The Kingdom of Bhutan is a tiny landlocked mountainous country in South Asia, located in the eastern Himalayas mountain range between Tibet (China) in the north and India in the south. You can visit to Bhutan either by air or by road, just depend on your choice.

By road: The only way is from India because the border with Tibet (China) is completely closed. Phuentsholing in Chukha district in the western south of Bhutan adjoining Jaigaon in West Bengal of India, Gelephu in Sarpang District in South Central Bhutan, adjoining Assam of India, and Samdrup Jongkhar in Samdrup Jongkhar district in South East of Bhutan adjoining Assam are only land border areas that open to tourists.

You have 03 options to get to the capital of Bhutan - Thimphu:

  • From Phuentsholing: you will travel around 171 km with estimated driving time is 6 hours.
  • From Gelephu: is much longer 243 km with driving time is around 8 hours
  • From Samdrup Jongkhar: is the longest trip (490 km), it will take you 12 hours

By air:  There are Druk Air –Royal Bhutan Airlines and Bhutan Airlines and the solely international airport Paro in Bhutan. Druk Air connects Bhutan Paro with Bagdogra, Kolkata, Delhi, Gaya, Guwahati of India, Dhaka( Bangladesh), Kathmandu ( Nepal), Bangkok (Thailand), and Singapore. Bhutan Airlines connects Paro with Delhi, Kolkota, Gaya, Kathmandu, and Bangkok. Their flight schedule is changed by season, but usually there are several flights per week from Kathmandu, Delhi, Singapore. Only the flight from Bangkok to Paro is every day. Bookings are made through your travel agent or online. Airport departure tax is included in airfare.

You should check your passport’s validity as it is required to remain valid for at least six months at the time of departure. In addition to that, all tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian passport holders) visiting Bhutan must have a valid visa clearance letter (VCL) issued by the Department of Immigration of Bhutan prior to boarding of flight. You will be asked to show a copy of the VCL at the time of check-in or otherwise, will be denied at the check-in counter. Noted that Druk Air and Bhutan airlines will not be liable for any claims arising thereto.

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