Bhutan Travel Forum

hi,
i am planning to go to bhutan, can u please advise me on how to recah there, i am a citizen of india, also worth knowing is that do i need to take some tour package or i can go on my own, last thing i would like to know is that, which is a better place paro or thimpu, since i have at max 3 days for travel.
if possible reaply me at taneja_rajat@yahoo.com
regards
rajat

Hi everybody,

My husband and me are planning a trip to Bhutan during the last week of May. We plan to fly to Paro and spend about 10 days exploring Bhutan.

Can someone please suggest a good itinery which involves trekking,sightseeing and eating exotic Bhutanese food. Also it would be great if you could suggest some hotels/places to stay.

We also might require a driver since we would be travelling independently and not as a part of a tour (Being Indian nationals, its not mandatory for us!). It would be great if you could suggest somebody you know.

I know this is a tall list. But looking forward to your replies as I want to make this a memorable gift to my husband for our second anniversary!!!

Thanks in advance!

im planing my trip to india nepal and bhutan.

can anyone tell the cheapest way to get into bhutan from kathmandu?
how long does it take by land?
is it better to go from darjeeling? is there a bus or jeep from darjeeling to siliguri?
then from siliguri to phuentsholing how long does it take? by bus or jeep?
many thanks

leonor

A very good morning,

At the moment I am trying to make my hobby my profession, being a travel photographer. And for a first official photography trip I have selected Bhutan. It is a very special country with lots of opportunities to make beautiful pictures.

- Time is restricted to max 20 days.
- I am in a good physical condition, so I am willing to invest time in trekking to secluded and beautiful areas.
- Plan is for nov-dec

1. I would love to hear from you the places where you can shoot the best pictures. Focus on ancient buildings and landscapes.
2. Can you join festivals or is it not for foreigners ? Which festival is most interesting ?

Thanks in advance for all the help, looking forward to hearing from you

Pascal Janssen

We are planning a trip to Bhutan. Please let me know which is the best season to visit this country? How is April or May?

Cheers

Dear Friends,
I would like to visit Bhutan by road from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
How can i get visa to enter into Bhutan?
Which is the nearest check post of Bhutan from Siliguri?
What is the distance of Phuntsoling check post from Siliguri?
How many hours will it take to arrive in Phuntsoling check post from Siliguri?
Will I be able to get a visa on check post to enter into Bhutan?
Can I get visa of Bhutan from Bhutan embassy in Dhaka?

Thank u very much for your kind cooperation.

Thanks & Regards
Zahid, Dhaka.

Hello,

Hope this is the right place to be asking this.

A couple of us are trying to plan a trip to Bhutan, of approx. 8-10 days duration, but aren't sure what the best way of going about this is. After some serious net-research, we've narrowed down on a rough circular itinerary covering western and central Bhutan (paro, thimpu, punakha, wangdiphodrong, phobjika, gangtey, trongsa, and bumthang).

Here are my concerns, hope someone can help us out.

1. Is it too late to plan for an early May 2008 trip? Everything I've come across online seems to say early reservations are a must.

2. I'd be traveling from Kolkata. Fly to Paro or drive in?

3. What is the best way to reserve accommodations and make travel arrangements? Do I contact Indian travel agents or ones in Bhutan? Does anyone have any reccommendations (hope its okay to ask this here)?

4. How much would the approx. budget per person per day be? Both of us are Indian nationals.

Any other information/suggestions which would be helpful is most welcome.

thanks
Paromita

Hi, Need to know if anyone use this www.jachungtravel.com before.
Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Fellow travelers: I will be in Bhutan in March/April 2008. I have the Lonely Planet guide book but am looking for a Dzongkha language tape, book...something that will allow me to learn a few useful phrases and listen to the language before I travel. Yes, I know that most in Bhutan speak English...it's just something I always do when I travel. Thanks for any help you can give me. I have found NOTHING on the internet! WWpat

Hi

I am planning to go to Bhutan in October with two other people. We are Indian citizens. I would greatly appreciate it, if anyone could answer the following queries:

1. As far as I have understood, it is not mandatory for Indians to be part of a tour organised by some agency. Being generally averse, to such tours, I would like to know whether (a) this information is correct (b) Even if it is correct, how feasible it is to travel independently, and any particular problems that people have faced in attempting such a thing in the past.

