Useful Information, Tips and Advice on Planning and Joining a Trip to Bhutan

	Before You Travel
	Getting There and Away
	Upon Arrival at Paro Airport in Bhutan
	About Insiders' Bhutan Trips
	Other Useful Information - health, clothing, communication, maps, shopping, electricity..
	Contents of Trip Planning and Preparation section
	Contents of Insiders' Bhutan Travel Guide
	Contents of Customer Support and Service
	FAQ list

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Before You Travel

When is the best time to visit Bhutan? The best time to visit Bhutan are: March through May in spring, and September through November in Fall. The climate is best in fall, from late September to late November, when skies are clear and the high mountain peaks are visible. This is the ideal time for trekking and for travelling throughout the country. You may arrange your trip surrounding an annual Tsechu (relegious dance festival). Punakha and Paro Tsechus in the spring and Thimphu, Wangdi and Bumthang Jambay Lhakhang Tsechus are the most popular ones. There are also many other less known regional Tsechus that are equally fascinating. Tips: During the peak tourist season and major Tsechu festivals hotel and Druk Air reservations are difficult to obtain. The farther in advance that you book, the more likely it is that we can confirm the resrvation you choose. The rule of thumb is: Book as far in advance as possible, but don't hesitate to contact us at the last minute if free time suddenly comes your way. Also check our special offer page for last minute availability and special discounts. Click here to have a look at our Climate & Seasons, & Monthly Average Temperatures page Click here to check the Tsechus (Festival) dates Do I need a visa and a passport to visit Bhutan? A visa is needed to enter Bhutan but it is not issued abroad. Visitors can travel to Bhutan only through all-inclusive package tours or treks for which the tarrif is set by the government. Applications for tourist visa has to be submitted through a government-licensed local tour operator like Insiders' Bhutan Tours and Treks, or through travel agents abroad who will ultimately contact a Bhutanese agency. "Visa Clearance" from Thimphu must be obtained before departing for Bhutan. Druk Air will not allow you to check in without a visa clearance. Visas will be approved with a reference number in advance and will be stamped in your passport upon arrival in Paro airport or Phuntsholing, if you travel overland from any Indian cities or Nepal. Will Insiders' Bhutan arrange my visa? Yes. Visa is required for travel to Bhutan. Once we receive your completed trip reservation form, we will process your visa based on the information provided there. Tips: If you need assistance with passports or document authentications, our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section has website links and information on online passport service agencies.

