Bhutan Travel Portal, Directory and Guide

Bhutan Travel Portal (BhuTraPort) is the first of its kind that provides an authentic and comprehensive travel information guide to the discerning travelers who are interested to visit Bhutan.

People spend lots of money, time and energy to experience the country and it is imperative that they get genuine and first-hand information on Bhutan -- this is what BhuTraPort is for !. It is the outcome of thorough and careful research on Bhutan tourism. We will always try to keep you informed of the latest developments in the field of tourism in Bhutan through our news page. You may also share, discuss and post your experiences with the other travelers in the forum.

Whether for a short vacation or a longer stay, BhuTraPort is the premier tool for the travelers -- how to book you tour, how to find tour operators, with whom to book your trip, where to go, what to see, what to do, and how to plan your trips.

Tourism in Bhutan functions unlike in rest of the world. It is strictly regulated and monitored by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB), an autonomous agency under the government of Bhutan. They set rate, regulate and monitor hotels standards, guides, and other tourism products.

Chosing a Tour Company

Mid-sized and upcoming tour operators are known for provinding personalized service than the bigger ones who deal with large inbound visitors. Basically there is no difference between the tour booked through any operators as all of them use the same facilities and products. There are 364 registered tour companies in Bhutan with 80-90 in full operation. Bigger companies deal direct with their agents abroad, while the former recruite their clients through internet.

Booking your trip directly with local operators is convenient for you: You get cheap rates because you by-pass many cuts in middle and you get first-hand information. The agents outside must route through local operators for your visas as they cannot process themselves. Your trip becomes more expensive as abroad agents add their mark-up on the actual government regulated tariff. Trips booked through Nepal or Indian agents could lead you to a poor service quality as they tend to be a big price negotiater and their partner agents in Bhutan do not get regulated rates from them.

Financial Security

It is absolutely safe to send your money to the tour operators (remember -- Bhutan based !) because the money goes directly to the government's account and it is being credited to the tour operators only after the completion of your trip. As there is no online credit cards payment system in Bhutan, you will be asked to wire the fund using either American Express Bank Ltd. or CitiBank.

Arranging a Trip to Bhutan

Arranging your trip to Bhutan is simple and straigh forward once you understand. Get in touch with any of the local tour operators. Finalize on the itinerary, flight sectors, date of travel and costs. Then the operators will provide you wire instruction details and ask you to wire the fund. Once they receive payment, they will buy your tickets and send them to you. They will also then process your Visas with the Government and the Visa Clearance Letter will be sent to you. On arrival at Paro airport, your actual Visas will be stamped on your passports based on this Clearance Letter.

It is not wise to do shopping as tariff in Bhutan is set by the government and it is mandatory to pay this set tariff. To come on under-quoted tariff is considered illegal and your visas if granted will be revoked any time if government comes to know. Beware of any companies that provides you under-quoted tariff !

Bhutan has bottlle necks with a monopoly airline, Drukair and limited hotel facilities. So it is always advisable to book and confirm your Bhutan tour at least 6 months in advance to allow operators to get confirmed seats in Drukair and hotel reservations.

Bhutan Tour Package

For travel to Bhutan, you will have to buy prepaid package tours with the Visa pre-arranged before the commencement of your trip. This package is being offered at the government set or regulated tariff and covers only the basic services like guide, government approved hotels, transport by normal Toyota cars / Hi-ace buses, all meals, visas, permits and sightseeing.

However, if you need extra high end services, you will have to pay supplementary fees. There are many options to upgrade your normal package services at an additional costs. For instance, use of luxury or starred hotels, highly professional tour guides, 4WD cars and customized meals plan.

Online Booking

There are many agents in Nepal, India, USA and Europe that promotes Bhutan. Your first step is to locate local Bhutan tour operator. All the tour operators listed in the official websites of Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) and Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) are local operators registered with the government of Bhutan. Please do not inquire directly with them as they are only the regulatory bodies and will not respond to your request.

Contact the agents listed in their official web sites directly. It will be good idea to find out about the services rendered by the agent, by writing to few of the visitors in the testimonials page of a particular agent -- most of the companies have testimonials page in their web sites. Once you are satisfied with their feedbacks and reponse from the agents, you can go ahead planning your trip further to board your flight to the Land of the Thunder Dragon.