Information on Getting into Bhutan

There are two ways to travel to Bhutan: Air and overland.

By Air

If you plan to fly into Bhutan, Drukair, the national airline flies regularly to and from Bangkok, Kolkatta, Delhi and Kathmandu, Gaya and Dhaka. Drukair operates daily flight to and from Bangkok and Kolkotta, 4 flights a week to and from Delhi and Kathmandu, 2 flights a week to and from Dhaka and 1 flight to and from Gaya. Consult your local operators about these flight sectors and dates.

Overland

The overland entry and exit points to and from Bhutan is from one city in the south of Bhutan -- Phuentsholing (border town with West Bengal). This is most convenient if you wish to enter Bhutan after a tour in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kamlimpong or exit to these regions after tour in Bhutam. Phuntsholing is 160 km, 4 hours drive from these regions. It also lies to the nearest airport, Bagdora, in Silliguri, which is being connected to and from Delhi, Kolkotta or Guwahati.

Samdrup Jongkhar, border town in south east Bhutan, serves as another exit point (entry from here is restricted for the time being). Without having tracing back the same lateral route to Paro, you can exit to Guwahati, the nearest airport in Assam. It is 110 km, 3 hours drive from Samdrup Jongkhar and it is connected to Delhi and other Indian cities.

When to visit Bhutan

For the general tour, you can visit Bhutan anytime of the year. Visitors tend to stay away during the monsoon months of June, July and August when the weather is sometimes a little too wet for sightseeing. The best seasons for trek is Spring and Autumn. Hence, the months of March, April, May and Sept, October, November.

Tour Cost

The International Tourist Tariff is set by the Royal Government of Bhutan and is valid for all inclusive packages. The tariff is divided into a high season and a low season rate. The rates are the same for cultural tours, treks or any other special interest tours.

High season tariff: US $200/- per person per night in March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December.

Low Season Tariff: US$ 165 per person per night in July and August.
For a group of less than three persons, there is a surcharge to the daily tariff:
• One person:  US $40 per person per night. 
• Two persons: US $30 per person per night. 
• Three persons and more: No surcharge applicable.

Visa & Documents

Passport is required to enter Bhutan and its neighbouring countries. You should ensure that it has lots of empty pages for stamps, especially if you are traveling via India or Nepal. If your passport has less than six months of validity left, it is worth getting a new one, because many countries in this region will not issue visas to persons whose passport are about to expire.
Keep your passport safe. No country other than India has the facility for issuing a replacement passport in Bhutan. If you lose your passport, you must travel ‘stateless’ to another country to get it replaced. You should carry a photocopy of your passport to help in the event of loss.

Unlike other countries, Bhutan does not grant visas on arrival. You will have to process with a local tour operatror and get it sanctioned before the commencement of your travel. The Bhutanese visa process may appear complicated, but is actually quite straightforward once you understand it. Visas are issued only when you arrive in the country, either at Paro airport or (if entering by road) at Phuentsholig.
All visas are approved by the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs Thimphu and there is no point in applying for a visa through a Bhutanese embassy aboard. The Tour Operator submits the visa application to TCB in Thimphu. It, in turn, checks that you have completely paid for the trip and then issues an approval letter to the tour operator. With this approval in hand, the tour operator then makes a final application to the Department of Immigration, which takes less than 5 days to sanction he visa.
Provide the following information to the operator in Bhutan: your name, permanent address, occupation, nationality, date and place of birth, passport number and its date and place of issue and date of expiration. If any item is missing the whole process is delayed. Double- check that the information you send is correct; if there are any discrepancies when you arrive in Bhutan, there will be further delays and complications in issuing the visa.

The actual visa endorsement is stamped in your passport when you arrive at one of the two ports of entry for tourists. If some usual event requires that you obtain a visa extension, your tour operator will arrange it at additional extention fee of US $15.

Transports

Tour Operators arrange a comfortable passenger coaster buses for groups of seven visitors or more. You will also be traveling comfortably throughout the country in six seater Japanese hi-ace buses. Smaller groups of one to two passengers will discover the country in cars. Operators might charge you some extra fees, if you wish to upgrade your transport to 4WD cars. If you tour central and eastern Bhutan, it is worth to have 4wd cars as the road is more windy and bumpy.

Tour Guides

Licensed Bhutanese travel guides will introduce you to the many facets of this interesting country. The English-speaking guides undergo regular training and, where required, specialized guides will lead you on bird watching, botany or other special tours.