The spring and fall months have the best weather for hiking. It is a little colder than other months, but the skies are usually clear and the ground is not muddy. Monsoon season in Bhutan lasts from July to August. During this time, a few hours of light rain in the mornings is typical. If you are on a tighter budget, it is significantly cheaper to travel during the off-peak months. It costs about 250 dollars per day to visit Bhutan during the tourist seasons and around 200 dollars per day in the other months.
Once you get to Bhutan, you need a tour guide to travel between cities. There are checkpoints between regions that verify your visas and your tour guide’s documents. You can roam within a city on your own. You can also hike the surrounding trails by yourself as long as you don’t hike from one city to another.
Every individual travelling needs their own visa. The visa fee is 40 dollars. The daily cost of the visa comes out to about 250 dollars during tourism season or around 200 dollars for off-peak months. While this may seem expensive, keep in mind that the daily fee pays for just about everything. This includes lodging, private transportation, guide fees and meals. Once the tourism council receives all of your documents and payments, it will take about 3 days to process this information.
There are no surcharges for groups of three or more, so gather up your friends and bring them along. The more the merrier!
Other suggestions for shots include malaria, rabies and yellow fever. Mosquitos carry malaria, while dogs, bats, and other mammals in Bhutan have rabies. If you are going to spend a lot of time outside, it is smart to get these two shots. There is no risk of yellow fever in Bhutan. The government requires proof of a yellow fever vaccination only if you are coming from a country with risk of the disease. The United States is not included on this list.
If you have a jacket, you must wear it fully buttoned or zipped. You are not supposed to wear it around your waist. Bringing a jacket is important, because it can get cold up in the mountains at any time of year. If you are traveling during the summer, when it is relatively hot, pack pants and a long-sleeved shirt before you go on a day trip. That way, you can spend most of the day wearing shorts and a shirt and just slip on the heavier clothes right before you go into a monastery. If you’re visiting Bhutan between November and March, pack multiple long-sleeve shirts and pants. Though you may not need them, take gloves and a hat just in case.
There are ATMs in Bhutan, but only in the biggest towns. They do not always work and the ones that do might only let you take out a small amount of money. Most hotels and big stores will allow you to pay using a credit or debit card.
The average extra cost for a five-star hotel is about 300 dollars more per night, depending on the hotel and time of year. You cannot downgrade to a one or two-star hotel to save money on your visa. If you are on a tight budget, you can join tour groups instead of going on a private tour. Some companies offer visas for as little as 200 dollars per day, but the average discount for a tour group visa is about 10 percent off. This means you’d be paying between 220 and 230 dollars per day.
Drukair offers flights from places like Dhaka, Bangladesh; Delhi, India; Kathmandu, Nepal and Bangkok, Thailand.
Phuentsholing is a little more than 100 miles from Bagdogra, India, where there is an international airport. Once you arrive at Phuentsholing, it takes about six hours to get to Thimpu. Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar are somewhat close to the Indian state Assam. The capital of Assam is Guwahati, which has an international airport. Guwahati is about 140 miles from Gelephu and less than 100 miles from Samdrup Jongkhar. If you are travelling through Guwahati, try to cross the border at Samdrup Jongkhar, as it is about a three-hour drive. You can get to Bhutan from India by bus or private car. There is no direct train route to Bhutan from India.
You can pay for more calls, text, and data as needed. Many of the hotels have Wifi, but it isn’t as reliable as in other parts of the world.
Tshechu is another name for festival. Part of the reason the Paro and Thimpu festivals are so popular is because they happen in Western Bhutan, about one hour from the airport. The Paro festival lasts for four days at the end of March, while the one in Thimpu goes from September 19-21.
You can change your plans during the trip but avoid doing this last-minute. Otherwise, you’ll pay hotel cancellation fees or incur other charges. It is possible to extend your trip if your visa allows it or if you get an extension on your visa. Ask your tour guide how you can do this!
Bhutanese people eat chilies at every time of day, so you will have to keep reminding your tour guide if you do not enjoy spicy food. Most meals will be served buffet-style, meaning many of the dishes will be cooked with at least some spice to it. Sometimes, however, you can order a batch of non-spicy food if you ask well in advance.
Most towns have an archery field, so finding a place to practice shouldn’t be hard at all! You can also attend a local match and watch some of the world’s best archers compete against each other.
