arubalad

When in bkk, recently staff at hotel said bhutan was getting to be a destination for tourists. I am not a backpacker or treker. anyone have any experience.

jiejie

Funny you should post this. I was just talking with a friend this morning (also a Beijing-based expat) who just returned from a 10-day trip to Bhutan with his wife and small group of 5 other expats. He said it was brilliant for both scenery and cultural/people aspects. Their group was all older (ages 45-60) professional types and "Old Asia Hands", none were backpackers/trekkers or even very athletic. In general, their group went in two vehicles (with required guide) on OK roads, but many of the monasteries and old fortresses had to be accessed by some relatively strenuous hikes, with thin air requiring one to go slowly. But generally, he said no problem and no oxygen needed. He also said most common trip length is 7 days, but he was glad they had 10 days (central and eastern part of Bhutan, they didn't get to western part). And one could fill up 14 days if you had them. He said a surprising number of people spoke decent English, as it's required from an early age in schools.

That said, Bhutan is hardly going to be a mass tourist destination, ever.
1) Bhutan strictly limits tourism and doesn't want large numbers. Airplane seats into the country on Druk Air (the primary way into the country) are limited. There is a land border open with India but it takes some effort to get there.
2) There is pretty much a set price, approx USD $200 per day which includes everything (a little bit lower per person if you have a small group, more if there are only 1-2 of you). This pricing weeds out most mainstream and budget tourists right there.
3) There aren't many accommodation facilities that have enough space for larger groups and especially outside the capital of Thimphu. Mostly small inns and guesthouses.
4) A group tour has to be set up using an approved Bhutan agency, and use of a guide is required. Even if you're a group of one. This puts off die-hard independent types and people who like to do things on the fly.

My friend is sending me information on the company/guide they used--which he highly recommended--and also on their exact itinerary. After my conversation with him, it's zoomed up the list of my Places to Go and possibly sometime in 2010. Apparently best times to go are around mid-March to mid-May, and then September-November. Summer not good due to monsoon and landslides, and winter may be too cold and snowy to enjoy or even to access (though I'm sending out inquiries about this to Bhutan shortly RE: February possibility).

SirJman

I saw it, and went to the border area with India up in the mountains, but I never officially crossed the border.

arubalad

i would appreciate, if when you receive the info you can pass it on to me. many thanks. mitch kaufman

hauteboy

mrs. hauteboy and I will be spending 10 days in Bhutan over Christmas this year.

MegatopLover

hauteboy: Please let us know how your trip goes, what arrangements you make for touring, where you stay, that sort of thing. I'd be interested to consider Bhutan for Christmas next year.

glennaa11

I am very likely to go next year too. I have an inquiry out to a company I contacted last year called Keys to Bhutan. Ultimately I decided to do Thailand and Vietnam this year instead but think I will do Bhutan in 2010. Keys to Bhutan organizes photography tours which is what I am most interested in.

There are some ultra-high end resort hotels starting to open but I hear they are astronomically priced and not worth it.

I have read the same things with regard to when to visit. Springtime (end of March to May is supposed to be really nice) and then autumn when the skies are clear. There seem to be lots of festivals that happen in autumn as well.

I guess the roads can be a bit rough with little in the way of "facilities".

paul2

The high end resorts include many things such as a car with a driver and private escorted tours.
Actually a search on the luxury forum here on FT will bring up a few reports and pointers which might help you choose areas to visit (even if you choose budge/moderate priced hotels)

glennaa11

Ultimately the government sets the basic cost of tourism and the price includes regular hotels, transportation, meals, guides, taxes. According to the info I just got for 2010 the High season (March-May and Sept-Nov) cost is US$200 pp per night for 3 or more people traveling together. For 2 it is $230pp and for 1 person it is $240. For low season the cost is 165/195/205. And there is a $10pp surcharge for festivals. There are surcharges for the luxury hotels/resorts. But I don't know how much those are yet. Apparently airfares on Druk air from BKK are also set at ~$400 each way. A 14 day visa costs $20. And there is a further $10 per person government tourism development charge.

dsquared37

When I looked into Bhutan last year (still haven't been able to work it out) there was also a sliding scale for length of stay. I forget the exact costs, but for longer stays the cost per day drops a bit. For example the costs mentioned by you were for the first 14 days. Day 15-20 was a bit less, and after that was even less.

