Bhutan

When to Visit Bhutan?

One of the best times to visit Bhutan is during one of its incredible festivals, which happens many times throughout the year. The biggest ones are the Paro Festival in March and the Thimphu Festival in late September, where the locals, draped in their most colorful traditional attire, gather together to celebrate life and witness the incredible and mesmerizing colorful mask dances.

Witnessing the festival was indeed the highlight of the trip for me, so I highly recommend you try to align your visit to these festivals. For the latest festival calendar, be sure to check out: The complete list of festivals in Bhutan.

How to Get to Bhutan?

To fly into Bhutan, your best bet is to travel to Bangkok first, and from there, you can catch Bhutan's national airlines, Druk Air, and fly to Paro. Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines only fly to and from a handful of airports in countries like India, Singapore, Nepal, and Thailand, with the most daily flights flying from Bangkok.

To find a cheap flight to Bangkok, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.

To book flights to Bhutan, you will have to rely on your tour operators to organize them for you. The flights, route, and schedule are fixed, quarter to quarter, so I recommend you organize it a month or 2 in advance. A roundtrip flight should cost about 895 USD per person, and the journey can take about 4 hours.

How to Get Around Bhutan?

By Tours: The only way to get around Bhutan as a foreigner is to go on an organized tour, so you don't have to worry about any of the logistics on this trip as the tour operator will organize it all for you.

Usually, the car you will get is either a 4WD or a minivan, all equipped with comfortable reclining seats with plenty of leg space for a comfortable journey across the country.

How Much Money Do I Need for 7 days in Bhutan during the festival?

From this 7-day itinerary visiting in September during the Thimphu Tshechu festival (peak season), we can calculate approximately how much money you will be spending here as follows:

Airfare: To get to Bhutan, you will first have to get to Bangkok, and from Bangkok, you can fly to Paro, Bhutan, on one of its national airlines. The round-trip flight should cost around 895 USD per person.

Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): If you want to visit Bhutan as a foreigner, you have to pay the government SDF for each day you spend in the country. The current going rate as of 2023 is around 100 USD per day, so 700 USD per person (you will get discounts if you are 2 or more). This fee will go directly to the community and help support all kinds of benefits like free healthcare and education in the country, which is pretty dope.

Tour Cost: For other costs like guides, transportation, hotels, 3 meals a day, and entrance fees to attractions around the country, you can expect to pay around 990 USD.

Visa Fee: The Visa fee is 40 USD per person.

Bank Service Charge: When you are wire transferring the cost, you will be charged around 25 USD.

Extras (souvenirs, snacks, drinks, etc.): If you want to buy some souvenirs, drinks, or snacks along the way, I highly recommend you carry at least 100+ USD on hand which should be enough for 7 days since most expenses are already included in the tour price. Be sure to exchange it to ngultrum at the airport before you exit the terminal.

Total Budget for 7 days in Bhutan: 2650 USD for one, 5300 USD for 2 persons.

Which Bhutan Tours to Pick?

I'd requested more than 10 quotes from several tour operators, and it took me more than a month before I finally decided on the tour for my trip. I looked at the number of reviews on TripAdvisor and requested itineraries that would maximize my experience in Bhutan with a mix of festivities, comfort, and adventure, and I compared the prices of each one and weighed them all to find the perfect tour.

In the end, I picked Authentic Bhutan Tours as they have a trustworthy amount of reviews on TripAdvisor (100+ reviews), their provided 7-day itinerary included Gangtey Festival and Phobjikha Valley, which not many tours do, and they somehow managed to be the cheapest out of all the 10+ quotes I got from other companies, which is icing on the cake.

They are quite responsive with email communication, and after spending 7 days with them in Bhutan, I have absolutely no regret choosing them as my tour operator. The itinerary was awesome, with plenty of time for us to enjoy the Thimphu and Gangtey Festivals while also having enough time to visit all the highlights of Bhutan, like Tiger's Nest, Punakha Dzong, and more.

The itinerary is a mix of comfort and adventure with short and long hiking excursions throughout the week while spending most nights in 3-star hotels with incredible views and one night in a local farmhouse, which is fantastic. Out of all the 10 quotes I got, Authentic Bhutan Tours' itinerary is the only one that includes staying in a traditional farmhouse, which is another reason why I chose them.

We met the CEO at the end of our tour and had a great conversation with him about all things Bhutan, and then he gave us a traditional scarf to thank us for choosing his company. The whole trip was great, and I couldn't recommend Authentic Bhutan Tours more. If you are currently looking for a tour operator in Bhutan, be sure to check them out.

