Bhutan tourism runs on one simple idea: fewer visitors, treated well, on a land that stays unspoiled. You’ll need a permit, a licensed guide beyond Paro and Thimphu, and a daily Sustainable Development Fee. We handle all of it. You just choose the trip. Indian and foreign travellers both welcome, both sorted.

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Why Travellers Choose Bhutan

Bhutan is not a place you rush. It is prayer flags snapping over a river gorge, the butter-lamp smell inside a 17th-century dzong, and roads that climb through pine and rhododendron with almost no traffic on them. Thimphu is the only world capital with no traffic lights. A policeman still directs cars by hand, and somehow it works.

What surprises most first-timers is the quiet. No billboards. No horns for the sake of horns. You feel it within an hour of leaving the airport.

The country caps its impact on purpose. Roughly 70% of Bhutan is under forest, well above the 60% its constitution demands, and the whole kingdom runs largely on hydropower. This is why the fees exist, and once you’re there, you understand what they buy.

Bhutan tour packages for every kind of traveller

We build and run the trips ourselves, so what you see is what you get. Couples, families, first-timers, festival-chasers and slow travellers who want three nights in one valley instead of six one-night hops.

Most people start with a 5-to-7-night route covering Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, with the Tiger’s Nest hike as the finale. Add Phobjikha or Bumthang if you have more days and want the country to slow you down.

See all Bhutan tour packages and prices → 

Do you need a visa or permit for Bhutan?

This is where the top travel sites get vague, so here is the clean version. The rules for Indian nationals and foreign nationals are genuinely different.

If you are an Indian national

• No visa. You travel on an entry permit. You’ll need one of two documents: a valid Indian passport with at least six months’ validity, or your original Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India. For children under 18 without a passport, carry the original birth certificate.
• Two things the other sites skip:
• The entry permit only covers Thimphu and Paro. To go anywhere further, Punakha, Phobjikha, Bumthang, you need a separate route permit, issued at the Thimphu immigration office on working days only (Monday to Friday). Plan around that, or travel with an operator who arranges it for you so a weekend doesn’t cost you a day.
• You also pay a Sustainable Development Fee of ₹1,200 per person per night. One useful exemption: if you only visit the border towns of Phuentsholing, Samtse, Gelephu or Samdrup Jongkhar for up to 24 hours, no SDF applies.

If you are a foreign national (non-Indian)

You need a visa, applied for online before travel, and it’s tied to your booking through a licensed operator like us. The Sustainable Development Fee is USD 100 per person per night. Citizens of Bangladesh and the Maldives follow separate rules closer to the Indian process.

For everyone, beyond Paro and Thimphu a licensed Bhutanese guide is mandatory, and travel insurance is required for entry.

What a Bhutan trip actually costs

These are the government-set fees, current for 2026. Package prices sit on top and depend on hotel category, season and group size.

Cost item	Indian national	Foreign national (non-Indian)
Visa	Not required (entry permit)	Required, applied online
Sustainable Development Fee	₹1,200 per person / night	USD 100 per person / night
SDF, children 6 to 12	50% off	50% off
SDF, children 5 and under	Free	Free
Licensed guide (beyond Paro/Thimphu)	Mandatory	Mandatory
Travel insurance	Required	Required

The SDF is the number people miss when they compare quotes. On a 6-day, 5-night trip, an Indian traveller pays roughly ₹6,000 in SDF alone (₹1,200 × 5 nights), a foreign traveller about USD 500 (USD 100 × 5 nights), on top of hotels, transport, guide and flights. The current USD 100 rate is a discounted rate, held down from a base of USD 200 and fixed until 31 August 2027, so foreign travellers planning ahead have a clear window.

As a rough guide, our Indian-national packages typically start from around ₹40,000 to ₹55,000 per person for a 5-night trip ex-Siliguri, and foreign-national packages from around USD 1,300 to USD 1,800 per person, depending on season, hotel category and group size.

One honest note: the 5% GST Bhutan introduced in January 2026 does not apply to the SDF, so ignore anyone who quotes you a higher fee on that basis.

Best time to visit Bhutan

Two windows do the heavy lifting.

• Spring, March to May, is my personal pick. The valleys turn with rhododendron and magnolia, the light is clean, and Paro Tshechu, the biggest spring festival, fills the dzong courtyard with masked dances (in 2026, around 29 March to 2 April. Pack layers; mornings still bite.
• Autumn, late September to November, brings the clearest mountain views of the year and Thimphu Tshechu, the largest autumn festival (in 2026, around 21 to 23 September). It is stunning, and it is popular. Hotels and Drukair seats fill fast, so book three to six months out or you’ll pay peak rates for leftovers.
• Winter, December to February, is underrated. Western valleys stay crisp and clear, crowds thin, prices soften, and if snow isn’t your worry, Paro and Thimphu are lovely. High passes and some treks close.
• Monsoon, June to August, is the one I’d skip for a first visit. It’s green and cheap, but leeches, cloud-covered peaks and the odd landslide on mountain roads are real trade-offs.

