One Month in Bhutan - Too Much?

As the title says, we are planning to spend one month in Bhutan. Is that too much?

We want to go in January when there%26#39;s snow. Will that cause a problem in moving between cities?

Is it possible to change hotels when you are in Bhutan? We hear that we have to pay a lump sum to one travel agency/hotel throughout the stay.

Can we still get tickets on Druk Air if we book 3 months before the departure date?

One Month in Bhutan - Too Much?

I%26#39;d guess it is too much money!

As always with a trip to Bhutan, start with looking for a travelagent,he%26#39;ll prepare the itinary, hotels and flights as well. If you%26#39;re not in festival time, it might be less crowded on the planes.

If you wat to change hotels when in Bhutan, it depends on availability. There are not so many hotelrooms at all, but again, January might be low in tourist influx.

The lump sum is for all your hotels, meals, driver and car, guide entrance fees and trekking crew as well.After 10 nights there is a certain discount, but I%26#39;d think that a whole month is going to be very expensive.

In Bhutan there is only one city, Thimphu, and not like you might know cities in the world. Driving east towards Bumthang and further east from there might be slowed down by snow. Best is to ask your travelagent.

Can you tell us what you plan to do during that month,and afterwards give your opinion and trip report?

One Month in Bhutan - Too Much?

What I don%26#39;t get is, if a hotel cost $500 per day, then does that mean we should still pay $250 on top of the $500?

Hi Terrence,

1. Spending one month in Bhutan depends on what you want to do.Actually I think you could see most part of the country in 1 month.

2.It won%26#39;t be of much trouble getting around at that time.It%26#39;s gonna be real cold in some places like phobjikha and bumthang.

3.About hotel, I think you should be able to change. It depends on the travel agents you get. Some of them are pretty flexible. You can tell them( travel agent) you want to choose the hotels after you enter the country( should not be a problem in January).

4.About druk-air, since January is not a busy tourist season, you should be able to get the seats( even 1 month before departure). But your travel agent takes care of ticketing.

5.In your $200 tariff, food+lodge+transportation+guide is included.If you intend to stay in luxury hotels then you have to pay by yourself and you should be getting discount on the tarrif part.

Hope my reply cleared your doubts..Have a great time planning your trip to Bhutan.

Thanks Ugyen for the helpful reply.

I understand that $250 should cover 3 meals and accommodation. I am not clear about the 3 meals part.

Does it mean we can dine at any restaurant for free as long as it%26#39;s three meals per day?

Hi Terrence,

It really depends on your travel agent.Some agents offer flexibility and some do not. Unfortunately some agents restrict their clients meals to their respective hotels. But, typically the three meals per day does mean just in tourist standard hotels(but not the luxury hotels) However, each agent is different. So I suggest you clarify with your agent.

Typically you end up having breakfast at the hotel where you stay. Lunch is where the guide suggest as per the activity for the day and dinner back to the hotel.

As you head towards eastern part of the country, there are not many local restaurants where you can dine out. So you end up having all three meals at the hotel where you stay.

Any ways, make yourself very clear with your agent what is included with the meal like water and other beverages. If included, how many in a day etc.

Any questions let me know. I am happy to help you.

In Paro and Thimphu we had lunch and dinner in local restaurants. Our guide asked us what kind of food we wanted and took us to the right place. Further east, where there are no restaurants, we had dinner in the hotel, which usually was o.k. Lunch was on the way in the only restaurant available, like DochuLa, Punakha, Chenebji, Trongsa. And we liked picknic-lunches too, so when the hotels were willing to give us, we took the food for a nice spot next to the road.

As I mentioned before to some posters, Bhutan is not known for the ultimate culinary experience, but the food is filling and tasty.Mostly buffet-style and cooked rice and vegetables, meat- or cheese filled dumplings, some chicken or porc too.Also during treks you%26#39;ll get cooked meals, surprisingly varied and good.

What are you planning to do during one month? Do you have a trek-plan? I%26#39;d advise you to start with finding a tour operator, who can give you an itinary and answer most of your questions concerning hotels.He can reserve your tickets for the flights and prepare the trip according to your wishes.

Thank you for the reply.

Yeah I am in the process of finding one. Emailed several of them, Chhundu seems to be the most honest as they say that visitors staying above 20 nights are entitled to discount. But I%26#39;ve yet to receive a reply.

Yeah definitely trekking and hopefully some homestays.

I have recently spent 8 days in Bhutan. If you do not intend to treck then one month in Bhutan will be more than enough to see the sights. It might even be too long.

Any stay and flights and visa will have to be booked through a Bhutanese travel agent. You can discuss with them your hotel%26#39;choices%26#39; however you will have to pay %26#39;on top%26#39; for the luxury hotels. If you stay in standard hotels you can( in the towns) always insist upon eating out of the hotel to avoid the %26#39;hot buffet%26#39; which although OK cannot be recommended.In low season you can easily change hotels if you are not happy however in high season as there are few beds you will not be able to.Bhutanese hotels range (in the same price package)from being OK to very grim.

The discount is for more than 10 nights, from night 11 on. You can discuss a larger discount for staying one month. Success.

Discounts

a. DIPLOMATS from foreign embassies/missions accredited to Bhutan shall be given a 25% discount on the daily rates.

b. There shall be no charge for CHILDREN up to the age of 5 years. However, those between the ages of 6-12 years accompanied by elders/ guardians shall be given 50% discount on daily rates.

c. Full time STUDENTS below the age of 25 years holding valid identity cards from their academic institutions shall also be given a 25% discount on daily rates.

d. A discount of 50% on daily rates shall be given to one person in a group of 11 to 15 people. 100% discount shall be given to one member in a group exceeding 16 persons.

e. A discount of 10% on the daily rates shall be provided for halts between 11 to 20 nights and 20% discount on halts beyond 21 nights.

f. Visitors availing discounts under Sections A, B %26amp; C shall not be eligible for discount under E.

g. Detailed information on Druk Air flights, tour and trekking programmes, festivals, places of interest, hotels etc can be obtained from the tour operators.