Travelling to Bhutan? Ultimate Bhutan Travel Guide

I entered Bhutan with intentional zero expectations and research done about the country – except that it is landlocked (It being surrounded by Tibet in the North, India in the South and East, and Nepal in the west). As the only country I know that puts a restriction on tourists coming and going, it has earned its mysterious reputation. And this Bhutan trip is all about uncovering its layers to learn about what Bhutan really was all about.

Rich in natural beauty, exotic plants and animals, and most notably for its crazy wisdom, many come here to be enlightened and achieve happiness. Most Bhutan visitors are drawn to either its culture, way of life, happiness index or religion.

Apart from these basic impressions I had about Bhutan, I chose to let Bhutan hit me with its rawness by being physically on its soil, to see if it really lives up to its revered reputation and distinct identity.

With an open-mind, I put Bhutan to the test in the next 7 days, crossing Paro, Thimpu and Punakha.

Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ Eastern edge, very famous for its monasteries, fortresses and fair landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys.

Bhutan is the last great Himalayan kingdom which is covered in mystery and magic, where a traditional Buddhist culture carefully embraces global developments.

Also called the land of the Thunder Dragon, it’s regarded as a “holy grail” travel destination for many.

I’ve gathered what I’ve learned about this Land of the Thunder Dragon into this Bhutan travel guide. These Bhutan travel tips will be helpful for you if you decide to plan a visit to Bhutan one day.

How to visit Bhutan

Travelling to Bhutan is quite different than traveling to any other place in the world. The first thing you all must know is that all tourists who want to travel to Bhutan require a visa and their holiday must be booked through a Bhutanese tour operator or one of their international partners in advance. You cannot do any independent travel planning on your own.

How to get a Bhutan visa

The biggest requirement of everyone travelling to Bhutan is that you’ll have to obtain a visa in advance, except for passport holders from a few countries like India, Bangladesh and the Maldives. These 3 countries are classified as “regional tourists”.

The process of visas is processed through an online system by the tour operators, and then they are approved by the Tourism Council of Bhutan once full payment has been received.

Tourists are issued with a visa clearance letter that they have to present upon arrival at the airport. The visa is then stamped in the passport.

Choosing the right travel agency

As you know, the only way to travel to Bhutan is with a pre-arranged tour through a licensed travel agency in Bhutan.

Now the question arises – how can you decide which is the right travel agency?

Well, there are about 2000 Government-licensed travel agencies, which means they are all legitimate and trustworthy. All of the travel agencies in the country have to follow strict rules set by the government.

The one I went with is DrukAsia, who specialise in Bhutan tours only.

How much does a Bhutan tour cost

The price of tours to Bhutan is set by the government in order to control tourism and protect the environment. They are fixed and cannot be negotiated.

That said, with a tour, you won’t have to worry about anything, as the package includes all accommodations, meals, transportation, guides and porters and cultural programs. Part of what you pay also goes towards helping the  education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation in Bhutan.

Personalise your tour

Don’t stick to the same tour as everyone else! Even if you don’t know about the sights in Bhutan, there are a few things you can request from your tour to spice it up!

How to personalise your Bhutan tour:

• Loan a traditional costume from your tour to have a taste of what it’s like to don one

• A homestay option where you get to stay with a local family and experience true local hospitality (or if you’ve had enough of all the buffet food that they serve to all tourists – I did!)

• If a homestay is too much for you, you can opt to have a dinner with the locals at their home

• Converting your day hike to Tiger’s Nest into a 2D1N glamping experience
• Riding a horse halfway up Tiger’s Nest

• Taking a hot stone bath – The stone bath is traditionally taken in a wooden trough. One end of the trough has a separate section where stones heated by a fireplace are placed. The water is heated by these stones and release their healing materials. Soaking in a stone bath is said to give instant relief from aches and pains. The Bhutanese swear by the healing properties of hot stone baths. You can find them scattered all over the country, close to springs whose waters are rich in minerals.

When is the best time to visit Bhutan?

In a country like Bhutan, one of the most often asked questions is – when is the best time to visit Bhutan? In my personal view, all seasons are suitable for our Bhutan travel as it has many things to offer in every season. Bhutan experiences all 4 seasons – Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.

In March, April and May, you will find an uproar of colours, resilient greenery, and pretty blue skies. Spring season is also famous for cultural festivals and a lot about Buddhist way of life.

