Bhutan Travel Information

Bhutan Tourism Policy

Tourism in Bhutan is controlled by the Tourism Authority of Bhutan (TAB), a department of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Their rules are simple, yet are carefully thought out and strictly implemented.

The basic policy is that foreign tourists pay US $ 200.- for each night in Bhutan. This is an all inclusive rate covering food, accommodation, transportation and guide services.
Read more for Tariff & Coverage

The tourism rules are in keeping with the government’s policies of proceeding slowly in all aspects of development and modernization.

Bhutan originally classified tourism into two categories, cultural tours and treks, with a lower rate for trekking. Because tour operators abused the system, there is now a single rate for all travel in Bhutan.

Tourism Authority of Bhutan
Tel. No.: +975-2-23251, 23252
Fax No.: +975-2-23695
e-mail :
website: www.tourism.govt.bt

A Fully Inclusive Package

Fully Inclusive Package: Unless you have a special visa provided as part of your employment contract with an embassy or non-government organization (NGO), you must arrange your visa through TAB and use a Bhutan Tour Operator to arrange your trip.

Before you arrive, you must pre-arrange a program with a complete day-by-day itinerary. Once you have finalized the itinerary and paid for the tour, no alteration, except cancellation of the entire trip, is normally allowed. You are not supposed to extend your stay or change your destination. You may, however, be forced to change your itinerary because of road closure, hotel booking problems or other factors.

Group Travel: When you apply for your visa – whether you travel as an individual, as a small group of two or three, or as a larger group organized by an adventure travel company – you become a ‘group’ in the eye of TAB.

Your group should arrive, travel and depart together, and no other people ore supposed to be added to it. A licensed guide will accompany your group throughout Bhutan and ensure that your transportation, hotel, meals and sightseeing are provided in accordance with the itinerary you have arranged. If you are on your own, or in a small group, you can take a few liberties, such as eating in local restaurants, making short side trips or visiting homes. If you are in a larger group, things become much more formalized, and you will probably eat all your meals at your hotel and have hotel-prepared packed lunches as picnics when you are on long road journeys.

Value for Money

Hotels and meals are generally good but not outstanding, and you don’t really get US $ 200 per day in value. However, much of the value you get is provided in transport, which is expensive, and you get all your meals and a full-time guide throughout your stay.

A complex Buddhist Culture : If you have read the description of the culture and religion of Bhutan, you will probably find the country fascinating. If you have never been to Tibet or any other Himalayan Kingdom, and don’t have a basic grasp of Mahayama Buddhist architecture and iconography, you may find the culture of Bhutan a bit overpowering.

Restricted Entrance To Temples

The Bhutanese view their temples and monasteries as living institutions and since 1988 have not allowed tourists to enter them without special permission – which is generally reserved for bona fide practicing Buddhists.

Monks have considerable influence and resist and intrusion of tourists; they also quietly resist efforts to modernize monastic life. They express concern that a large number of visitors disturbs the sanctity of holy places and may cause the disappearance of temple treasures.

Visa

All visitors except the Indians entering Bhutan needs to obtain visa. Visa are issued only when you arrive in the country, either at Paro airport or at Phuentsholing. You must apply in advance through a tour operator and receive approval before you travel to Bhutan - it needs around 2 full working week to process the visa. You need to have two passport size photos with your passport number written on the back.

Visa Form

It is necessary to fill up the Visa Form thoroughly and correctly – if any item is missing the whole process is delayed. Also double check that the information you send is correct; if there are any discrepancies when you arrive in Bhutan, there’ll be further delays and complications in issuing the visa. Please click here for Visa Form

Restricted Area Permits

All of Bhutan outside of the Paro and Thimphu valleys is classified as a restricted area. Tour operators obtain a permit for the places on your itinerary, and this permit is checked and endorsed by the police at immigration checkpoints strategically located at important road junctions.

Permits to Enter Temples

TAB rules state : For security reasons, and in view of the fact that many temples and monasteries in Bhutan are living institutions, visitors are not permitted to visit/enter certain places and religious establishments.

Getting There & Away

Bhutan has open only two entry/exit points for traveler. One is by air to the Bhutan’s only International airport in Paro whereas the other way is by surface through India state of West Bengal to Phuentsholing on the southern boarder of Bhutan. Please be informed that it is a MUST for traveler to use one way by air.

By Air : The easiest and the most popular way to Bhutan is by taking a Druk Air flight to Paro. Druk Air, Bhutan’s Airline, operates flights to Paro from Bangkok, Kolkata, Dhaka, Kathmandu and New Delhi. Druk Air will issue the ticket only after getting the visa confirmation. Please click here for schedule and tariff

Baggage Allowance – Usually 20kg and one item of hand luggage but normally it will be mentioned in your ticket.

Airport Tax : Check - In - Normal check in time for the international sector is 3 hrs prior to your flight departure - if you fail to check in on time and the flight is overbooked the airline can cancel your booking and pass it to somebody else.

Reconfirmation : You need to reconfirm your air ticket at least 72 hours prior to your departure time. Please contact the airlines or ask your guide to do it for you. If you don’t then airline can always delete your name from the passenger list and you could lose your seat.

Customs : Customs officials are generally lenient with tourists and rarely open their baggage.

Arrival : You will receive a baggage declaration form to complete when you arrive in Bhutan. For tourists, the main purpose of this form is to ensure that you re-export anything you bring into the country. List any expensive equipment that you are carrying, such as cameras and portable computers. Customs officials usually want to see the items that you list, then they endorse the form and return it to you. Don’t lose it. You must return the form, and may be asked to show the items listed when you leave the country.