2. I am planning to enter Bhutan from Siliguri. How much should the bus journey cost? What are the timings of such buses and can bookings be made in advance and how?

3. What are the usual living rates for food, accomodation, travel, etc. I read that they are mostly comparable to Indian hill stations, and Indians have to pay the local rates.

Thanking everyone,

Harsh

Hello!! I will be in Thimphu, Bhutan, for work next week for the first time. I am open to suggestions on what to see and do...I will be busy for work one day, but then have 2 free days on 29 and 30 June. I would love to visit something - a market, anything. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Stefi

Hi. I'm so glad to come across this forum. I love to visit Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan for years. I'm 28, from Vietnam, been to a few places. My only one solo back-packer experience was in Java- Indonesia, which didn't turn out to be very fulfilling. So I really want to make this ultimate 3-4-week trip something to keep dearly in memory forever. I appreciate if you can share me some advises.

1. Travel guide book: Is there any good guide book covering 3 destinations (Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet)? I found 3 separate Lonely Planet "THICK" books in the bookstore. I once spent most of my travel time reading a guide book :( and don't think it's a good idea to do something similar again.

2. Timing: I plan on October. From what i read, monsoon is over by then, and it doesn't get too cold yet. good eh? :)

3. Destinations: I know each of these places deserves more than 3 weeks, but my time is limited. Is it too greedy for a trip to enjoy it, you think? I love Bhutan the most (except its $200 fine per day policy), and I can drop Nepal from the list if need be because it seems Nepal is very much like India. No offending, just that I've been to India (and loved it), i want to be soaked in a different culture and people and scenes in this trip.

4. Routing: which is the most efficient routing? Bhutan- Nepal-Tibet? Or Nepal-Bhutan-Tibet? I like ground transport in between these locations. I'll enter from India, and planing for a bullet train from Lhasa to Beijing on the way back to Vietnam.

Thanks for reading guys. I know its long, and also not particularly on Bhutan only. But i don't know where else to post this question in VirtualTourist. Happy Travel and sharing. :)

Hi
Im just seeking info that apparently its possible toenter Bhutan if invited by a native friend, and not have to pay the exorbitant entry fee. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks

Hi,

I am traveling to a bunch of different countries with no timetable. I'd like to visit Bhutan. Am I able to obtain a visa upon arrival? If so, is it difficult? I am a U.S. citizen.

Thanks,
globetrotter

Hi - I've been checking into trips in Bhutan, and have read and heard about the necessity to pay $200 per day to a Bhutan travel agency. I heard that the way you pay, if you are in the US, is that you deposit the money via a wire transfer into the account of the Bhutan Tourist Department at City Bank in New York City. Is this true ? I am willing to follow the rules, but I am worried about depositing so much money into someone else's account. Is this the normal procedure for people from the USA dealing with a travel agent in Bhutan ?

A friend of mine told that the King of Bhutan issued a decision: it is forbidden to cut trees.
So, my friend tells me, it would be nice to take a tree to Bhutan as a gift.
Is this true? Iám going to bhutan in 2 weeks. Am I allowed to travel in airports with a little tree? Quarantine?
How is the weather there, this time of year?

See you all in 2 weeks,
oxox

Hi!
Do I need a visa to get into Bhutan?
Is it safe to travel to Bhutan?
Is it OK to cross over to Bhutan from Nepal / Tibet?
Thanks!

My husband and me are planning a trip to Bhutan in mid April to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary.. If we want to visit Paro,thimpu,Punakha,Wangdue Phodrang, how many days we need? Is 5 days/4nights enough? Thank You so much!!!

