, including elephants
Every neighborhood is conceived as a living ecosystem — where water, plants, animals and people coexist.
Inhabited Bridges: Connecting the Sacred and the Everyday
One of the city’s signature features will be inhabitable bridges. These structures will not just cross rivers; they will host:
- Meditation halls
- Workshops
- Community spaces
- Small marketplaces
- Cultural venues
Each bridge becomes a landmark of connection — physical, spiritual, and cultural.
Human-Scale Architecture Rooted in Tradition
The city embraces low-rise Himalayan architecture crafted with local materials:
- River stone
- Timber and bamboo
- Traditional Bhutanese plaster and motifs
Rather than dominating the landscape, buildings will blend with it, honoring Bhutan’s heritage while integrating modern engineering.
The Dam: Power, Spirituality & Sustainability
A centerpiece of GFU Mindfulness City is the hydroelectric dam, a structure that goes beyond energy production:
- Inspired by India’s ancient stepwells, the dam features bold triangular terraces that invite people to walk across its face.
- At its heart sits a temple, offering a spiritual centerpiece overlooking the valley.
- The dam ensures that 99% of the city’s energy comes from renewable hydropower, reinforcing Bhutan’s carbon-negative status.
- Designed to integrate with the landscape, rivers continue to flow freely, and fish and wildlife are fully protected.
- It symbolizes the city’s philosophy: sustainability, community, and spirituality are inseparable.
This dam exemplifies Bhutan’s approach to modern infrastructure: functional, sacred, and harmonious with nature.
A Global Sanctuary for Learning, Healing & Collaboration
Gelephu Mindfulness City is ultimately a place of experience and exchange — a global sanctuary where people come to learn, practice, heal, and innovate with purpose.
Spiritual Life & Contemplative Practice
The city will host:
- A Vajrayana Spiritual Center
- Retreat spaces
- Meditation parks
- Wisdom-sharing venues guided by spiritual leaders
It aims to become a home where inner peace, compassion and kindness are lived daily.
Cultural and Educational Districts
Bhutan’s artistic traditions — woodcarving, weaving, sculpture, painting — will flourish through a network of:
- Artisan villages
- Cultural squares
- Performance areas
- Craft academies
A new University of Serenity will welcome global students and researchers in fields ranging from ecology to contemplative sciences.
Innovation and Sustainable Development
GMC will balance cultural preservation with innovative industries:
- Green technology
- Sustainable agriculture
- Eco-friendly construction
- Creative industries
- Knowledge-sharing networks
This is where Bhutan hopes to cultivate future global leaders shaped by compassion and responsibility.
A Model of Green Urbanism
The city’s sustainability framework is extensive and pioneering:
- Hydropower combined with distributed solar
- Circular water systems for treatment and reuse
- Nature-based flood protection
- Zero-waste and resource circularity principles
- Locally sourced materials to minimize ecological impact
Rather than displacing nature, GMC enhances it, embedding biodiversity throughout its neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces.
Connectivity and the New Gateway to Bhutan: Gelephu’s International Airport
The arrival experience at Gelephu International Airport will be unlike anything Bhutan has seen before.
Historically, nearly all international visitors arrived through Paro Airport, tucked into a dramatic Himalayan valley — a challenging runway only accessible to very experienced pilots.
But that’s about to change. The new Gelephu airport, slated to open by 2029, is being built as part of the master plan for Gelephu Mindfulness City. Stretching across 4 km², its 3,000-meter CAT I Code 4E runway will initially accommodate aircraft like Airbus A321s and Boeing 737s — with future capacity anticipated for wide-body planes.
The terminal — covering around 68,000 m² — is designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) to evoke Bhutan’s four forest ecosystems: evergreen oak, cool broadleaf, warm broadleaf and subtropical. Built with locally sourced glulam timber, traditional wood carving, and green technologies (like passive cooling and solar panels), the space includes a “forest spine,” meditation zones, and quiet courtyards.
In terms of scale, the airport will initially handle 1.3 million passengers per year, with room to grow to 5.5 million as demand rises.
These changes will dramatically broaden access: new rail links to India, combined with this modern airport, mean travelers will have unprecedented entry into southern Bhutan, all while supporting the GMC’s vision of a regional hub of sustainable economy, cultural exchange, and mindful tourism.
What This Means for Travelers
As the city evolves, visitors can expect:
- Mindfulness Tourism: Retreats, teachings, meditation programs, and wellness journeys rooted in authentic Vajrayana traditions.
- Cultural Immersion: Craft workshops, heritage tours, festivals, and storytelling encounters guided by local communities.
- Nature-Based Experiences: River walks, birdwatching, conservation experiences, and explorations of the region’s forests, rivers and terraces.
- Architectural & Urban Discovery: Experience a prototype for future cities — human-scale, ecological, artistic, and deeply spiritual.
Across Bhutan looks forward to offering curated experiences around the city’s first completed zones as they open, with more immersive journeys developing as the project expands!
When Will the GMC Project Be Complete?
While construction is still at its early stages, the roadmap includes:
- Gelephu International Airport projected to open around 2029, with certification and operational ramp-up planned through that year.
- A 21-year phased development plan for the full city.
- Initial target population of ~150,000 within 7–10 years, with long-term capacity projected to exceed one million.
This is a generational, nation-shaping initiative — one Bhutan intends to build thoughtfully and slowly, in harmony with its environment.
A New Era of Mindful Prosperity
Gelephu Mindfulness City is more than an urban project — it is a philosophical statement. A living example of how a nation can modernize without losing its soul; how innovation can serve culture instead of erasing it; and how cities can be places of healing, harmony and human flourishing.
Above all, GMC is an invitation to the world:
To learn.
To teach.
To share.
To reconnect with what matters most.
Across Bhutan is honored to accompany Bhutan on this extraordinary journey — and, soon, to guide travelers who want to witness the birth of a city unlike any other.
