Bhutan Travel Guide

Yes, unless you are an Indian national, in which case you need an entry permit instead. The visa costs US$40, is applied for online, and is normally decided within five working days.

When you book with us we make the application for you. You send a scan of your passport, which must be valid for at least six months, and a recent passport photo. See Bhutan visa and entry permits.

A fee every visitor pays to the government of Bhutan for each night in the country. It is US$100 a night for adults and US$50 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 pay nothing. Indian nationals pay Nu. 1,200 a night.

It is paid with your visa application. When you travel with us we collect it with the tour payment and pass it on. See the Sustainable Development Fee.

March to May and September to November have the mildest weather and the clearest skies, and the largest festivals fall in those months. They are also the busiest.

Winter is cold but dry and sunny, with the black-necked cranes in Phobjikha and the Punakha festivals. Summer is the monsoon: green, quiet and often cloudy. See the best time to visit Bhutan.

Booking through a tour operator has not been compulsory since Bhutan reopened in September 2022, but a guide still is in most of the situations a visitor meets. The Department of Tourism names treks, visits to dzongs and other monuments, and travel beyond the border towns for anyone arriving by land.

In practice a guide and a driver are how the country is travelled: there is no self-drive car hire, and public transport between valleys is thin.

Two government charges are fixed: the Sustainable Development Fee of US$100 a night for each adult, and the visa fee of US$40. The rest is the cost of the trip itself: hotels, meals, a guide, and a vehicle with a driver. That part depends on the season, the hotels you choose and the size of your party.

Tell us your dates and numbers and we will send a price with nothing left out. See what a trip to Bhutan costs.