Bhutan Travel Guide
What a Trip to Bhutan Costs
The two government charges every visitor pays, what the rest of the price is made of, and why the figures you see online are often out of date.
The price of a trip to Bhutan has two parts. One is fixed by the government and is the same whoever you travel with. The other is the trip itself, which depends on when you come, where you sleep and how many of you there are.
The fixed part
| Charge | Amount | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Development Fee | US$100 a night for each adult; US$50 for a child aged 6 to 11; nothing under 6 | With the visa application |
| Visa | US$40 for each person, once | With the visa application |
For one adult on a seven-day trip, which has six nights, that is US$640 before anything else is counted.
The trip itself
- Hotels. The widest range of prices of anything on this list, from simple guesthouses to international luxury hotels.
- Meals. On our tours all meals are included.
- A guide. Required inside dzongs and monuments and on every trek, and with you throughout on our trips.
- A vehicle and driver. There is no self-drive car hire.
- Entry fees. Most monuments are free; some charge at the door. Under-18s pay half and children under 5 nothing.
- On a trek: the cook, the camp crew, the pack animals, the tents and the permits.
Not in our tour prices: your flights to Paro, travel insurance, drinks, tips and shopping.
What moves the price
- The season. Demand, and with it the price of a hotel room, is highest from March to May and from September to November.
- The hotels. This is where two otherwise identical trips differ most in price.
- The size of your party. A vehicle and a guide cost the same for one traveller as for three, so a person travelling alone pays more.
- Festivals. Hotels near a festival fill early, which leaves less choice at each price.
- Treks. A trek needs a cook, a camp crew and pack animals as well as a guide.
Why the figures online disagree
Many pages still quote US$200 or US$250 a day for Bhutan. Those figures are out of date. The Sustainable Development Fee was halved to US$100 a night in September 2023, and the rest of the price is no longer fixed by the government: it is whatever the hotels, guide and transport cost.
Our prices
We quote one price for each person, with the fee and the visa inside it, and a list of exactly what it covers. Send us your dates and numbers through plan your trip and you will have a figure you can compare.
Questions
How much does a trip to Bhutan cost?
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.
Is the Sustainable Development Fee included in your prices?
Yes. A price we quote includes the Sustainable Development Fee and the visa fee for every person in your party, unless the quotation says otherwise.
Should I tip my guide and driver?
Tips are not included in our prices and are never compulsory. Most visitors tip their guide and driver at the end of the trip, and the camp crew at the end of a trek.
Tell us how you like to travel
A few lines are enough: when, how long, and what draws you to Bhutan. We answer with a suggested route and what it would cost.
We reply ["within 24 hours"].