Earthbound Expeditions

Bhutan: getting in, and getting there

USD 100 a night before you have eaten anything, two airlines, and eight pilots cleared to land at Paro.

Bhutan in one screen

Capital
Thimphu, the only capital in Asia with no traffic lights
Currency
Ngultrum (BTN), pegged 1:1 to the Indian rupee
Languages
Dzongkha. English is the medium of instruction in schools, so it is widely spoken
Time zone
UTC+6, fifteen minutes ahead of Nepal
Dialling code
+975
Power
230V, type D, F and G sockets
Main airport
Paro International (PBH), 54 km from Thimphu

Our trips in Bhutan

The visa, and what it costs

A visa is issued online before you travel, and it is not the expensive part. The Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night is, and it is charged for every night you are in the country regardless of what you do with the day. Both are paid up front, and the visa clearance letter is issued only once the money has cleared.

  • Visa application
    Cost
    USD 40, one-off, non-refundable
    Notes
    —
  • Sustainable Development Fee
    Cost
    USD 100 per person per night
    Notes
    The USD 100 rate runs to 31 August 2027, reduced from USD 200. It was not a discount campaign; it was a policy change.
  • Children 6 to 12
    Cost
    USD 50 a night
    Notes
    Half rate on the SDF. The visa fee is the same.
  • Children under 6
    Cost
    No SDF
    Notes
    The USD 40 visa fee still applies.
  • India, Bangladesh, Maldives
    Cost
    INR 1,200 per person per night
    Notes
    The regional rate, and Indian nationals need a permit rather than a visa.
  • Every nationality except three
    What applies
    An online visa, applied for before travel, plus the SDF for every night. There is no visa on arrival and no exception for short stays.
  • Indian nationals
    What applies
    No visa. An entry permit issued on arrival at Paro or at Phuentsholing on production of a passport or a voter ID card, and the SDF at the regional rate.
  • Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals
    What applies
    The same permit route and the same regional SDF rate as Indian nationals.
  • Everyone, in practice
    What applies
    A licensed Bhutanese guide for travel beyond the Paro and Thimphu valleys. Independent visas exist on paper; the guide requirement is what makes an operator the normal route in.

How to actually get it

It is booked, then applied for

Your operator submits the visa against a paid itinerary with hotels and a guide named on it. The Department of Tourism reviews it, normally within five working days, and issues a clearance letter with a visa number. You carry that letter; the visa itself is stamped into your passport at Paro on arrival.

Book the flight and the visa together

Drukair and Bhutan Airlines will not confirm a seat without a visa clearance number, and the visa needs a confirmed itinerary. The two are unwound in the right order by the operator, which is a large part of what an operator is for on this particular border.

How many nights to buy

The SDF is per night, so the itinerary length is a straight multiplication and there is nothing to gain by arriving late in the day. A five-night trip is USD 500 a head in SDF before a hotel, a meal or a guide, and that is the number to plan around rather than the headline tour price.

What catches people out

  • The SDF is charged per night of stay, including the night you arrive and excluding the day you leave. Count nights, not days.
  • The visa fee is not refunded if the application is declined or the trip is cancelled.
  • Cancelling inside the operator's window does not automatically release the SDF already paid to the government.
  • There is no way to visit Bhutan on a day trip from India by air; the permit and SDF apply from the first night.
  • Paro is a visual-approach airport ringed by 5,000 m peaks. Flights go in daylight only and are cancelled for cloud with no alternate, so build a spare day into any onward connection.

Flying there

Non-stop routes only. Anything with a connection depends on the day and is better answered by a search than by a table.

