Questions about Travelling in Bhutan

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.

Four days is the shortest trip that works, and covers Paro and Thimphu. Five adds Punakha. Seven adds the Phobjikha valley and is what we suggest for a first visit.

With ten days you can reach Bumthang in the centre of the country, and with fourteen you can cross to the east. We set out the argument for each in how many days you need in 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.

Yes. A private trip for one person is arranged in the same way as for a couple or a family: you have your own guide and driver, and the itinerary is yours to set.

The cost for each person is higher than in a group, because the vehicle and the guide are not shared.

Yes, if the days are planned around them: short drives, one temple at a time, and something active every day. Tell us their ages when you write, and your tailor-made tour is planned that way.

The Sustainable Development Fee is US$50 a night for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing for children under 6. Paro and Thimphu are at 2,200 to 2,350 m; if your child has a heart or lung condition, or is very young, ask your doctor about the altitude before you book.

As early as you can for March to May and September to November, when the flights to Paro and the better hotels fill first, and earlier still if your dates include a festival.

Outside those months a few weeks is often enough: the visa itself is normally decided within five working days.

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.

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.

The present rate of US$100 a night dates from September 2023, when the fee was halved from US$200. It was announced at the time as running until 31 August 2027.

The official pages we check give no end date and no rate for the period after it. We will change this answer when the government announces one, and a quotation from us always states the rate it is based on.

No. Indian nationals need an entry permit, not a visa. It is issued against an Indian passport or a voter identity card, and can be applied for online in advance or obtained at the point of entry, where the wait can be long. A traveller under 18 may use a passport, or a birth certificate if accompanied by a legal guardian.

The Sustainable Development Fee for Indian nationals is Nu. 1,200 a night, or the same in rupees: Nu. 600 for children aged 6 to 11, and nothing for children under 6.

A visa allows a stay of up to 90 days from the date you enter, and can be extended before it runs out. The Sustainable Development Fee is charged for every night of the stay.

It has not been compulsory since 23 April 2024, but the Department of Tourism strongly recommends it and so do we. Make sure it covers medical treatment and evacuation.

For a trek, check that the policy covers the altitude you will reach and rescue by helicopter.

Most visitors fly to Paro, the country's international airport. Two airlines serve it, Drukair and Bhutan Airlines, with direct flights from Bangkok, Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Bodh Gaya, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Guwahati, Dubai and Singapore. Schedules change with the season.

You can also enter by road from India at Phuentsholing, Samtse, Gelephu or Samdrup Jongkhar. See getting to Bhutan.

Flights to Paro can be bought direct from Drukair and Bhutan Airlines, and we will tell you which flights fit your itinerary.

Domestic flights link Paro with Bumthang, Yonphula and Gelephu. The flight from Bumthang to Paro takes about 25 minutes and saves a long day on the road.

They depend on the weather in the mountains, and the days on which they fly change with the season. If a flight is cancelled, the journey is made by road instead.

Yes. There are land crossings to India at Phuentsholing, Samtse, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar. Our 14-day tour ends at Samdrup Jongkhar, from where it is a drive across Assam to the airport at Guwahati.

You need an Indian visa that allows entry by land, and you must have it before you travel.

No. Self-drive car hire is not available in Bhutan: a vehicle comes with a driver. Visitors who bring their own vehicle pay Nu. 4,500 a day for it and must travel with a guide.

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.

The ngultrum, written Nu., which is fixed at the same value as the Indian rupee.

You may bring cash worth up to US$10,000 into the country. Money can be changed at Paro airport, at banks and at the larger hotels.

Visa and Mastercard are accepted by banks and cash machines, and cards are widely used in the towns. Outside them, carry cash: US dollars and Indian rupees are widely accepted as well as ngultrum.

Two local wallet apps, goBoB and MyPay, work with a local SIM card and can be linked to an international card. See money in Bhutan.

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.

On a cultural tour, rarely. Paro and Thimphu are at 2,200 to 2,350 m, where most visitors notice only shortness of breath on stairs for a day or two. The road passes are higher, at 3,100 to almost 4,000 m, but you cross them by vehicle and do not stay.

Treks are different. Camps on the Druk Path are above 3,500 m and the northern treks cross passes near 5,000 m. Our trek itineraries build in days to adjust, and your guide will take you down if you show signs of altitude sickness. If you have a heart or lung condition, speak to your doctor before booking any trip to Bhutan.