Read: Punakha Tshechu in Bhutan; Slaying Demons & Evil Through a Dance?

Summer comes with monsoon showers. Days can be bright and all clear but all of a sudden, there you’ll see rain showers! Sometimes, a late monsoon may spare the month of June from showers which would mean a great time to be in Bhutan.

Autumn is the much sought-after peak season. The season has many magical cultural festivals in each calendar year. From religious mask dance festivals to traditional folk culture, the country becomes a great cultural bazaar.

Visiting during December before peak winter has set in can make for a pleasant trip with minimal crowds and lower prices. If you are a photographer, then this season is your season. At some of the winter festivals, you will be able to experience Bhutan’s way of life first-hand and interact with the local population. Expect lots of fun, smiles, and genuine hospitality from Bhutan’s shy, respectful, and dignified people.

Weather in Bhutan

Due to its geographical nature – the whole country being on a high altitude of about 2000m above sea level – these are some of the (sometimes drastic) weather conditions to prepare yourself for. It is worth noting that I visited Bhutan in mid-February.

Dry

I have never experienced a climate so dry in all my travels around the world. I thought New Zealand’s air was dry, I thought Finland’s Nuuksio National Park in autumn was dry, but they pale in comparison to the dryness I experienced in Bhutan. It was so dry that my nose was painful even to touch – it was cracking all around.

I highly advise bringing proper moisturiser for your face and body, and a lip balm to protect your lips!

Icy ❄️

Even when it’s not winter season, icy road conditions can happen anytime at higher altitudes. When that happens, the whole road will be closed off to prevent accidents. This might mean the journeys from one town to another might be stalled, for there sometimes is only one pass that takes you across.

For that reason, we weren’t able to visit Chele La Pass when we were there, which, at 3,988 m, is the highest road pass in Bhutan.

You’d think that they are well-equipped with snow tyres aye? But no. Because the import/ export business is limited to what India can offer, they live with cars that aren’t equipped with snow tyres. And they’ve been surviving well so far without them ever since motor vehicles became commonplace in Bhutan!

Windy

The terrain is interspersed by undulating hills and mountains. You’ll find yourself on a monastery on a hilltop one day and a national museum with a viewpoint the next. The winds from above can be strong (and cold if it’s in the winter), so have a scarf readily accessible for as and when the wind hits you. When it hits, it hits hard.

Sunny ☀️

Again, because of how much higher we are to the sun, the effects of the sun are felt much more here. You’ll see that most of the local Bhutanese are unsurprisingly dark-skinned, courtesy of the harmful sun rays. Slap on sunscreen whenever you head out.

How many days are required to visit Bhutan?

If you wish to visit Paro and Thimphu, roughly 4 days will be enough.

If you want to add Punakha, Wangdiphodrang and Gangtey, you have to book a minimum of 7 days in your package tour.

If you plan to visit Trongsa and Bumthang in Central Bhutan, I’d suggest you to book at least a 9-day trip.

If you want to explore more of Bhutan, extend your stay even more! There’s so much to see in different parts of this city that a couple more days will still be well worth the whole trip here.

Is Bhutan safe?

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that no other country in this whole wide world can come close to this amazing country – that’s how amazingly unique Bhutan is.

When it comes to safety, this country is the safest destination you can ever visit. Crime against foreigners is completely unheard of and there are no scams targeting foreigners here.

How to get to Bhutan

The only international airport in Bhutan is located at Paro, about an hour drive from Thimphu. Currently, two national airlines Drukair and Bhutan Airlines operate flights to Bhutan.

You can also travel to Bhutan from India by road.

Flying to Bhutan

Flights going into and out of Paro airport is quite a sight. Rarely (or never) will you be in a plane that just about fits between high mountain barriers into a landing strip made from a valley. That’s how close you get to the mountains while in the air!

HOT TIP: For the best views of the Himalayan mountain range, request for seats on the left when flying to Bhutan and seats on the right when flying from Bhutan.

Flights To Bhutan From USA

There is no direct flight from the USA to Bhutan. You will have to connect your flight from either of their departure cities Bangkok, Kathmandu, New Delhi and Kolkata, Dhaka, Yangon or Singapore via any of their 2 airlines – Druk Air or Bhutan Airlines.

Road conditions

I know we’d be travelling long distances by car, but I never expected the roads to be so winding. It was so much so that many tourists reported getting car sick during the long rides. My poor friend didn’t have an appetite for almost the whole trip because of the amount of driving required almost daily.