Hi everybody !
I'm a veterinary and I've never been in Bhutan.
I've read some news about the condition of dogs there (e.g. rabies outbreak in Khaling, Tashigang in January 2006, with more than three hundred dogs vaccinated) and about the great number of wandering dogs all over the country. I would like to know if anybody can give me real information about this matter. Does anybody can tell me which is the attitude of people and authorities (Is there any veterinarian working and spaying/neutering there ?) about wandering dogs ?
Thanks a lot !!
Bye. Sergio

I am planning to spend 6 months in India on a tourist visa and then visit Bhutan for a month before returning to India. Does anybody know if I'll be able to get another tourist visa for India in Bhutan? If this isn't possible then what would be the best way forward?

Hi friends,

I am planning a trip, crossing into bhutan from india. I know 2 days are not fair but considering the expensive cost, is it enough just to see Paro & thimpu? We will be then crossing back to India and onwards to nepal by land.

Hope to hear from you.
Many Thanks!

Hi,
I plan to go to Bhutan in August. I know it is rainy season but I wonder if it is really heavy rain and totally cloudy or only some rainfalls.
Unfortunately, I cannot go on holiday besides August.
Do you recommend me to leave out Bhutan from our journey or to go there anyway.

I would be in Tibet before. Is there a road between Tibet to Bhutan (direct or through Sikkim) or do I have to come back to Kathmandu to take a flight to Bhutan?

Thank you,
Philippe

good day to all at this forum ,
i am an indian female arond 25 years of age from mumbai and i have travelled most parts of india solo it was a bit difficult in my country , anyways was a bit curious about bhutan. I have decided to head to bhutan for around a month alone , wanted to know can i as an indian find some cheap accommodation or some home stay , i really am interested in the bhutanese culture and the beautiful countryside . Any recommendations on where to go and what to do . would be heading to bhutan by mid march .
thanks so much for your time.
manisha

Does anybody know is the Samdrup Jongkar/Darranga border a legal border crossing for western foreigners (from Bhutan to Assam) ?

Can any one suggest us economical budget hotels in thimpu, paro, punakha,wangdiphodrag and phuntshilong we are a couple from mumbai intending to visit Bhutan in mid march 2007

I'm in the planning stage of a possible trip to Bhutan. Just discovered the $200/day thing, which is not too much of a problem with the $ so low against Sterling!

Do you have any thoughts about whether it's best to book via a UK agent, they are a handful who handle Bhutan, or a Bhutanese agent? Any recommandations?

Thanks
A.

Planning a trip to Bhutan from last week of Dec to new year. I want to know if it is a good time. We are not interested in trekking / adventures, just looking around and getting a feel of the place, for about 6 days.
I read in some news items that Druk Air is starting fights from Mumbai to Paro in 2006, has it started already? Their website doesnt show such flights yet.

Secondly is end december a good time to go around, sightseeing etc...and not snowing.

Want lots more info, but after sometime is kind enough to answer these first.

Also please confirm if Indians dont have to pay the 200$/day tourism fee.

Regards
Nandita

Hi, I am a college student and was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to travel alone through Bhutan once acquiring the visa, or if you must be accompanied by a tour guide. Also, does anyone know the visa cost, and whether or not it is safe to travel alone as a woman? Thanks for your help,
Alia

Hi,
We are a couple from india. We plan to visit bhutan betwen Feb 6, 2007 - Feb 16 2007. If any couple is planning to visit during the same time, we can get along.

This will lower the taxes as it is less for a group of more than 2.

Hello everybody,

do you know where I can find the instructions of how to wear the Gho correctly? They told me how to do it in Timphu - but it is quite complicated and I forgot parts of it. I think you bend it back (from the right and left side) on the backside first, before you do the front and lifting it a little bit with the belt....but, ah, it looks strange at the moment ;-)

Is there an online instruction somewhere? I mean there are instructions for different tie-styles, why shouldnt there be one for the gho?

Thanks for every hint!

Chris