Getting There and Away

How do I get to Bhutan? There are no direct long-haul flights to Bhutan. The best way to enter and exit Bhutan is by Druk Air, the national air carrier, which links Bhutan’s only airport at Paro Valley with flights to Bangkok (thrice/week), Delhi (twice/week), Katmandhu (twice/week), Dhaka (once/week), and Calcutta (twice/week). You will have to buy international plane ticket and book hotel room in any of the above gateway cities that you choose to connect to Druk Air. Visitors can also enter and exit Bhutan overland from Indian cities of Sikkim, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Siliguri or Gauhati using Bagdogra or Gauhati domestic airport in West Bengal (India), or from few places in Nepal. There are daily flights from Calcutta and New Delhi to Bagdogra and Gauhati airports. The car journey from Bagdogra to the Bhutan border town of Phuentsholing takes about 4 hours and it takes about-- hours from Gauhati to Samdrup Jongkhar. Tips: 1. As Druk Air operates from an airport that is "daylight restricted" and totally dependent on weather, flights can be sometimes delayed. Avoid tight connecting schedules for your ongoing flights and, if time permits, we also suggest that you spend a day or two in Bangkok, Delhi or Kathmandu to recover from jetlag, before joining the tour/trek in Bhutan. 2. If you are coming from North America, Australia or Asia, connect to Druk Air from Bangkok (Thailand). The U.S. carrier with the most frequent flights is Northwest Airlines. It has direct service through Tokyo (with a minimal stopover) from New York, Detroit, Seattle, Dallas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Thai Airways International has direct flights from the West Coast of the United States and from London, and also flies daily to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. East-coast travelers departing from New York or Washington, DC, may consider using Virgin Atlantic/Thai Airways via London for 19-hour flights to Bangkok. British Airways flies nonstop to Bangkok from London. 3. Choose to connect to Druk Air from Delhi (India) if you are coming from Europe or the Middle East. 4. You can also connect to Druk Airfrom Kathmandu (Nepal), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Calcutta (India), but there are only a limited number of direct flights to these places. 5. You can enhance your trip to Bhutan by spending a few days exploring a totally different culture in any of Bhutan's neighboring countries: Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, India.. We can also make arrangements for your travel needs to these neighboring places. Click here for more details. 6. Overland routes into Bhutan involves gruelling travel through India and/or Nepal. How do I buy Druk Air tickets? As soon as we confirm your reservation on one of our trips, we book Druk Air seats for you. You can buy Druk Air tickets from their agents abroad, from the Thai International Airways office in your city, or we can buy here and send them to you by express mail. Click here for more details on Druk Air and their flight schedule. Will Insiders' Bhutan handle my interational airline ticketing and enroute stopover hotel room reservation? You will need to arrange international air tickets and hotel room booking in whatever place you choose to connect to Druk Air. As most travelers like to use frequent flyer awards, or book air tickets and hotel room through their preferred agents or internet sites, we leave International air ticketing and hotel room booking up to the guests to arrange on their own. Tips: 1. As Druk Air operates from an airport that is "daylight restricted" and totally dependent on weather, flights can be sometimes delayed. Avoid tight connecting schedules for your ongoing flights and, if time permits, we also suggest that you spend a day or two in Bangkok, Delhi or Kathmandu to recover from jetlag, before joining the tour/trek in Bhutan. 2. Our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section has a wealth of information and tips on international flight booking and enroute stopover travel arrangements. Click here to have a look at it now... How do I choose a trip? You have three options: Option 1 Choose a Pre-designed Trip from our Trip Index Page. Option 2 Plan a Special Custom Private Group Trip using our easy step-by-step guidelines from our Plan a Trip Page Option 3 Short on Time? Just fill out our Trip Match Request Form and, we'll find and email brief itineraries of trips that best match your interest. How do I sign up for a trip? It's a simple three step process: Each traveler must complete and submit a visa application form with a US$300 deposit per person. We offer three easy ways to book a trip depending on which method is most comfortable for you. 1 Book online using our Online Reservation Form 2 Book through a Travel Agent Partner in your country. Email us for more info. 3 Fill out and complete the appropriate Private Group booking form from our Plan a Trip Page. How do I pay for my trip? You have two options: Option 1 Transfer the trip payment to a Citibank branch or an international bank in your country. Option 2 Transfer the payment one of our representative offices in the U.S.A. Find more details on trip payment option in our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section

Upon Arrival at Paro International Airport in Bhutan

Visa Upon arrival at Paro airport, you will have your Bhutanese visa stamped in your passport. You'll need to provide 2 passport photos and pay a visa fee of US$20. (As soon as we receive the completed visa application form, we will process your visa. Therefore, your visa has been already cleared and the concerned Druk Air offices informed in advance.) Customs Export of antiques, plants or animal products are strictly prohibited. You will have to fill out a customs declaration form listing all your electronic goods like cameras, Personal videos, personal computers, etc. and hand it over to the customs authorities on arrival at Paro airport. The carbon copy of the form will be returned to you. Don't lose this document as you will be required to present it to the customs official on the day of your departure from the country. Tour Guide and Driver After the visa and customs clearance, you'll meet your tour guide and driver. They will accompany you throughout your time in Bhutan. Return Travel Arrangement To the Airport On your departure day, transportation will be provided and, your tour guide and driver will accompany you to the airport. Airport tax Airport facilities charge of Nu. 300 (approx. US$10) is payable at departure time. Free Baggage Allowance You will have to make sure that your baggage is within the allowable weight (Druk Air: 20kgs - economy class & 30kgs - Executive class). If you have excess baggage you'll have to keep aside enough money for an excess baggage charge.