How to pay for Tours in Bhutan?

Now that you have decided which tours to pick for your Bhutan trip, it is time to pay for the tour, and it often goes like this: Once the itinerary is agreed upon, your tour operator will send you an invoice and a step-by-step procedure to conduct a wire transfer.

You might be alarmed to know that to reserve the tour, you have to wire transfer the total amount to a Standard Charter bank account (or some other international banks) in the US with a beneficiary account in Bhutan, but don't worry this is a standard procedure, as the government will not approve your entry Visa until the total amount is transferred.

Documents required are your passport copy, a passport-sized photo, a travel insurance (from any company) copy, and other important information like residential address, contact number, and occupation. Once these are sent, you will receive a confirmed flight detail, and you will receive the invoice.

Wire the money to their US account, send your tour operator a copy, and you should receive your entry visa and confirmed flight tickets in about a week or 2. Be sure to print the Visa and flight confirmation out before your departure so you can show them at the check-in desk as well as the immigration.

And that is it. Pretty straightforward. If you have any questions regarding my experience wire transferring the money to Bhutan, you can ask me in the comments below.

Is it Safe in Bhutan?

Bhutanese people are some of the friendliest in the world, and you will have absolutely no trouble traveling to Bhutan, especially since you will be accompanied and looked after by your guide for much of your trip around the country. I would say Bhutan is, hands down, one of the safest countries in the world to visit.

Internet in Bhutan?

Believe it or not, the Internet and TV in Bhutan were legalized and readily available to the masses only in 1999, and even though it has been a few decades since then, many places still are not equipped with reliable WIFI.

Only in hotels would you find free WIFI that is reliable enough to surf the web, and even then, it can slow down significantly during prime times, so keep your expectations low when it comes to Internet connection in Bhutan..

If you have a smartphone that supports esims, you can also take a look at Bhutan esim although they only have one plan available and you will only be able to connect within the city and along the main highway roads.

The setup is fast and instant, and you can buy it before your trip so you don't have to scramble to get one at the airport after a long flight. The data speed is pretty reliable in most cases with LTE speed in big cities, although it can struggle sometimes the further away in remote areas you travel.

For more information on esims in Bhutan, click here: Check Bhutan's Available eSim.

What to Pack for Bhutan?

As you may already know, I am an advocate of light traveling, and indeed, packing light for a journey like this is a unique art form. Here are some packing tips for your upcoming trip to Bhutan:

• Walking/Hiking Shoes: With all the walking and possible hiking during your travel, a comfortable pair of shoes is a must. I recommend the Timberland 3-Eye Classic Boat Shoes that are my go-to pair for long strolls and hikes.
• Breathable Shirts: Given the potential for hot weather, pack a few breathable shirts for your outdoor adventures.
• Shorts/Jeans: Anticipate lots of walking during your travels? Be sure to pack some breathable shorts and a pair of Levi's jeans for when the weather cools. For women, leggings are excellent for both hot and cold climates, so consider packing some as well.
• Fleece Jacket: For colder weather, layering is the key, and a fleece jacket makes an excellent insulating layer. I recommend the Columbia Steens Mountain Fleece (for women).
• Outer Shell Jacket: An outer shell jacket is great for windy or rainy conditions. I highly recommend the Columbia Watertight Jacket (for women). It's lightweight, breathable, and even comes in a cool orange color.
• Microfiber Towel: A Microfiber towel is the ideal backpacker's towel due to its lightness, quick drying, and compressibility.
• Camera: You should also pack a good camera for your trip so that you can capture all the beautiful experiences you might have. I recommend the Sony a7R V camera together with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens, which is probably the highest-performance camera and lens combination you can get right now.
• Power Bank: Keep your electronics charged on the go with a 20,000+ mAh Power Bank.
• Water Bottle: The Hydro Flask Trail Water Bottle is a great insulated water bottle to have with you in cities or on hiking trails. It is lightweight and can keep your water cold or warm for more than 12 hours. It's a total game-changer.
• Universal Adapter: You'll need just one universal adapter to plug in your electronics in any country you visit.
• Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes will help you save space in your backpack and keep all your belongings organized.
• Daypack: The Langly Alpha Globetrotter is my go-to everyday camera backpack. It's large enough to carry all my travel gear, and it comes with plenty of slots and pouches. Plus, it's stylish as hell!
• Large Backpack: You will need a large backpack to carry all of your stuff. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack. With excellent weight distribution and a lifetime guarantee, you can't go wrong with Osprey.

For more information on what I pack in my backpack for this trip, check out: My Packing List: 60 Travel Essentials.