Departure : Departure formalities are straightforward, but you must produce the form that you completed on arrival and show the items listed on it. A lost form means complications and delays. If you lose the form, let your guide know as soon as possible so that special arrangements can be made to avoid inconvenience.

The export of antiques and wildlife products is prohibited. If you purchase a souvenir that looks old, have your guide clear it as a non-antique item with the Division of Cultural Properties in Thimphu. Customs authorities pay special attention to religious statues. It would be prudent to have any such statue cleared, old or not.

By Road : Phuntsholing on the southern border of Bhutan is an entry/exit point via surface. The best way to plan a trip via road is to start in Kathmandu and travel one direction by air and other by land, perhaps visiting Darjeeling and Sikkim enroute. Please be advised that while traveling by surface you will need to have an Indian visa.

Getting Around : As there is no Domestic air service in Bhutan, doesn’t posses any helicopters, and does not have a railway track, the only way to see the country is either by foot, bicycle or by vehicle.

 

Travel Insurance

A travel insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is always a good idea. The cancellation rules for Bhutan are severe and quite inflexible. Trip cancellation insurance is almost essential.

Most policies will cover costs if you are forced to cancel your trip because of flight cancellation, illness, injury or the death of a close relative. If you have such a problem, travel insurance can help protect you from major losses due to Bhutan’s prepayment conditions and hefty cancellation charges.

Some policies specifically exclude ‘dangerous activities’, and these can include motorcycling and even trekking. Be sure to read your policy carefully. Ensure that the policy also covers ambulances or an emergency helicopter airlift out of a remote region, or an emergency flight home.

 

When to Travel

The best time to visit Bhutan is October and November during major festivals, also the weather during that time is pleasant, skies are generally clear and the high mountain peaks are visible early in the morning from passes and other vantage points. This is the ideal time for trekking and for traveling throughout the country.

Springtime, March to May, is considered as the second-best time to visit Bhutan. Though there are bit of clouds and rain during autumn but the flowers are in bloom and birdlife is in abundant. Also you can get occasional glimpses of the high peaks.

 

What to Bring & Wear

The wide range of temperatures does not make dressing easy. The best solution is to wear several layers, such as a cotton shirt, pullover, wool cardigan jacket, which can be taken off or added as needed. Conservative sport wear is the appropriate style for a traveler in Bhutan. Even in Summer you will need a sweater or a light jacket in the evening.

Thermal underwear for cold weather
Cotton trousers
Cotton skirt for women
Pile of jacket or sweater – even in summer
Down Jacket – in winter, not needed in summer
T-shirts or short sleeved (not sleeveless) cotton shirts
Sneakers or walking shoes and socks
Sandals or flip flops
Rain jacket /Poncho
Pajamas
Dress – up clothes for festivals
Sun hat
Warm hat and gloves in winter
Folding umbrella
Water bottle
Ear Plugs
Torch
Basic toiletries (toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc)

 

Currency

Local currency used in Bhutan is Ngultrum. Since your trip is fully prepaid, theoretically you could manage in Bhutan without any local money at all, though you’ll probably want some to pay for laundry, drinks, souvenirs and tips.

The exchange counters at the airport, larger hotels and the banks in Thimphu, Paro and Phuentsholing can change all the major currencies.

In smaller towns foreign currency exchange is difficult – if you plan to make a major purchase, for example textiles or art, consider bringing US dollars in cash.

You may change your unused Ngultrums (local currency) back to foreign currency (though usually only into US dollars) on departure if you can produce your original exchange receipts.

Ngultrum 100 = US $ 44.-

There are no ATM machine in Bhutan and credit cards are accepted only at a few high end tourist shop. You can buy Ngultrum at the airport, Traveler cheques/US dollar are accepted in all the high class hotels

Mode of Communications

Post : Bhutan mail service is quite reliable, and no special procedures are necessary. You can send mail from hotels and post offices. It is not advisable sending important letters, money or film through the mail.

Telephone : There are several public offices (PCOs) throughout the country from which you can make a STD(long-distance) calls within Bhutan or to India at a standard rate of 30% above the normal tariff. Some PCOs also offer international subscriber dialing (ISD) calls overseas. Most hotels can arrange both local and international calls, though very few have in-room direct-dial facilities.

Fax : Almost all hotels and few PCOs have facilities to send and receive faxes. Tour operators in Bhutan rely on email for most of their communications.

E-mail :

 

Photography & Video

Bhutan does not have that much of restriction for photography by tourists. Only in some important installations like military etc photography is prohibited. Also photography is not allowed inside Gombas and the Lhakangs within Dzongs.

Video : Make sure you have the necessary charger, plugs and transformer to handle Bhutan’s 230V power supply. Don’t count on finding video cartridges in Bhutan, but you might find them in duty free shops enroute.

Bhutanese people are friendly people but at the same time have a shy type of nature it is always wise to ask permission first before taking the photograph. The best thing would be to request your guide to assist you in this matter.

Health and Safety : Bhutan Government does not require you to have any particular vaccinations certificate to enter Bhutan. However, you may wish to talk to your doctor about receiving immunizations against certain preventable diseases. The US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL has up-to-date travel information about which diseases you may want to immunize yourself against when traveling to Bhutan.

The altitude in Bhutan is higher than many people are used to. Though most visitors will have no problem, adjusting, altitude sickness may be a problem for certain people.

There is very little crime in Bhutan, and it is safe for women travelers and solo travelers.