SOUTH ASIA

Bhutan travel guides

Bhutan is visited with a licensed guide and a Sustainable Development Fee charged per night, and the rules shape every booking. These guides cover the visa and the fee, what a guide and driver cost, the western valleys of Paro, Thimphu and Punakha with the hike to Paro Taktsang, the tshechu festivals and the seasons, what a week costs all in, and a 7-day route that keeps road journeys to daylight.

Western Bhutan

Punakha Dzong beside the river, with jacarandas in purple flower along its walls

Destination guides

Each guide helps you decide whether a place fits your trip, how long to stay, where to sleep, what to eat and how to get there.

Western Bhutan

Paro, Thimphu and Punakha: the dzongs, passes and valleys of a first trip.

Paro Taktsang monastery on a cliff above a forested gorge under a blue sky

Paro · 2 nights in Paro at the end of a western Bhutan week; add a third for Chele La or a spare day before your flight

Paro and Tiger's Nest

Two nights in Paro: the Tiger's Nest hike with its fee, ponies and timings, Rinpung Dzong, the National Museum, Kyichu Lhakhang, Chele La, hotels and costs.

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Punakha Dzong with jacaranda trees in flower beside the river

Thimphu and Punakha · 4 nights: 2 in Thimphu, 2 in Punakha

Thimphu and Punakha

Two nights in Thimphu and two in Punakha: Buddha Dordenma, Tashichho Dzong at dusk, the drive over Dochula, Punakha Dzong and Chimi Lhakhang, with fees, hotels and costs.

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Gangtey Gonpa's main temple seen from its stone courtyard

Wangdue Phodrang · 2 nights in Phobjikha, after Punakha

Phobjikha Valley

Bhutan's crane valley beyond Punakha: when the black-necked cranes are there, Gangtey Gonpa, the nature trail, where to sleep and what two extra nights cost.

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Make the important choices first

Visa, fee and guide rules, festivals and seasons, and what a trip costs.

The whitewashed courtyard buildings of Punakha Dzong with carved wooden galleries

Western Bhutan · 7 days / 6 nights (Thimphu 2, Punakha 2, Paro 2)

First trip to Bhutan

A first week in Bhutan: the visa and nightly fee, why a certified guide comes along, the Paro, Thimphu and Punakha loop, money, SIMs, etiquette and daily costs.

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Road near Paro airport with a traditional Bhutanese gateway, green road signs and dry hills behind

Paro · Entry planning before you book; the visa allows up to 90 days from the date of entry

Entering Bhutan

Bhutan visa, the standard USD 100 nightly SDF to August 2027, certified guides and customs for UK and EU visitors.

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Paro town's buildings spread between rice fields and a braided river, seen from the forested hillside

Bhutan · 7 days, 6 nights: 2 in Thimphu, 2 in Punakha and 2 in Paro, arriving and leaving through Paro airport.

Bhutan trip cost

A Bhutan week for two: about USD 1,880 per person on a budget, USD 2,080 mid-range or USD 2,520 in four-star rooms, plus international flights.

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A black-necked crane on the winter grassland of the Phobjikha valley

Bhutan · Tshechus last three to five days; the Black-necked Crane Festival and Druk Wangyel Tshechu are one-day events

Bhutan festivals and events 2027

Tentative 2027 Bhutan festival dates: Punakha in February, Paro in March, Thimphu in October and the crane festival in November.

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Strings of red chillies hanging to dry across the painted wooden window of a Bhutanese house

Bhutan · Three meals a day on a guided week in Thimphu, Punakha and Paro, with a farmhouse lunch or a regional dish where your route allows

Bhutan food

What to eat in Bhutan: ema datshi, red rice, paa, momo and suja, how meals work on a guided tour, regional dishes and what a day of meals costs.

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Drukgyal Dzong on a ridge above village houses in the Paro valley, with snow-capped peaks behind

Bhutan · A seven-day trip through Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, in any month

Best time to visit Bhutan

When to visit Bhutan: dry spring and autumn, the June-September monsoon, clear winters, 2027 festival months and Paro and Thimphu weather by month.

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A painted truck on a narrow mountain road between Phuentsholing and Thimphu

Bhutan · Transport for a one- to two-week trip: international flights to Paro, land crossings, road transfers and domestic flights

Getting around Bhutan

Who flies to Paro from where, the land crossings from India, the guide's car, drive times between the valleys and domestic flights to Bumthang, Yonphula and Gelephu.

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The Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu under a blue sky

Bhutan · Start at least eight weeks before you fly: vaccines, insurance and an altitude check with a doctor

Health and safety in Bhutan

Altitude and trek rules, the insurance that covers evacuation, vaccines and where malaria and dengue occur, emergency numbers and the laws to know for a trip to Bhutan.

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The white National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu with its golden spire, blossom in the foreground and mountains behind

Bhutan · Set up before you fly: a licensed operator, a female guide if you prefer one, travel insurance and saved numbers

Solo female travel in Bhutan

Travelling alone as a woman in Bhutan: the UK, German and French advice, a female guide, the cost for one, free evenings, temple dress and 113.

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Routes with time to stay

A week through the western valleys by day.

Flooded rice paddies, farmhouses and the river across the floor of the Paro valley below forested hills

Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, western Bhutan · 7 days / 6 nights: Thimphu 2, Punakha 2, Paro 2

Bhutan in seven days

Two nights each in Thimphu, Punakha and Paro, with Dochula on day 3 and the Tiger's Nest hike on day 6: drive times, hotels, the fees and an all-in budget.

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