I don't recall the exact details so please don't take the list of days at face value. Just trying to provide a little more info.

stimpy

If you go to the Trip Report forum and search for Bhutan you will see several reports such as this one http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ip-bhutan.html that I wrote a while back.

It is definitely a place you should visit.

glennaa11

The company I am working with didn't mention that. We are still working out the itinerary, but it looks to be about 22 days/21 nights. I guess I will find out soon enough.

I had read somewhere that an entry visa was good for 14 days with extra days at extra cost, but they told me that is not the case. I guess as long as you arrange a visa for the planned length of your stay in advance you are fine.

Also, I discovered that business class fares on Druk Air are only a couple of hundred more than economy class. US$ 789 for economy, Business class - US$ 984. For me, worth the upgrade.

NotHome

We went in 2007 and I would highly recommend the trip if you enjoy Asian/Buddhist cultures. It is a place to soak up the surroundings. The people we meet were unfailing polite and friendly and it is still a realitively uncrownded destination. Much of this trip reminded my wife and I of a trip we took in 1990 to Lhasa.

Roads are still pretty rough and 4 - 5 hours in a vehicle in one day was about all we wanted to do. We did 7 days through the Amans so obviously not a "roughing it" trip although they will take you on some pretty good hikes if you are willing. The last day we did a 12 - 14 mile hike towards the border from Paro which ended in a 4 building one temple village in the hills on a side trail above the main trail. Our guide had never been there and we were inivited to lunch with a local family who seemed amazed to see tourist in thier location. Magical day - and in my experience these off the beaten path place these are getting pretty rare.

hauteboy

We've returned from our trip to India/Bhutan. Spent 10 days total in Bhutan (though the last day we left very early @ 7:45 AM). Our primary motivation was to attend the Trongsa festival in central Bhutan, about a 7-8hr drive from Thimphu. Fascinating experience and the festival was a highlight. Very few tourists there (30-40 or so) and it was very much a local experience.

Our itinerary was:
day 1: fly delhi-paro ; Thimphu (Namgay Heritage Hotel) - gorgeous hotel! has steam room, free wifi. Brand new and close to town.
day 2: Thimphu (Namgay Heritage Hotel)
day 3: Punakha (Meri Puensum Resort) - Nice cottages overlooking the valley, but not near town
day 4: Trongsa (Yangkhil Resort)
day 5: Trongsa (Yangkhil Resort) - cottages overlooking the dzong. about 1-2km west of town
day 6: Trongsa (Yangkhil Resort)
day 7: Phobjikha Valley (Dewachen Hotel) - gorgeous hotel, only has electricity 5-9pm, woodburning stoves in room
day 8: Paro (Rinchen Ling Hotel)
day 9: Paro (Rinchen Ling Hotel)
day10: fly paro-delhi

All of the hotels were much better than we expected, though amenities varied. We went from wifi in Thimphu to no TV/phone/internet in Trongsa, finally to no electricity (only available 5-9PM) in the Phobjikha valley. I didn't see any point in the Amans.. $1200 a night including taxes and I believe you still have to pay the $200++ per day charge on top of that. All hotels were very clean and the food was good.. every meal has the ubiquitous chilies and cheese.

As mentioned above, you have to use a tour operator when visiting Bhutan. We used Snow White tours and were very happy with their service, although our guide got sick halfway through and was replaced by another guide for the last few days. We had to pay $230pp per day which included all hotels, meals, driver, guide, entry fees, departure tax, etc. Flights to/from Delhi were ~$550 each. We had to pay separate for sodas/beer but tea was free. The Bhutan currency is on par with the Indian Rupee (rupees are also accepted everywhere). Handicrafts (woodcarving, textiles) are excellent quality but very expensive (even small 8x8 mandala paintings are $120).

The road condition varied.. it's good between Paro and Thimphu but gets worse the further east you go; the roads are paved but narrow and very twisty/windy as you go over the two passes on the way to Trongsa. We only managed to go 20-30 kmh on average. Thimphu is only ~50 miles as the crow flies from Trongsa but took 8 hrs to drive. We had a new Toyota Prado SUV which was comfortable. Still got some motion sickness on the turns (17 curves per km!)

I'll be posting a more thorough report soon.

Jac747

I've read good things about Snow White on another forum and also want to go to Bhutan, possibly as a solo traveler, and stay for about 2wks. How long a flt is it from Delhi to Thimphu or Paro? Does Snow White book the flt on Druk Air? Did you go in the winter and if so, how was the weather? Thx