  • Kathmandu
    Airlines
    Drukair, Bhutan Airlines
    In the air
    1h
    Notes
    Daily. The best mountain view from an airliner window anywhere
  • Delhi
    Airlines
    Drukair, Bhutan Airlines
    In the air
    1h 45m
    Notes
    Around five services a week on each carrier
  • Kolkata
    Airlines
    Drukair, Bhutan Airlines
    In the air
    1h
    Notes
    Daily, and the cheapest way in
  • Bangkok
    Airlines
    Drukair
    In the air
    3h 30m
    Notes
    Daily, often via Guwahati or Kolkata
  • Singapore
    Airlines
    Drukair
    In the air
    4h 30m
    Notes
    Twice weekly, with a technical stop
  • Bagdogra
    Airlines
    Drukair
    In the air
    35m
    Notes
    Seasonal, and the air link for the Darjeeling side

Joining it onto the country next door

Half the trips in this catalogue cross a border. These are the links they are built on, and the lead times they impose.

  • Nepal
    How
    Fly Paro to Kathmandu on Drukair or Bhutan Airlines
    How long
    1h
    Notes
    Daily, and the reason a Nepal and Bhutan trip is one journey rather than two holidays
  • India
    How
    Fly Paro to Delhi, Kolkata or Bagdogra, or drive out at Phuentsholing
    How long
    1h to 1h 45m flying
    Notes
    —
  • Thailand
    How
    Fly Paro to Bangkok
    How long
    3h 30m
    Notes
    The usual way to join Bhutan onto a wider South East Asia trip

When to come

  • March to May
    What it is like
    Spring, and the best of the year. Rhododendron in the passes, clear mornings, and the Paro Tsechu festival in March or April.
    Best
  • June to August
    What it is like
    Monsoon. Green, cheap and quiet, with cloud on the peaks and a real chance of a delayed Paro flight.
    Hard
  • September to November
    What it is like
    The clearest skies of the year and the Thimphu and Jakar festivals. October is the peak and it books out.
    Best
  • December to February
    What it is like
    Cold, bright and empty in the western valleys. Bumthang and the high passes get snow and can close.
    Good

Money on the ground

  • Rate
    The ngultrum is pegged one to one with the Indian rupee, and Indian rupees are accepted everywhere except in notes of INR 500 and above.
  • Cards
    Hotels in Paro and Thimphu, and very little else. Bring cash.
  • ATMs
    Present in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, and unreliable with foreign cards. Do not build a budget on them.
  • Included in the price
    A Bhutan package covers hotels, all meals, the guide, the driver and the entry fees. Very little is left to pay for on the day.
  • Tipping
    Not expected historically and now normal on tours. USD 10 to 15 a day for the guide and driver together is generous.

Arriving

Two airlines, and no third

Drukair, the national carrier, and Bhutan Airlines are the only two airlines certified to operate into Paro. No alliance, no codeshare with a European or American carrier, and no way to through-check a bag from London. Whatever gets you to Kathmandu, Delhi, Bangkok or Singapore is one ticket, and Paro is a second one.

The approach

Paro sits at 2,235 m in a valley with mountains on both sides and the approach is flown visually, by hand, by a small number of specifically qualified pilots. It is genuinely one of the more dramatic landings in commercial aviation and it is also why the airport works in daylight and good weather only. Sit on the left flying in from Kathmandu.

By road from India

Phuentsholing on the West Bengal border is the land gateway, about four hours from Bagdogra airport and five or six from Paro on the Bhutanese side. It is the practical route for Indian travellers and for anyone combining Bhutan with Darjeeling or Sikkim, and it is a long day.

Health and safety

  • Nothing here is high by Himalayan standards: Thimphu is 2,320 m and the Dochula pass 3,100 m. Altitude is a consideration on the Snowman and Druk Path treks and on very little else.
  • The Tiger's Nest walk is 900 m of ascent and back in a day at around 3,100 m. It is the hardest thing on a standard cultural itinerary and people underestimate it.
  • Hospitals in Thimphu are decent. Anything serious is evacuated to Bangkok or Delhi, so insurance with medical evacuation is not optional.
  • Bhutan is the only country in the world to have banned the sale of tobacco outright. Bringing a personal quantity in is legal and taxed; selling it is not.
  • Tap water is not drinkable. Hotels provide filtered water, and the operator supplies it on the road.

Still not sure the paperwork works?

Tell us your passport and your dates and we will tell you plainly whether the trip is possible, before you have paid anything.

Ask us