Insiders' Bhutan Trips

What kind of trips does Insiders' Bhutan offer? We offer both pre-designed and custom designed tours and treks. All our trips are all-inclusive packages. Travelers pay one price, and everything they need for a complete trip within Bhutan is included, leaving out-of-pocket expenses to a minimium. Trip Pricing? Pricing for all our all-inclusive tour/trek packages are based on the tarrif fixed by the government. All our trips are all-inclusive packages. Travelers pay one price, and everything they need for a complete trip within Bhutan is included, leaving out-of-pocket expenses to a minimium. There are also no additional taxes and other surprises. What's included in the price of Insiders' Bhutan trip? Everything: All lodging, double-occupancy, in the areas finest accommodations. All meals, Flexible handcrafted itineraries Expertise and services of experienced English-speaking guides Good camping equipment, experienced guides, support staff and porters for trekking trips. A maximum 8:1 guide-to-guest ratio. All land transportation. All entrance fees Pre-departure information and extras listed on trip itineraries. What is not included in the price of Insiders' Bhutan trip? International airfare and en route stopovers Druk Air airfare Excess baggage charges and airport taxes Visa fees (US$ 20 for two weeks) Departure taxes (approximately US$10) Transfers, expenses and services outside of Bhutan All types of personal expenses like Beverages (both alcoholic, soft drinks & bottled water), gratuities to trip leaders as deemed appropriate, laundry, mail, phone calls, and cables. Can I extend my trip? Yes, it is possible to link together two or more of our trips. There are plenty of opportunities to extend your trip with our trip extension options or by combining one of our cultural tours with a short trek. You will find more details about trip extension options on each trip itinerary summary page. You may also choose to combine your trip to Bhutan with a side trip to any of Bhutan's neighboring countries. For more information, check email us. You will find information and answers to the following questions in How we Travel/Operate and FAQ pages. What are standard accommodations on your trips? Who are our guides? What kind of transportation do you use? What kind of food do we eat?