Please, please bring some motion sickness pills before you come if you’re prone to car sickness.

Food

Keep your expectations low.

When it comes to food that is, forewarned our guide. When Singaporeans visit Bhutan, he knows we come with some level of expectations about food, and with good reason, since Singapore has such a diverse food culture.

As a religious country, killing in Bhutan is a crime – even of animals. All of their meat are imported from neighbouring countries, and since most of the locals are vegetarian, the demand for meat isn’t high. As such, I found the vegetable dishes to be tastier than the meat dishes.

They swear by spice. No meal in Bhutan is complete without spicy food, and they don’t spare with the spiciness! The most famous dish here is ema datshi – rice and spicy chilies topped off with a delicious cheese sauce. You can also try shakam paa, dried beef cooked with chilies and radish.

Read: What to Eat in Bhutan When You're There

If you aren’t a fan of spicy food, it might come as a relief for you to know that most of the tourist-prepared food are usually less or not spicy.

Momos are also common everywhere in Bhutan. They are either fried or steamed inside a flour dough. These meat, cheese or vegetable-filled dumplings are best enjoyed with chilli sauce. You’ll find momos at almost all restaurants and street food stalls in Bhutan.

If none of this sounds appetizing, try fried fern stalks or a tasty yak curry.

No Alcohol Tuesday, also known to the locals as Dry Tuesday. It is a day where no alcohol are sold in shops.

Fast food? Thank gosh not. There are absolutely no fast food chains in Bhutan (yet). Even hotel chains are not omnipresent around the larger cities, though some chains like Taj Hotels and Six Senses have already established their hotels there.

Operating hours in Bhutan

With the exception of food stalls, most shops close at 4pm during winter, and by 5pm for the rest of the year.

Shopping in Bhutan

Shopping is limited. The only items you’d normally spend on are alcoholic drinks, food, books, handmade products (fashion accessories, purses, bags) and souvenirs (postcards, art pieces). I will soon share a post on what to get from Bhutan that are truly unique to the country.

You might worry less about figuring how much local currency to change knowing that you can easily change your foreign currency in town. Simply inform your tour guide whenever you need to change and he can bring you to the nearest bank, which is pretty accessible across all the towns.

While you can change your currency at the airport, I suggest you have a feel of what the general costs of things are and what you want to buy first by walking around town on the first few days. Most of the tours you go on would usually already have your accommodation, food and transport covered, so unless you’re buying additional items or services, you don’t need to spend on much.

These are the currencies you can change from to the local currency:

• USD
• GBP
• EUR
• JPY
• CHF
• HKD
• AUD
• SGD
• DKK
• NOK
• SEK

The currency rates fluctuate and change on a daily basis.

What to expect before visiting Bhutan

Dress Appropriately in a Dzong

As you know, a dzong is an ancient fortress with towers, courtyards, and temples.

You are relied upon to cover your arms and legs with a long-sleeved dress before entering a dzong. You can’t simply wear pants, or have your coat unfastened or unfastened. No caps, shorts, short skirts, flip-failures or shirts can be worn inside dzong.

Traditional attire is the norm

It is mandatory for the traditional costumes (kira for women and gho for men) to be worn on all formal occasions – to school, work (even if it means tour guiding), temples and festivals.

It surprises me how much more common I see traditional costumes in my day to day visits than I thought I would!

Spotty Internet Connections

There are only two mobile network providers in Bhutan: B-Mobile SIM and TashiCell. You can ask your local guide to help you purchase a SIM on arrival, but make sure you unlock your phone before you insert your SIM card.

2G and 3G connectivity are available throughout the country, and WiFi is available in most hotels.

As you know, in a country that is still largely disconnected from the outside world, don’t expect their connectivity to be world-class! After all, you’re here to disconnect.

Sanitation

Public toilet conditions aren’t the most well-kept, especially when you have large festivals going on. I would just advise you to bring your own tissue and sanitisers.

Stray dogs are aplenty

Stray dogs galore! Again, going by their “no killing” rule, stray dogs are left to populate. It almost feels like they’ve overtaken the human population in Bhutan. You’ll find them in the cities, in front of shops, crossing roads, by the temples and monasteries, even atop a hill and hanging around in the middle of long highways (god knows why).

