Bhutan travel FAQs

Every visitor except Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals needs a visa approved before arrival, pays US$40 for it once and US$100 per adult per night in Sustainable Development Fee, and travels with a certified guide. The rest is yours to choose. These are the questions guests send us before they book.

Before you book

Do I have to buy a package, or can I travel independently?

You do not have to buy a package, but you cannot travel unaccompanied: a Department of Tourism (opens in a new tab)-certified guide has to be with you at all times, even if you drive your own vehicle. In exchange, district route permits were abolished.

What is the best time of year to come?

Autumn, September to November, brings bright dry days after the monsoon and most of the festival season. Spring, March to May, is the flowering peak. Winter is sunny and cold, with snow above 3,000 m. The summer monsoon falls mainly on the south, where it disrupts roads. Month by month in best time to visit.

When are the tshechu festivals?

They run on the Bhutanese lunar calendar and move by weeks each year, so any date needs a year attached. Thimphu Tshechu ran 21-23 September 2026; Paro Tshechu falls on 18-22 March 2027. We re-check the list every year in our festival calendar and build trips around it on our festival tours.

Does Bhutan work for young children or older travellers?

Both, with sensible pacing. The nightly fee is free for under-6s and half price for ages 6-11, valley-to-valley drives are short, and the only real climb on our cultural tours is Tiger’s Nest.

Visa and the Sustainable Development Fee

How do I get the visa, and how long does it take?

Applications go through immi.gov.bt, directly or through a licensed operator or hotel. Bhutanese embassies do not issue tourist visas, and there is no visa on arrival. We need a digital copy of your passport, a recent passport photo, your arrival and departure dates and payment details; applications submitted correctly are reviewed within five working days. The US$40 fee is per person, once, non-refundable. The visa is valid up to 90 days from entry and extends online before it expires, using the original login, which we can do for you mid-trip.

How much is the Sustainable Development Fee?

Cancel or leave early and the SDF you have paid is refunded, less bank charges.

Is the SDF changing after August 2027?

The rate in the Tourism Levy Act is US$200 a night. A 50% concession holds it at US$100 from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2027, so trips from September 2027 onward need repricing once the government says what follows. Our visa and SDF guide tracks it.

Planning a trip? Ask us about your dates

What a trip costs, and how you pay

What does a week in Bhutan actually cost?

There is no minimum daily package rate any more. The Tourism Levy Act of 20 June 2022 abolished the old US$200-290 tariff and the US$65 royalty inside it, so hotels, guide, transport and meals are quoted separately and the SDF is the only fixed government charge. Hotels decide most of the rest. Worked examples in cost of travel.

Will my card work, and how much cash should I carry?

The ngultrum is pegged one to one with the Indian rupee. Visa and Mastercard work at banks and ATMs, and the goBoB and MyPay wallets take international cards. Carry cash away from Thimphu and Paro. You may bring in up to the equivalent of US$10,000. More in money and payments.

Getting to Bhutan and getting around

Which airlines fly here, and into which airports?

Drukair (opens in a new tab) flies to Paro from Bangkok, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Delhi, Singapore, Dhaka, Guwahati and Dubai. Bhutan Airlines (opens in a new tab), the private carrier, flies A319s from Bangkok, Kolkata, Kathmandu and Delhi. Paro is no longer the only way in: Gelephu took its first international flight on 8 December 2025, Drukair from Kolkata on Mondays and Fridays. Domestic airports at Yonphula, Bumthang and Gelephu cut out long drives. Routes in getting to Bhutan.

Why do Paro flights get delayed or cancelled?

Paro sits at 2,235 m (7,333 ft) with a single 2,265 m runway and peaks up to 5,500 m around it. Pilots fly in by sight, in daylight only, with extra limits on afternoon departures in windy months. Leave a buffer night before an onward long-haul connection.

Can I come overland from India?

Yes, and the visa rules are the same as flying in. Until August 2027 there is also a 24-hour SDF waiver for visitors staying inside the designated zones of Samtse, Phuentsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar.

Can I drive myself, and how long are the drives?

There is no self-drive rental for tourists; everyone travels in a hired vehicle with a driver. Paro to Thimphu is 50-55 km, about an hour. Thimphu to Punakha is 71-76 km but takes two to three hours, crossing Dochula pass at 3,100 m (10,200 ft) 45 minutes out of Thimphu.

The rules that catch people out

Can I book my own hotel, or an Airbnb?

Every tourist night has to be in Department of Tourism-certified accommodation: star-rated hotels from one star up, since one- and two-star hotels were admitted in 2023. Certified homestays count, and so do our tents at designated trekking sites. Private or uncertified places do not.

Can I get a SIM card or eSIM?

Bhutan Telecom sells tourist SIMs and eSIMs online and at its counters, Paro airport included. At the time of writing, unlimited data is Nu. 1,100 for 7 days or Nu. 1,900 for 14, and 3GB valid a month is Nu. 500. Registration needs a passport copy, and sockets take C, D and G plugs.

What should I wear, and can I photograph inside temples?

No dress code applies day to day, but dzongs and monasteries expect shoulders and knees covered. The restriction on visiting monuments on auspicious days was lifted on 1 June 2023. Photography inside altar rooms is often not allowed; your guide will say where to stop. See culture and etiquette.

What can I bring in: cigarettes, alcohol, a drone?

Tobacco has been on legal sale through licensed outlets since July 2021, and you may bring in up to 200 cigarettes on payment of duty, keeping the customs receipt. One bottle of alcohol up to a litre is duty-free, and Tuesdays are no longer dry days. Drones are out: Civil Aviation Authority approval reaches government bodies and the occasional licensed film crew, not visitors, and one declared at Paro customs is held until you leave.

Health, altitude and safety

How hard is the walk up to Tiger’s Nest?

Paro Taktsang sits at about 3,120 m (10,240 ft), 700-900 m above the trailhead near Ramthangkha, 12 km from Paro town. Four to five hours return is normal, with a stop at the cafeteria at about 2,950 m. Horses go that far and must be booked ahead. Detail in our Tiger’s Nest guide.

Will I feel the altitude?

Mildly, if at all, on a standard itinerary. Thimphu spans 2,248 m to 2,648 m, the highest capital in Asia, and the high points are brief: Dochula at 3,100 m, Chele La at 3,988 m (13,083 ft). Treks are another matter, and a restricted-area trek needs a certified trekking guide. See altitude and health and our trekking tours.

Is Bhutan safe, and what if I fall ill?

A certified guide and driver are with you throughout, and every place you sleep is certified. Emergency treatment at state hospitals, including the national referral hospital in Thimphu, is free even for visitors, though facilities thin out beyond Thimphu and Paro. Ambulance is 112, police 113, fire 110, and the tourist helpline is +975 17661974. The CDC’s standard list for Bhutan is hepatitis A and typhoid; raise rabies with your doctor, because of the stray dogs. Travel insurance stopped being a visa condition on 23 April 2024, but the Department of Tourism recommends it and so do we.

Ask us the one we have not answered

We answer every enquiry ourselves, from Thimphu, within 24 hours. If it is about your own dates, your knees on the Taktsang climb, or fitting Bumthang into nine days, send it to us. Otherwise, start with our tours.