Other Useful Information

Health Although no inoculations are required to enter Bhutan, you are advised to have your tetanus vaccination updated. Also recommended are typhoid and hepatitis A. Diarrhea and the upper respiratory tract infections (colds) are the most common illness acquired by travelers to Bhutan. Most of the times, it’s simply due to change in diet or climate. Come self-sufficient with all your usual medicines plus a thermometer, sleeping pills (altitude and time-change can hinder your sleeping), anti-nausea pills, anti-diarrhea pills, water purifying tablets, oral rehydration packets, eye drops, antibiotic ointment and anti-histamine ointment. Find more information on health and medical matters in our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section Clothing Because of the variety of climates you may encounter in one day, choose garments which can be layered. This means that the majority of your clothing can be worn in layers, so that you can put on more clothing if it is cold or take off layers as it warms up. In general, from June to September cottons and a good sweater will be enough, but from October to May you will need warm clothes including long underwear or woollen tights to wear under trousers, and a down jacket or a warm coat. Also don’t forget to bring an umbrella or a rain jacket. Comfortable sports shoes are highly recommended and mountain boots are necessary if you come on a trek or plan to hike up to Taktsang. In Bhutan, you can get sunburnt quite quickly. Don’t forget to include a sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and barrier cream for your nose and lips in your packing list. Find more information on clothing and packing in our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section Language Dzongkha, which is similar to Tibetan, is the official language. However, a growing proportion of the people, speaks English. The language of education in all schools throughout the country is English, so most educated people speak it fluently. Throughout the country, signs, books, menus, road signs, and even government official documents are written both in Dzongkha and English. Currency Bhutan’s unit of currency is Ngultrum, which is at par with Indian Rupee, which is also a legal tender in Bhutan. Click here to find out the current rate of exchange. Credit Cards & Exchanging Money Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted in almost all shops and hotels in Bhutan. Travelers check are accepted in most places. The money exchange counters at the airport, larger hotels, and the banks, can exchange cash and traveler’s checks. Don’t forget to change money before you travel east or leave for a trek. Find more information on money matters from our Trip Planning and Preparation Resources section. Tipping and Gifts More than most places in the world, small gifts are important in Bhutanese custom. If you are invited to a Bhutanese home, it is customery to bring a gift. Long argyle socks, ready-to-wear garment, perfume, make-up set, books, key-chains and other small souvenirs are welcome and highly appreciated. At the end of your trip, your tour guide and driver will appreciate a tip. Beside some money, you may also leave some of your used garment and personal items like warm jacket, t-shirts, socks, shoes, and other items that you do not wish to carry all the way back home. Telephone, Fax & Mail Bhutan has an excellent all-digital telephone system for international direct dialing (both telephone & fax). However, if you go on a trek, you will not be able call or fax anyone till you get back to a town. You can send or receive mail but it takes approximately 10 to 14 days to receive mail from anywhere in USA or Europe. Courier DHL and Bhutan Post (EMS) provide effecient international courier service to and from Bhutan. Internet & Email Unless you are on a trek in the mountains, most places you travel on cultural tours have some basic internet/email services. Shopping Foreign visitors will find Bhutan's exquisite postage stamps and various handmade products hard to resist. Among the most fascinating products are thangkha paintings, wooden masks and bowls, bamboo products, silver and metal crafts, and the most beautiful handloom textiles - all made employing ancient technique and skill passed down the generations. Buying and selling of antiques is strictly forbidden in the country. Photography There are several photo shops in Bhutan, but they do not sell equipment or accessories and the quality of their work is very unreliable. Bring as much film as you think you will need. You will be unhappy if you run out of film in Bhutan. Electricity The voltage in Bhutan is the same as in India, Thailand and Nepal: 230V, 50 cycles alternating current (AC). To use your U.S.-purchased electric-powered equipment, bring a converter and an adapter. Wall outlets take either two flat prongs, like outlets in the United States, or Continental-type plugs, with two round prongs. There are plenty of electrical shops in Thimphu that can make an adapter if you have trouble plugging in an appliance. Time Difference  Bhutan Standard Time with only one time zone is: 6 hours ahead of GMT; 1 hour ahead of Bangkok time; 30 minutes ahead of Indian time; and 15 minutes ahead of Nepal time. Click here to have a look at our time difference comparison chart Map and, Driving Time & Distance between various places The mode of transport within Bhutan is by motor vehicles only. There are no domestic airlines or trains. Motor roads are well maintained, and the main highway runs from west to east connecting all major sightseeing places. The mountainous terrain and winding road restrict the average speed of vehicles to less than 40 km/hour. Click here to have a look at our driving time & distance comparison chart Business Hours Government offices and most private offices open at 9 am and close at 5 pm in summer and 4 pm in the winter, Monday to Friday.

Travel Tools

Click here to look at the Time Difference Comparison Chart Click here to check the Monthly Average Highest & Lowest Temperatures Click here to check the Festival Dates Click here to check the Weather in Bhutan Click here to check the prevailing Foreign Exchange Rate (Use the curreny converter pop-up menu) Click here to check the Driving Time & Distance between various places Click here for a Bhutan Map