What to bring to Bhutan

With all these in mind, I’ve come up with a quick essential list of things to bring for Bhutan:

• Camera – you want to capture all of this mystifying country! I use this Olympus.
• Go Pro – what’s a road trip without filming the road sights? I use this.
• Thick socks for temple visits – as you normally have to go barefoot to enter temples and the flooring is sometimes cold
• Additional printed copies of visa – your guide would usually have copies of it, but in case they don’t, you’ll need these copies at main attractions to be exempt from paying the entrance fees.
• Face moisturizer
• Body moisturizer
• Lip balm
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Scarf
• Motion sickness pills
• Tissue paper
• Sanitiser
• Money – I recommend USD200 for souvenir-shopping and tipping, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t usually shop overseas!
• Insurance – ALWAYS!!

For a more comprehensive packing list, you can check out my summer or winter packing list guides.

Popular Events and Festivals in Bhutan

Numerous visitors visit Bhutan just to encounter the nation’s entrancing celebrations. The Tshechu celebrations that happen in sanctuaries, religious communities and dzongs (fortifications) are features not to be missed.

How about we delve somewhat more profound into the exceptionally acclaimed Bhutan celebrations and why you shouldn’t be passing up them.

Networks likewise meet up to observe strict cover moves, get favours, and associate at these terrific occasions. Each cover move has a unique significance behind it, and it’s accepted that everybody must go to a Tshechu and see the moves in any event once in the course of their life to break down their transgressions.

Spring festivals

Spring in Bhutan is a high tourist season. The weather is beautiful and the season hosts many of the country’s best celebrations.

Paro Tshechu

Held every spring(April) at Rinpung Dzong, this is the most famous religious dance festival that happens in Bhutan.

Gomphu Kora

Unlike other Tshechu festivals, this one also happens around april, pilgrims circumambulate the path around the meditation cave at this scenic temple.

Ura Yakchoe

During this festival, a sacred and important relic, passed on from generation to generation, is put on display so that people can receive blessings from it.

Summer

Bhutan’s rainstorm/monsoon season generally shows up in mid-June, with bunches of a downpour! In spite of that, the nation’s rich greenery and the absence of groups can make it an ideal chance to visit.

Kurjey Tshechu

This celebration happens at Kurjey Lhakhang, in Bumthang’s Chokhor Valley. Clearly, Guru Rimpoche, who acquainted Buddhism with Bhutan, reflected there and left an engraving of his body on a stone inside the sanctuary.

Haa Summer Festival

This celebration grandstand’s their customary way of life, food, and sports. You can even remain in a townhome and experience nearby accommodation.

Fall

Numerous celebrations, including Thimphu Tshechu which is one of the nation’s greatest, happen during fall.

Thimphu Tshechu

This is probably the greatest celebration in Bhutan and individuals travel from everywhere throughout the nation to see it. This celebration happens at Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu. Days and evenings of supplication and customs are attempted to conjure the divine beings before the celebration.

Wangdue Tshechu

This Tshechu is well known for the Raksha Mangcham, the famous Dance of the Ox. It finishes up with the spreading out of the incomparable Guru Tshengye Thongdrol thangka.

Winter

Winter in Bhutan can be quite an affair. You can see the nation’s wonderful dark necked cranes in the Phobjikha Valley in this season.

Druk Wangyel Tshechu

This extraordinary Tshechu is performed by the Royal Bhutan Army as a tribute to the shrewd administration of the fourth lord of Bhutan, and as a festival of the military’s assurance of the nation.

Trongsa Tshechu

One of the most seasoned celebrations of Bhutan, from the seventeenth century Trongsa Dzong. It’s accepted that the nation’s celebrations were spread from here.

Nomad Festival in Bumthang

This exceptional celebration unites the herders of the northeastern and northwestern Himalayan boondocks in a life-changing festival of their way of life and conventions. Try not to pass up these occasions regardless of which season you’re going in.

Is Bhutan Worth It?

I’ve been to so many countries in Asia. I can easily say from my own experience that the land of the Thunder Dragon is very special.

Though you have to book an all-inclusive tour package, it’s all worth it. It is one of those trips where you will feel like you have gotten the most value for your money in terms of your spiritual healing, which is priceless. Bhutan is probably the last country in Asia where you can truly experience an authentic culture.

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Bhutan is a place full of beauty and magic! There is so much to discover and the best part is, every sight is surreal and connects you to mother nature.

Booking your trip might seem tricky to some of you, but with authentic and reliable tour agencies like DrukAsia, there really is nothing to worry except for choosing your tour package.