Traveller's guide

Paro, a pleasant hour and a half drive from Capital Thimphu, has the only airport in the country. With two brand new Airbus 319 just arrived in the country, tourists are having less hassles, especially with their baggage which used to get off-loaded quite frequently due to the smallness of the previous BAE 146 planes.

Druk Air, the only airline company in the country flies to Kathmandu in Nepal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Delhi and Kolkota in India, Yangoon in Myanmar and Bangkok in Thailand. 

People visiting Bhutan can either fly in from Kathmandu, Bangkok or from the two Indian metropolises, Kolkata and Delhi.

Visa: Travellers coming to Bhutan need to process their visa. However, all these nitty gritties are taken care of by the tourist companies that are responsible for bringing in the tourists.

Visa fee is US$ 20 for a duration of two weeks and can be further extended with an additional fee of US$ 15.

The visa form can be downloaded in PDF by clicking here (Visa form).

Lodging: Guests are put up in lodges that are government approved. This is to ensure that the guests get all the comforts that they can possibly have.

All the lodges are tastefully done in Bhutan’s own unique architecture. These lodges may lack in world-class standards but the short-comings are easily met with the people’s warmth and hospitability.

Food and Drinks: A wide variety of ethnic dishes and oriental, American, European, Indian and Oriental cuisines are available in all the lodges. 

Guests can also try Bhutan’s specialty like shamu and kewa dathsi (mushroom and potato cheese curry) and ema datshi (chilli cheese curry). However, ema-datshi may be too hot for those who are not used to eating hot chillies.

Anyone who prefers local drinks can have their pick from a wide variety of choices like apple brandy, apple beer, malt whisky, rum, brandy and a host of other local brands. All of the hotels and guesthouses also keep a sizeable amount of foreign drinks. 

Weather: The best time to visit is in spring where the visitors will see Bhutan in its full natural glory. The spring months, from March to May) are full of sunny and warm days. Summer months are usually wet and foggy while winter could be too cold for the visitors especially with almost all of the accommodations lacking central heating system.

Travel Kit : It is advised that you bring light clothes during summer and heavy woolen clothes for the winter since temperatures fall below zero in almost all parts of the country during winter.

Bring your own prescribed medicines, since it is sometimes difficult to get the same brand of medicine from the local drug store, insect repellants, sunsheds, caps, extra cells for your camera and adaptors (220 / 240 volts) for your electronic equipments.

Please note that smokers are advised to bring in their own cigarettes since the sale of tobacco products has been banned in the country starting December 17.

Smokers will be allowed to bring in only 200 sticks of cigarettes and will be taxed 200 percent for that. Trying to bring in more than the allowed quota will result in the seizure of the tobacco product and monetary fine.

Currency:  Bhutan’s currency is called Ngultrum (Nul-tram) or abbreviated as Nu. One US dollar is equivalent to about 43.85 (subject to change). All shops and hotels accept US $ in cash and so are travelers cheque (TC). However, it is advised that the guests carry some amount in cash since small establishments may not accept TC. Except for a very few business houses and hotels, no one will accept credit cards.

Travel and communication: Bhutan has a good network of telecommunication and road. Guests can easily check their mails in the numerous Internet cafes that have lately sprouted up in all the major towns. Traveling is not much of an inconvenience with most of the vehicles used are imported Toyota cars, cruisers and SUVs.