Month-by-month best time to visit Bhutan →   Click Here

How to reach Bhutan

By air: Paro is the country’s only international airport, and the approach between the ridgelines is one of the more memorable landings you’ll do. Drukair and Bhutan Airlines are the two carriers. They fly in from several Indian cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra and Guwahati, plus regional hubs like Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore and Dhaka. Routes and frequencies change by season, and some (like Bagdogra and Gaya) run only part of the year, so confirm the current schedule when you book. Seats are limited and rarely cheap, so early booking pays.

By road: most Indian travellers enter Phuentsholing, on the border opposite Jaigaon in West Bengal. From Bagdogra airport or Siliguri it’s roughly a 4.5 to 5 hour drive to the border, then permit formalities at the pedestrian terminal. Two quieter entry points, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar, both in Assam, suit travellers coming from Guwahati.

Our Take: If your budget stretches to a Paro flight, take it. The Phuentsholing road day is long, and you’ll spend hours you could be spending in the valleys. If you’re driving up, break the journey rather than doing Kolkata to the border in one punishing go.

Places you’ll actually remember

1. Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest. The one everyone photographs, and for once the hype holds. It’s a real climb, two to three hours up, so pace it and carry water. Worth every step. Not overrated.
2. Punakha Dzong. If you see one dzong, make it this one, set where two rivers meet and glow at the end of the day. The suspension bridge nearby is a small thrill.
3. Thimphu. The giant Buddha Dordenma, the weekend market, the dzong. A day or two is plenty; it’s a base more than a destination.
4. Dochula Pass and Phobjikha Valley. Dochula’s 108 chortens with the Himalaya behind them on a clear morning are worth the early start. Phobjikha, where the black-necked cranes winter, is the quiet Bhutan people fall for.
5. Honest skip: Chele La, Bhutan’s highest drivable pass at around 3,988 m, is a nice detour but not worth reshuffling a tight itinerary for. If you only have four or five days, drop it and keep your Tiger’s Nest morning unhurried.

How many days do you actually need?

A quick framework, from running these trips:

• 4 to 5 days: Paro and Thimphu only, plus Tiger’s Nest. Doable, a little rushed, fine for a first taste. For Indian travellers, this can even stay within the entry-permit zone.
• 6 to 7 days: the sweet spot. Add Punakha and Dochula. Enough time to breathe.
• 8 to 10 days: add Phobjikha or Bumthang, or line it up with a festival. This is when Bhutan stops being a checklist.
• Short on time and near Sikkim? A combined route makes sense; call us for a combined Sikkim and Bhutan tour

Don’t stack a long drive day and heavy sightseeing back-to-back. Bhutan’s roads are winding, and altitude plus a full schedule is how good trips turn tiring.

Why plan your Bhutan trip with sikkimtourism.org

We are a local, on-the-ground Himalayan team, not a call centre reselling someone else’s itinerary. We live and work in this region, we know the Phuentsholing permit queues, the guides worth booking, the hotels that actually deliver, and the weeks when a festival will double your room rate.

That local knowledge is the difference between a trip that runs smoothly and one that loses a day to a permit office that shuts at noon. We handle permits, SDF, guides, transport and stays, and we tell you the honest trade-offs before you pay.

Plan your Bhutan trip, talk to a local expert  →  Click Here

Frequently asked questions

Do Indian citizens need a passport for Bhutan?

Not necessarily. Indian nationals can enter on either a valid passport (six months’ validity) or an original Voter ID card from the Election Commission of India. Children under 18 without a passport can use an original birth certificate. No visa is needed; you travel on an entry permit.

What is the Sustainable Development Fee in 2026?

It’s a daily tourism fee. Indian nationals pay ₹1,200 per person per night. Foreign nationals pay USD 100 per person per night, a discounted rate held until 31 August 2027. Children 6 to 12 get 50% off, and children 5 and under are exempt.

Is Bhutan expensive to visit?

It’s mid to high, by design. Beyond flights and hotels, budget the daily SDF (₹1,200 for Indians, USD 100 for foreign nationals per night) and a mandatory guide beyond Paro and Thimphu. Indian travellers spend far less than foreign ones, which is why package prices differ sharply.

What is the best month to visit Bhutan?

April (spring) and October (autumn) are the two strongest months, for clear weather, festivals and mountain views. Winter is quieter and cheaper with crisp valley days. Skip the June to August monsoon for a first visit unless a low budget is the priority.

How many days do you need in Bhutan?

Six to seven nights is ideal: Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and the Tiger’s Nest hike without rushing. Four to five days of work for Paro and Thimphu only. Eight or more lets you add Phobjikha, Bumthang or a festival.

Do I need a guide to travel in Bhutan?

Yes, beyond Paro and Thimphu a licensed Bhutanese guide is mandatory for all visitors, Indian and foreign. Travel insurance is also required for entry. Booking through a licensed operator covers both automatically.