Plain answers about visiting Bhutan.

All international travellers (other than Indian, Bangladeshi, and Maldivian nationals on the separate regional regime) require a Bhutan visa, issued by the Department of Tourism. The visa is arranged by a licensed Bhutanese operator, and we manage the application on your behalf once your booking is confirmed. Indian, Bangladeshi, and Maldivian nationals enter under a different process with separate fees.

Paro is the only international airport. Two carriers fly in: Drukair (KB) and Bhutan Airlines (B3). Common routings from Asia include Bangkok, Singapore, Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai; Drukair adds Kathmandu and Dhaka. Schedules are limited and capacity-constrained, so we hold a Drukair seat-block for confirmed bookings and ticket on your behalf at the prevailing rate.

Four seasons, each with its own character. Spring (March–May) brings the rhododendron and jacaranda bloom; autumn (September–November) gives the clearest skies and festival peak; Green Bhutan (June–August) is wetter, quieter, and lush; Clear-Sky Bhutan (December–February) is cold but offers the year's strongest Himalayan visibility. October and April are the most-asked-for months; January for photographers willing to layer; June for travellers who want the country to themselves.

A week in Bhutan (7 nights) is the right shape for most travellers: Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, and back to Paro for the Tiger's Nest. Five nights works for anniversaries and milestone trips; ten nights opens up Gangtey (Phobjikha) and slower pacing. We don't sell trips under five nights as a Bhutan journey; the country asks for the time.

Paro sits at 2,200 m, Thimphu at 2,300 m, Punakha at 1,200 m. Dochu La (the pass between Thimphu and Punakha) crosses 3,100 m; Tiger's Nest (Taktsang Palphug) tops at 3,120 m. None of these requires special preparation, but if you have any altitude history, tell us at intake and we'll pace the days accordingly. We don't take travellers above 4,000 m on our Year-1 itineraries.

Bhutan is among the safest destinations in Asia, including for solo women travellers and families with children. There is no organised street crime in any of our circuit towns. Children aged seven and up handle Bhutan comfortably; we pace the days for the slowest natural walker in the party.

The SDF is a per-person, per-night fee set by the Royal Government of Bhutan. It funds free healthcare and education for Bhutanese citizens, conservation, and cultural preservation, the funding mechanism of the country's high-value-low-volume tourism model. The current international rate is USD 100/night/adult (confirmed through August 2027). India is on a separate regime at Nu 1,200/night, Bangladesh at USD 15, Maldives at the international rate. Children 6–12 are at 50%; under 6 are exempt. SDF is included in every proposal we send, never an add-on at the door.

Three tiers. Premium starts at around USD 5,000 per traveller for a week in Bhutan. Luxury starts at around USD 8,000 per traveller, the band most clients choose. Signature is by invitation, from around USD 14,000 per traveller; reserved for senior guides, the most considered lodge selection, and the highest level of in-country support. All-inclusive of accommodation, your matched guide, private vehicle, SDF, monument and permit fees, and visa processing. International flights to Paro are quoted separately.

A 30% deposit confirms the booking; the balance is due 30 days before arrival. Cancellations made more than 60 days out are refundable less a small administrative fee; closer to arrival, sliding refund terms apply (we share the full table in the proposal). Date changes within reason are accommodated without penalty.

We invoice in USD by default. Indian clients can pay via INR wire to our partner-side accounts; we settle SDF and other Royal Government fees in Nu directly. Other currencies are accepted via standard wire or Stripe; we don't add foreign-exchange margin on top of the published USD price.

Our journeys today cover Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, and (for trips of seven nights and longer) Gangtey in the Phobjikha valley. This is where Bhutan's most considered lodges sit, where our most senior guides live, and where the country's foremost cultural and natural touchpoints are. East Bhutan and Bumthang are extraordinary but logistically slower, and we don't recommend them for a first visit. We'll open these routes in a later year.

Not as a Year-1 standard journey. The Snowman is a 23-day high-altitude trek requiring specialised preparation; we partner with dedicated trek operators for the rare client who's truly ready. East Bhutan and Bumthang we'll add when our guide network can support that breadth with the same standard we promise on Bhutan. Ask us if it's truly the right trip for you, and we'll either route you to a specialist or honestly tell you the season isn't right yet.

Three reliably. Paro Tshechu falls in late March or the first week of April. Thimphu Tshechu falls in late September or the first week of October. Punakha Drubchen (followed by Punakha Tshechu) falls in February or early March. Festival dates are set on the Bhutanese lunar calendar and shift each year by five to ten days; we confirm the year-specific dates in your proposal and pace the week around them if your dates align.

We run a closed, curated network of master Bhutanese guides, around fifty and no more, matched to each trip by languages, specialty, party composition, and the texture of the trip you're after. Your guide is named in the proposal before you confirm; we change the match if it doesn't feel right. The guide is the same person for the whole week, from the airport to the airport.

Yes. If you've travelled with a Bhutanese guide before and want to continue with them, name them in the intake and we'll work to secure them if they're in our network and available for your dates. We also accept honest preferences (a guide with deep Buddhist philosophy background, a birding specialist, a photography veteran) and will match to that brief.

We are a licensed Bhutanese tour operator running a premium concierge model: hand-picked itineraries, senior matched guides, full visa and SDF handling, and a senior-team review of every proposal before it reaches a client. The "Private" is the operational discipline: small numbers, hand-picked guides, no marketplace, no template trips. Every journey is written specifically for one traveller or party.

The licensed entity is registered in the Kingdom of Bhutan; senior team members have over twenty years' guiding and operating experience in-country. We don't oversell our age; premium Bhutan operators measure tenure in decades. We measure ours in considered relationships with the lodges and guides who define quality.