Trip to Bhutan

Hello All,

My wife and I are planning a trip to Bhutan in 2008. We had considered Tibet and Nepal but with all the political and social issues we have turned to Bhutan. Is the expense of travelling to Bhutan worth it?

Trip to Bhutan

Absolutely worth it.

My wife and I just returned from Bhutan in late May from a 2 week cultural and trekking tour. Between my wife and I we have visited almost 50 countries. Bhutan was easily one of the most enjoyable trips. When you consider what you get for that expense, it is not an expensive trip. Almost all of your costs are included.

The only things that I would caution you about is that we heard there are discussions of increasing the minimum touring fees to visit Bhutan, and the increase may be significant. Also, check with numerous tour operators before settling with any one. Most are good to very good, but I think there are a few that just offer boilerplate itineraries.

Trip to Bhutan

Wander:

My wife and I are also exploring the possibility of a visit to Bhutan in the fall 2008. We spent 10 days in Nepal and Tibet in late October last year. We flew from Kathmandu to Lhasa and worked our way back to Kathmandu overland with a guide and driver. We encountered no problems whatsoever and had a great time. The scenery, monestaries and people were out of this world. So put it on your list.

Regarding Bhutan, I have spent time monitoring this forum for thoughts and ideas. I have found it quite useful. I think Jhshin has the right idea about making your own flight arrangements to Bhutan, and then working with a local agency. I will probably make direct contact with him and a couple of other posters to get some idea of their experience with the local agencies.

On our Tibet trip, we flew via Bangkok utilizing the Thai Airways JFK - BKG non stop. We%26#39;ll probably repeat that for our Bhutan unless we decide to visit friends in Delhi. Those appear to be the take off points for Druk Air flights.

Good luck with your plans.

Hello to all,

Just a remark concerning the flights. Your local agent will reserve your flight into Bhutan from either Bangkok or Delhi, so you have to take care only of the other flights. You can border the plane to Bhutan only after visa-clearance, which is arranged by your agent. Just have a good look at the timetables, as not every day there are flights. www.drukair.com.bt

The flight from Delhi is great, along the Himalayas and a spectacular landing which drops you right into another world.

Bhutantraveler:

Many thanks for the tips on booking the air travel. One less thing to deal with!

lancome