Bhutan Tour Packages
2026 – Prices & Itineraries

Our Bhutan Tour Packages and Prices

This is the first thing everyone wants to know, so let’s start there.

All prices are per person on twin sharing.

Short breaks — 2 to 3 nights

Mid-length trips — 4 to 5 nights

Longer trips — 6 to 7 nights

Bhutan Trip Cost from India

Your final bill has three parts, and only one of them shows up on the price tag.

1. The package itself

Two packages can both say “5 days, 4 nights” and cost twice as much as each other. The gap sits in four places:

• Hotel category — a budget 3-star versus a proper 4-star with valley views
• Meals — breakfast only, or breakfast and dinner throughout
• Guide — a driver-cum-guide, or a dedicated English-speaking guide for the whole trip
• Activities — whether the farmhouse dinner, hot stone bath and Punakha rafting are built in or charged extra

2. Government fees

Bhutan charges a Sustainable Development Fee that most first-time visitors forget to budget for:

• ₹1,200 per Indian adult, per night
• ₹600 per child aged 6 to 12
• Free for children under 6

It funds Bhutan’s free healthcare, free education and conservation work. It applies whether you fly in or drive in, and it compounds quickly — four nights for two adults is ₹9,600.

Bhutan also introduced a 5% GST on tourism services from 1 January 2026, covering hotels, guides, transport and meals. The SDF itself is exempt. Ask whether your quote already includes it.

3. What you spend on the ground

Tips for your guide and driver, the pony ride at Tiger’s Nest, shopping and any meals outside the package. Budget ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 per person.

A worked example

A couple taking Essential Bhutan, 5 days and 4 nights:

Flights or train fare to your entry point sit on top of this.

For context, that’s competitive with a week in Thailand once you account for the shorter travel time and the fact that there’s no visa to pay for.

Do You Need a Visa for Bhutan?

No. Indian citizens do not need a visa. But you do need permits, and you need the right ID.

The Documents That Work

Bhutan accepts exactly two documents from Indian adults:

• Indian passport with at least 6 months validity
• Original Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India

That’s the full list. Aadhaar, PAN cards and driving licences are not accepted. People are turned back at the Phuentsholing border every single month.

Children under 18 travelling without a passport need their original birth certificate, plus a school ID.

The Two Permits

Most travellers only know about the first one.

Entry Permit — free. Covers Thimphu and Paro. Apply online at immi.gov.bt ahead of travel, or get it on arrival at Paro airport or the Phuentsholing immigration office.

Route Permit — also free, and required for anywhere beyond Thimphu and Paro. That includes Punakha, Dochula Pass, Phobjikha and Bumthang. It’s issued in Thimphu on working days only, Monday to Friday.

That last detail matters. If your itinerary has you arriving Friday evening and driving to Punakha on Saturday, the paperwork can’t be processed. We sequence every itinerary around the immigration office calendar, but it’s worth asking any operator which day your Route Permit is being handled.

If You’re Not an Indian Citizen

Nationals of most other countries need a visa, must book through a licensed Bhutanese operator, and pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night, plus a one-time USD 40 visa fee. Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals have their own reduced rates.

How Many Days Do You Need in Bhutan?

Because the SDF is charged per night, every extra day has a hard floor cost. Choosing the right Bhutan tour itinerary length matters more here than in most destinations.

3 Nights — Thimphu and Paro

Two nights in Thimphu for the Buddha Dordenma, Tashichho Dzong and the Takin Preserve, then one night in Paro for the Tiger’s Nest hike.

It’s tight. You’ll climb on your last full day and you won’t reach Punakha. But for a long weekend, it works.

Best for: first-timers testing the waters, tight budgets, travellers from Kolkata, Bagdogra or Guwahati.

4 to 5 Nights — The Same Circuit, Properly Paced

The extra night in Paro changes the trip. You get a rest day before the Tiger’s Nest instead of hiking on tired legs, time for Chele La Pass, and space to sit in Paro town rather than rush through it.

Best for: couples, photographers, anyone who dislikes being hurried.

6 to 7 Nights — Adding Punakha

This is where we’d steer most people. Punakha sits 1,000 metres lower than Thimphu, so it’s warmer and greener, and Punakha Dzong at the river confluence is the most beautiful building in the country.

You also cross Dochula Pass to get there, which on a clear morning is the best mountain view of the whole trip.

Best for: families, and anyone who wants the complete western Bhutan circuit.

Longer — Phobjikha and Bumthang

Beyond seven nights you can add the crane valley at Phobjikha, or push into Bumthang in central Bhutan. We build these as custom extensions.

Be realistic about the driving. Thimphu to Bumthang is a full day on mountain roads.

When Is the Best Time to Visit Bhutan?

Spring, March to May

The postcard season. Rhododendrons erupt across the hillsides, apple and peach blossom fills the Paro valley, and daytime temperatures sit between 15°C and 22°C. Paro Tshechu, Bhutan’s most photographed festival, falls in this window.