It is a steady uphill walk on a wide path, not a climb, and most people in ordinary health manage it. Allow four to five hours there and back. The monastery is at about 3,120 m, so you will feel the altitude; go slowly and drink plenty of water.

That is why our itineraries keep it for the end, after several days in the country. A teahouse halfway makes a good turning point for anyone who would rather not go on. See hiking to the Tiger's Nest.

Clothes that cover you from the shoulders to the knees, and long sleeves and long trousers inside temples. Shoes and hats come off at the door of a shrine room. A light jacket or shirt you can put on over a T-shirt is the easy answer.

No. Photography is not allowed inside temples and shrine rooms. Courtyards and the outside of buildings are usually fine, and your guide will tell you where the line is at each place.

Ask before photographing people close up. Drones are generally not permitted, and need a permit obtained in advance.

Long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, as for any visit to a dzong, and no hat once you are inside. Bhutanese people wear their best clothes to a tshechu, so it is a day to dress neatly.

Keep out of the dance ground itself, and ask before photographing anyone close up. On the morning a thongdrel is shown the start is before sunrise, so bring something warm.

Rice with several dishes of vegetables and meat, and chillies treated as a vegetable, not a seasoning. The national dish is ema datshi, chillies cooked in cheese. Hotels cook more mildly for visitors and will make it hotter if you ask.

Vegetarian food is easy everywhere. Tell us about any allergy or dietary need when you book, and we pass it on to each hotel. See food in Bhutan.

In Paro, Thimphu and Punakha there are hotels of every grade, from simple guesthouses to international luxury names. In Phobjikha, Bumthang and the east the choice is smaller and simpler. On a trek you sleep in tents.

You can buy a local SIM card from Bhutan Telecom or TashiCell at the visitor centre in Paro airport, or at either company's offices in town. Most hotels have wifi. Sockets take plugs of types G, C and D, so bring an adaptor.

On a trek, expect to be out of reach for days at a time. See internet, SIM cards and power.

The Druk Path, six days between Paro and Thimphu, is the usual first trek: the days are short and the trail is clear. If you want less, the Bumdra trek is a single night in camp above the Tiger's Nest, and the Gangtey trek is three days that stay below about 3,500 m.

We compare all seven in which Bhutan trek is right for you.

It depends on the trek. For Bumdra and Gangtey, anyone who walks regularly will manage. The Druk Path and the Dagala Thousand Lakes trek ask for five or six hours a day at up to 4,300 m.

The Jomolhari trek means seven or eight hours a day, with passes close to 5,000 m. Laya–Gasa and the Snowman are for people who have already trekked at altitude, and we ask about your experience before taking a booking. Each trek page says what it needs under "Fitness and preparation".

We provide the tents, sleeping mats, a dining tent, a kitchen tent and a toilet tent, and all the cooking gear, with a guide, a cook and helpers. Pack animals carry the baggage, so you walk with a day pack.

You bring your own boots, clothing and sleeping bag. Each trek page has a packing list.

Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November. Spring has the rhododendrons; autumn usually has the clearer skies and the colder nights.

The lower routes have a longer season: Bumdra can be walked from October to December and from mid-February to May. The Snowman has the shortest, a few weeks from late September. Summer is the monsoon, and in winter snow closes the high passes.

Every trek in Bhutan must be made with an accredited tour operator or guide. Beyond that, the Jomolhari, Laya–Gasa and Snowman treks need an army permit and a national-park permit, which we obtain for you.

The Druk Path, Bumdra, Dagala Thousand Lakes and Gangtey treks need neither.

Tell us when you want to travel, for how long and what interests you, using the form on our plan your trip page. We reply with a suggested route and a price.

Once you are happy with both, we take your booking, apply for your visas and send them to you before you fly.

Yes. Every itinerary on this site is a starting point. A private trip can be made longer or shorter, slowed down, or given more walking or more festivals. See tailor-made tours.

The trips on this site are private: they run on the dates you choose, for your party alone, with your own guide and driver.

For clubs, companies and other groups travelling together, see group tours.

As early as you can. Festival dates are published well over a year ahead, and flights and hotels for those days are the first to fill, above all in Paro for the Paro Tshechu.

The published dates are tentative, because they follow the lunar calendar. Check them with us before you book a flight.

The visa fee of US$40 is not refunded by the government once an application has been made. Our own terms are set out in our terms and conditions.