5-Day Itinerary for Bhutan
Things to Note Before Travel
- Indians do not need Visa for Bhutan. Its enough to carry your passport. One can show passport and get the permit stamped in the tourist center. Voters Card is also valid
- Indian travelers need to pay a Sustainability Development Fee (SDF) of 1200 per day per person.
- Taking a guide is mandatory. One can get assigned a guide at the tourist center at the Phuentsholing border. We booked through a travel agent who arranged a guide along with car with driver for the full trip. That is the most preferred option.
- If you travel by land border through Phuentsholling, the car booked on the India side will drop you till the border. There will be a separate car and driver to be appointed across the border.
- Indian Currency is accepted at all places. And no hassles in calculations. 1 INR = 1 Nu (Bhutanese Nugultram). At some places even google pay/ UPI is accepted.
Our Itinerary was as follows:
Day 0: Arrival in Bagdogra, drive to Phuentsholing, overnight stay in Phuentsholing
Day 1: Drive from Phuentsholing to Thimphu. Overnight at Thimphu
Day 2: Day trip to Punakha and back. Overnight at Thimphu
Day 3: Sightseeing in Thimphu, drive to Paro. Overnight at Paro
Day 4: Spend day in Paro. Overnight at Paro.
Day 5: Early Morning Departure to Kolkata
Day 0: Arrival in Bagdogra, drive to Phuentsholing, overnight stay in Phuentsholing
We arrived in Bagdogra airport in the afternoon where the car arranged by our travel agent picked us up and we set-off on a four drive to the India-Bhutan border in Phuentsholing. This would drop us on the India side of the border where we would be met by our driver and guide from Bhutan. We would cross the land border, do the immigration formalities and be picked up by a another car on the Bhutan side which would take us around for the next four days. Kinley and Leki would be our driver and guide for the next four days in Bhutan.
Day 1: Drive from Phuentsholing to Thimphu. Overnight at Thimphu
Another journey day. First job was to get a couple of Tashicell local sim cards from the local shop. Then we embarked on a beautiful drive through the hills towards Thimphu. The air was pristine, road quality was excellent and of course the scenery was a treat to watch with greenery all around.
On the way we stopped at the Gedu Stupa, which gave us a first taste of Bhutan. The was followed by a lunch break at the ‘Divine Midway Food and Lodge’ where we had some Chicken Paa, a Bhutanese special dish for lunch.
We reached Thimphu through some scenic roads and checked in to the Access Suites. Throughout the trip our accommodation would include breakfast and dinner.
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Day 2: Day trip to Punakha and back. Overnight at Thimphu
Today our plan is to go for a day trip to Punakha. This would be a two-hour drive through the Dochula Pass which is at a height of 3100m. From there we descend to 1200m at Punakha.
The primary point of interest in Punakha is the Punakha Dzong.
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Day 3: Sightseeing in Thimphu, drive to Paro. Overnight at Paro
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Day 4: Spend day in Paro. Overnight at Paro
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Day 5: Early Morning Departure to Kolkata