Book three to four months ahead. Hotels genuinely sell out.

Autumn, September to November

Post-monsoon air is the clearest of the year. This is when you actually see the high Himalaya from Dochula rather than a cloud bank. Thimphu Tshechu falls here, and the black-necked cranes arrive in Phobjikha from late October.

Equally busy. Same advice on booking early.

Winter, December to February

Underrated, and our quiet recommendation to anyone who packs properly. Visibility is at its absolute best, crowds vanish, hotel rates soften, and Punakha stays mild because of its lower altitude.

The trade-off is sub-zero nights in Thimphu and the occasional pass closure after snow.

Monsoon, June to August

Rain, slippery roads and the highest chance of Paro flight delays. In exchange: impossibly green valleys, almost no other tourists and the lowest prices on the calendar. Build a buffer day into any monsoon Bhutan tour itinerary.

Timing Your Trip Around a Festival

A tshechu is a religious festival held in a dzong courtyard, where masked dances passed down for centuries are performed and entire villages turn out in their finest woven kira and gho.

• Paro Tshechu (March/April) — ends with the pre-dawn unfurling of a giant embroidered thongdrel, displayed for only a few hours
• Thimphu Tshechu (September/October) — the largest by attendance
• Punakha Drubchen and Tshechu (February) — re-enacts a 17th-century battle, with armoured warriors on horseback
• Jambay Lhakhang Drup (November, Bumthang) — famous for a midnight fire ceremony
• Black-Necked Crane Festival (11 November, Gangtey) — school children perform crane dances as the birds settle in for winter

Bhutan follows a lunar calendar, so dates shift each year and are confirmed only a few months out. Never book non-refundable flights around a festival date you found on a blog. Ask us to confirm it first.

What Will You Actually See?

Paro

Your likely entry point, and far more than an airport town.

• Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) — a monastery clinging to a cliff 900 metres above the valley floor, built in 1692 around the cave where Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated. The hike takes 4 to 6 hours round trip.
• Rinpung Dzong — a working fortress-monastery, reached across a traditional cantilever bridge
• National Museum (Ta Dzong) — inside a circular former watchtower
• Kyichu Lhakhang — 7th century, one of Bhutan’s oldest temples
• Chele La Pass — at roughly 3,988 metres, the highest motorable pass in the country

Thimphu

The world’s only capital city without a traffic light. A white-gloved policeman directs traffic from a painted booth, and the city voted to keep him there.

• Buddha Dordenma — a 51.5-metre bronze Buddha holding 125,000 smaller Buddha statues inside
• Tashichho Dzong — seat of government, beautifully lit after dark
• Motithang Takin Preserve — home to Bhutan’s genuinely strange national animal
• Memorial Chorten — where locals circle every morning; the best place in Bhutan to simply sit and watch
• Weekend Market — Friday to Sunday, worth restructuring your itinerary for
• Bhutan Post Office — where you can print your own photograph onto a legally valid Bhutanese stamp

Punakha

The former capital, and for many travellers the highlight of the trip.

• Punakha Dzong — built in 1637 where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, framed by purple jacaranda in spring. Venue of the royal wedding in 2011.
• Chimi Lhakhang — the fertility temple of Drukpa Kunley, the “Divine Madman,” reached on a short walk through mustard fields
• Punakha Suspension Bridge — one of Bhutan’s longest, and gloriously wobbly
• Mo Chhu rafting — gentle grade 2–3, fine for beginners and families

Dochula Pass

At 3,100 metres between Thimphu and Punakha, holding 108 memorial chortens. On a clear winter morning the eastern Himalaya lines up in front of you. Stop for tea.

Phobjikha Valley

A wide glacial bowl that feels nothing like the rest of Bhutan. Several hundred endangered black-necked cranes migrate here from Tibet each winter, arriving late October and leaving by late February. The valley deliberately keeps power lines underground to protect their flight paths.

Bumthang, Haa and Phuentsholing

Bumthang is Bhutan’s spiritual heartland, four valleys deep in the centre, with the 7th-century Jambay Lhakhang and an unexpectedly good brewery and cheese factory.

Haa Valley only opened to visitors in 2002 and still sees a fraction of Bhutan’s tourists. Reached over Chele La from Paro.

Phuentsholing is the border town where India ends and Bhutan begins mid-street. If you’re arriving overland, it’s your first night.

Things to Do, and What to Eat

Ask us to build at least two of these into your itinerary:

• Traditional hot stone bath — river stones heated in a fire, dropped into a wooden tub with artemisia leaves. After the Tiger’s Nest hike, it is transformative.
• Try archery — the national sport, shot at targets 145 metres away, with singing and dancing when someone hits
• Wear a gho or kira — most hotels can arrange it
• Farmhouse lunch with a local family — the best cultural experience in the country
• Trekking — the Druk Path Trek from Paro to Thimphu takes 5 to 6 days over high lakes and ridgelines
• Shopping — handwoven textiles, thangka paintings, handmade daphne-bark paper, yathra wool from Bumthang

On the food: Bhutanese cooking is chilli-forward in a way that surprises even Indian travellers. Chillies are treated as a vegetable, not a spice.