Related links

Contents of our Trip Planning and Preparation Resourses section: International Flight Enroute Stopover Arrangements online flight and hotel room booking, car rental, and airport guide Tips and Advice on Gateway Cities outside Bhutan: Kathmandu - Nepal, Bangkok - Thailand, and Delhi & Calcutta - India Health Matters and, Online Travel Insurance and Passport Sevice Agencies Money Matters Payment Options, Currency, Exchange rate Books and Travel Gear check out and buy books, maps and essential travel gear from any of the online stores listed on this page. Find tips on layering clothing and more... Contents of Insiders' Bhutan Travel Guide: History, Relegion, Culture and Festivals, People, Environment and Ecology, Places and Gross National Happiness. Contents of Insiders' Bhutan Customer Service & Support section: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - find answers to most commonly asked questions. Our contact information FAQ list - find answers to the following questions: General Questions Can I travel to Bhutan on my own and save some money? What kind of tourism policy you have in Bhutan? What about EcoTourism? What is Insiders' Bhutan? How can we trust you? How can I be sure I'll get what's promised in the intinerary by buying a package tour online? What kind of Guarantee do you provide, especially as we have to pay for the entire trip in advance? Why choose Insiders' Bhutan? I would like to plan a trip as a family reunion. Can you do that? Do you have special rates for groups? How do I pay for my trip? Do I need a visa and a passport to visit Bhutan? Will Insiders' Bhutan arrange my visa? How do I get to Bhutan? Will Insiders' Bhutan handle all my airline ticketing? What about Druk Air flight delays? Can I travel overland from India? Are all places and religious establishments open to tourists? What is the best time to visit Bhutan? Other companies say they offer the best customer service too. What sets Insiders' Bhutan apart? Questions about Insiders' Bhutan Trips What kind of trips does Insiders' Bhutan offer? In what language are your trips conducted? How do I know what each trip is really like? Can I create a custom itinerary and/or book a private trip? Can I form a group and take over one of your pre-designed trips? How do I choose a trip? Who travels with Insiders' Bhutan? Do you offer trips during off-season? Do you cancel any trip prior to departure for insufficient sign-up? What is a trek and how difficult are your treks? What is the best time to trek in Bhutan? What about Altitude? What is a Tour? And how difficult are your tours? Trip Pricing? What's included in the price of Insiders' Bhutan trip? What is not included in the price of Insiders' Bhutan trip? Do you charge for delayed arrival or departure? How do you accommodate guests of varying abilities? How long will we be active each day? Can I extend my trip? What are standard accommodations on your trips? If I'm traveling alone, can I have a private room? I'm traveling alone, will you match me with a roommate? Who are our guides? What kind of transportation do you use? What kind of food do we eat? Can I have access to Internet for web surfing or to send emails to friends, family or collegues at work? What about telephone, fax and mail? What will I need to bring? Do I have to carry my own luggage or gear on a trek or day hike? How large are your groups? I like what you advertise you do, can I correspond by email or talk to someone who has actually taken a trip with you? What do the past participants say about your trips? Questions about Reservation and Payments How far in advance do I need to book? How do I sign up for a trip? What deposit is required? How do I reserve my trip online? Tour Payment Schedule? Can I use my credit card to pay for my trip? In which currency do I make the payment? What are the accepted currencies in Bhutan? Do you offer any type of travel protection insurance? After I sign up for a trip, when will I receive more detailed information about my trip so I can start planning? Can I change my mind and transfer to another trip even after I've already made a reservation? What if I need to cancel my trip? What is your cancellation policy?

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A Quick Link to Insiders' Bhutan's Pre-Designed Trips

Tours Hiking/Walking the Hidden Splendors The Living Culture of Bhutan Of Monks & Monasteries Dances of the Gods (Festivals)

Treks Chomolhari - Jichu Drakye Trek Gangkar Phunsum Trek Bumthang Valley Cultural Trek Magical Lingshi Beautiful & Mystical Laya Druk Path Gangtey Trek Rodungla (Eastern Bhutan) Wild Lunana/Snowman Trek

Special Interest Biking in Bhutan Bidrwatching in Bhutan Bhutanese Textiles Fertility Blessing Bhutanese Wedding/Vow Renewal

SITE Index: Insidersbhutan.com At-a-Glance