‘Penis village’ named strangest destination by travel influencer who has been to 121 countries

A travel influencer who has been to more than 121 countries has branded the ‘penis village’ he found – complete with phallus murals and decorations – as the strangest destination he’s visited.

Daniel Pinto, 25, discovered there was no shortage of items shaped like male members in Sopsokha, Bhutan. The village is located in the western part of the landlocked Asian country and has many penis symbols adorning buildings and sculptures on display.

Mr Pinto, from Viseu, Portugal, said: “It’s a very beautiful traditional Bhutanese village surrounded by rice fields.

“But the closer you get the weirder it becomes.

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“The temple itself is just as odd. A huge golden Buddha in the middle surrounded by phalluses of all shapes and sizes.”

The small village is also famous for the temple of Chimi Lhakhang or the temple of fertility.

Many make the pilgrimage to the temple, with women who are trying to conceive given a wooden phallus and told to circle the temple three times, and some people in Bhutan will have the sacred phallic symbols in their homes to spur on fertility.

“In the temple you also find success story pictures of couples who struggled to get pregnant then went to the village and got pregnant shortly after,” said Mr Pinto.

“Unfortunately, you can’t take cameras or phones into any temple in Bhutan - so no photos of the inside.

“I was only there for a few hours – which is enough. Walked around, saw the temple and ate lunch.”

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Tourists and pilgrims can also take home a souvenir in the shape of a phallic-inspired gift, such as a sculpture, doll or even t-shirt.

Mr Pinto added: “The most interesting thing is definitely the gift shops selling penis dolls of all shapes sizes and colours.

“There were t-shirts, posters and literally everything you can think of in the shape of a penis.

“Many Bhutanese people will have a penis bought from this village in their home.”

Since travelling to Bhutan, Daniel has been to Sri Lanka and the Maldives – and hopes to complete his tour of the world by visiting every single country.

Bhutan has rigorous rules for tourists, and Mr Pinto had to be chaperoned by a government official the whole time.

Earlier this year, the country announced it would lower its substantial tourism tax for visitors who stay longer than four nights, in a move designed to attract more tourists and aid visitor number recovery following the pandemic.

The destination is known for having some of the highest fees for holidaymakers. It started charging a $200 per night (£163) Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) per visitor for the privilege of staying there since its reopening in 2022 after two years of Covid shutdown.

The fee since been has reduced to $100pp per night.

Prior to this, the fee had been set at a still-hefty $65pp (£53) per night for the last three decades.

Under the new rules, travellers who opt to stay longer will pay less. Since June and until the end of 2024, tourists who are there for four days can stay an additional four days without paying further daily fees. Those who stay for 12 days can remain for a full month without paying any extra SDF.