• Ema datshi — chillies stewed in cheese, the national dish
• Kewa datshi and shamu datshi — gentler potato and mushroom versions
• Red rice — nutty and slightly sticky, grown in the Paro valley
• Momos, phaksha paa, suja (salty butter tea) and ara (home-distilled spirit)

Hotel buffets tend to be toned down for visitors. Ask your guide to arrange one authentic local meal. It’s usually free to request and it changes the trip.

How to Reach Bhutan from India

By Air

Only two airlines fly into Paro: Drukair and Bhutan Airlines. Direct routes from India include Delhi (around 1 hour 45 minutes), Kolkata (around 1 hour 10 minutes), Guwahati (around 55 minutes), Bagdogra (around 50 minutes, limited frequency) and Bodh Gaya seasonally in winter.

One thing to know about Bhutan tour packages with flight: Paro sits at 2,235 metres in a narrow valley and operates under visual flight rules, meaning pilots must see the valley to land. Cloud and wind cause delays, especially in monsoon. Keep a buffer day before any onward international connection.

The descent into Paro is one of the great commercial approaches in aviation. Ask for a left-side window seat flying in.

Our packages are quoted land-only, so you book flights on the dates and fares that suit you — or ask us to add them. Paro fares swing sharply with season, so keeping them separate usually works out better than a bundled price.

By Road

Enter via Jaigaon in West Bengal into Phuentsholing. From Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri it’s roughly 4 to 5 hours to the border, then around 6 hours on to Thimphu.

This suits travellers from West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and the Northeast, anyone wanting to skip Paro airfare, and those combining Bhutan with Darjeeling, Kalimpong or Gangtok. Our Phuentsholing-entry packages build in a border night so the first day isn’t brutal.

Which Bhutan Tour Package Is Right for You?

For Couples

Bhutan is an unusually strong honeymoon destination, and not for the obvious reasons. There’s no nightlife competing for attention, no beach circuit, no shopping district to lose an afternoon in. What’s left is scenery, silence and each other.

Prioritise a private vehicle over a shared coach, two nights in Paro so the Tiger’s Nest isn’t squeezed against departure, and late March to early April for jacaranda in Punakha.

Essential Bhutan (from ₹16,913) is our most popular starting point for a Bhutan tour package for couple travel. Royal Bhutan and Dragon’s Nest step up the hotel category and add meals.

For Families

The Tiger’s Nest hike is the deciding factor. Ponies can be hired for the uphill leg only; everyone walks down. The cafeteria at the halfway point has an excellent monastery view and is a perfectly respectable turnaround.

Our Bhutan Family Package (7 days, 6 nights, from ₹29,515) covers Phuentsholing, Thimphu, Punakha and Paro at a pace that works with children, with a non-hiking alternative built into the Tiger’s Nest day.

For Groups and Solo Travellers

Bhutan group tour packages give you fixed departures, a shared coach, a guide throughout and predictable costs. Good if you’re travelling solo and want company, or you’d rather someone else make every decision.

Wonders of Bhutan (8 days, 7 nights, from ₹39,999) is our most complete circuit — Phuentsholing, Thimphu, Punakha and two nights in Paro, guided end to end.

For Senior Travellers

Altitude and walking distance matter more than age. Thimphu sits at 2,334 metres, and most dzongs involve stairs. A 5-night itinerary with a rest day, a private vehicle and a halfway turnaround at the Tiger’s Nest works well. Tell us about mobility needs when you enquire and we’ll adjust the pacing.

What to Know Before You Go

• Currency: the Ngultrum is pegged 1:1 to the Rupee, and rupees are widely accepted. Carry ₹100 notes and below beyond the first ₹25,000.
• Cash: ATMs exist in Thimphu, Paro and Punakha but are unreliable. Bring cash.
• Altitude: take the first day slowly, especially arriving by air into Paro.
• Layers: valleys swing 15°C between morning and afternoon, in every season.
• Dress code: dzongs and temples need covered shoulders, long trousers or skirts, and shoes off inside.
• Smoking: heavily restricted in public, with real fines.
• Connectivity: Indian SIMs don’t roam usefully. Buy a Bhutanese SIM at the border or airport.
• Insurance: not mandatory, but worth it given Paro’s weather delays.

Ready to Plan Your Bhutan Trip?

Give Bhutan six or seven nights if you can. Time it around a tshechu. Spend a night in Punakha. Hike as far up to the Tiger’s Nest as your legs allow, and eat one meal in someone’s farmhouse.

We run 16 Bhutan tour packages from ₹11,607 per person, covering everything from a 3-night Thimphu and Paro break to an 8-day guided circuit through Punakha.

Tell us your travel dates, group size and budget, and we’ll send an itemised quote hotels named, government fees shown separately, permits sequenced correctly, and nothing waiting to appear on the final invoice.