Bhutan - The Land of Thunder Dragon!!

Bhutan, the country known for it's Gross Happiness Index, is one of the most peaceful place. Amidst the mountain & hilltops, the clear blue sky, the even clearer rivers running parallel along the roads, the calm & soothing town and the people with a smile on their faces is a bliss. Every building, be it the Airport or residential houses, the hotels or administrative buildings or even The King's Palace - every building has a slanted rooftop with beautiful motif works on them.

Budget:

Every foreign visitor is charged 250$ per day (minimum) in package tours. There was an exempt for "Regional citizens" of India, Bangladesh & Maldives back in May 2019 from the 250$, but now there is some addition to the processing fees. It was a package tour for us which costed around 40k(INR) per pax with flights.

Package tour for Bhutan helps for few reasons: First they have very limited flights, so getting flight tickets is tough. Fun-Fact, they have only 7 planes in total & 1 international airport. Secondly, most of the places have a mandate of travelling along with a local guide. Third, the guide can get all the permits done while you can roam around peacefully. There are many backpacker tours too which follow a good itinerary covering most of the places, so it might be worth a try.

Common Queries:

Currency: Official currency is Ngultrum (Nu). They widely accepted Indian currency, preferably up to Rs 200/- INR notes.

SIM: You can get one from airport, costing around Rs200/- INR for 7 days..

Cab: It was booked by the package tour. Saw mostly private tour vehicles near to airport. Buses & local transport were less to be seen.

Hotels: Again booked under the package tour, decently well accomodation.

Tiger's Nest: The trek to "Taktsang Monastery" is one of the most sought after place. It is a must visit place. The trek is doable even by senior citizens(without any health issues).

Itinerary:

Day 1: (Paro Airport to Thimpu, en-roue Chhuzom)

Bhutan has only one International Airport at Paro. Grab a quick lunch at Paro, before you start for Thimpu. It takes around 4-5 hours drive and on the way, you would see Chhuzom, where 3 rivers (Paro-chhu, Thimpu-chhu & Wong-chhu) met. Chhu in Bhutanese means water/river. Ancient Bhutanese mythologies considers convergence of rivers as inauspicious. Hence to ward off the evil, three chorten (Bhutanese, Nepali, Tibetian) was build. After reaching Thimpu, you can indulge in the quiet surrounding & lush green mountain views.

Tip for the day: Temperature, even in May, for Thimpu is on the lower end, so do carry a jacket for the tour. You won’t need it during daytime though.

Day 2: (City tour of Thimpu - Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal Dzong, Buddha Dordenma Monastery, National Memorial Chorten, Royal Takin Preserve - 300 Nu, local market)

You can start the city-visit of Thimpu with the historic dzong of “Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal” which was built in 1629. Next visit the “Buddha Dordenma” which is built by the Singaporean Govt. as a gift to Bhutan. Here Buddha Shankhyamuni is seen in a seated posture. For lunch opt for an authentic Bhutanese lunch (at Babesa Village Restaurant). Do try out the Potato with Cheese Curry and Red Chilli Salad. After the lunch, visit the “National Memorial Chorten”, it has a flexible visiting hours of 9am-5pm. Our last visit was to the “Royal Takin Preserve”. Takin is the National Animal of Bhutan. It’s a natural reserve and not caged zoo, however, other than seeing few Takins at very far off, it was not much worth it. Still good to go, because you don’t get to see Takin at any other place in Bhutan. Carrying a high zoom binocular for this would help.

Tip for the day - all monastery visits have proper attire code and visitors are requested to adhere to it.

Day 3: (Royal Textile Academy - 300 Nu, En-route - Drochula Pass to reach Punakha - Punakha Dzong - 300 Nu, opt for river rafting in Punakha River )

On the third day, you would be visiting Punakha through Drochula Pass. You would need permit to cross Drochula Pass, but the admin office opens at 11:30am only. So either you could stand in the line to get the permits or as our guide suggested, you can visit the “Royal Textile Academy” which was nearby. Meanwhile, your guide could arrange the permits for you. The Royal Textile Academy was an informative zone, about Bhutanese culture, heritage and evolution of their attire. Once your permits are done, head towards Drochula Pass. On reaching the top of the Pass, you can take a short hault and see the 108 memorial chortens known as “Drake Wangyal Chortens”. From there, head to Punakha which used to be the capital of Bhutan and Punakha Dzong was its administrative office. Now the administrative office is moved to Paro. Surrounding the Dzong flows the Punakha river, and a historic hundred year old bridge ensures entry to the Dzong. From there, head for river rafting in Punakha river. At the end of the day, we returned back to Thimpu, But you can opt for an overnight stay in Punakha.

Day 4: (Reach Paro, sightseeing of Paro - Drugyal Dzong, National Museum of Bhutan, local market)

Start for Paro early morning. After settling down and having a fulfilling lunch, restart your sightseeing of Paro with Drugyal Dzong. Drukgyel Dzong was built to commemorate a victory over the Tibetan forces. From there, visit the National Museum of Bhutan, which showcased artefacts from Bhutanese history, culture, its flora and fauna, a miniature replica of the famous “Taktsang Monastery”. For the rest of the evening, you can roam around the local market to pick up some souvenirs.

Did you know, every citizen in Bhutan has to serve in Bhutanese army for few years of their life!!

Day 5: (Taktsang Monastery - entry permit - 500 Nu)

The day was dedicated for the famous Tiger’s Nest. Always plan this trek, either on last day or second last day of the tour because it can be very exhausting and you wouldn't want that to spoil your trip. Prerequisite information, reach the base before 7:30am as they start giving pass from 7:30am. You would not need a pass for the trek, but the pass is to enter the Taktsang Monastery. About the trek route, it is inclined route but you do not need to climb rocks. I went along with my parents till the very end so it’s doable. There’s a cafe mid-way for snacks/ tea. There are horses which take you till this cafe. It took us a good 3.5 hours to reach to the top. Before entering the monastery, you need to submit your mobiles, camera, and all possible electronics. Return journey took us 2.5 hours.

Tip for the day: Wear trek shoes or power shoes for good grip.

Day 6: (Chelela Pass - highest motorable point in Bhutan)

On the last day of tour, you can visit the Chelela Pass which is the highest motorable point in Bhutan. It’s mostly famous for the drive, the scenary around. After spending couple of hours, comeback to the Paro town, where you can try out Bhutanese attire - “Kira” and explore the local market.

Day 7: And it's time to bid goodbye to the Kingdom of Bhutan, head to the airport to board your flights back.

How to Reach:

Direct Flight from India are available only from New Delhi, Kolkata, Bodh Gaya.

You can also enter through Phuentsholing from North Bengal through roadways.