2022
I am a person who loves valleys, hills and rivers. Bhutan was the right choice for a trip as it has everything I wanted in my holiday trip.
I went for a 6 day trip, but unfortunately half of that time has gone in travel itself (more about it later).
Things to know before planning for a Trip to Bhutan,
- Druk Air is the only airline that runs flights to Bhutan.
- You either reach Bhutan by directly booking a flight to Paro (Bhutan Capital) or fly to Bagdogra (India) and travel Bhutan by Car.
- Indians visiting Bhutan do not need any Passport. An entry permit need to be taken either at Paro Airport or Phuentsholing (Bhutan Border).
- The entry permit is only valid for visiting Paro & Thimpu. For other northern regions of Bhutan such as Punaka, Haa etc, another permit is to be taken again from Thimpu.
- Credit and Debit cards from Outside Bhutan do not work there. So carry as much cash as you can. Indian Rupees and dollars work there along with Bhutanese Currency.
I traveled in December,2018 with my wife to Bhutan. She is a summer person and I am a winter person. I knew that I will be enjoying the temperatures, but my wife had tough time with the sub zero temperatures..
Who are not much into reading, they can check this video to get an idea about the beauty of the place
Day 1: The first day went totally in travel from Delhi to Bagdogra by flight and then reaching Phuentsholing from there by Car. The travel route was scenic with hills on one side and the sun shining on the plantations at the other side. It got dark even before 5.30 PM which was something very strange for us who stay on the western side of the country. The major highlight of the day was this beautiful bridge we came across with white sand. Sun setting down on one side and the moon chinning up. We stayed at a Hotel named "Hotel Damchen". You can check my review of this place in detail here.
Day 2: The first Half of our day went in acquiring the permit for the entry and the other half in traveling to our first spot "Paro". Though its exhausting to travel by car for so long, the breathtaking views make your overcome all that. We stayed at Tenzinling resort and here's my detailed review.
Day 3: We were pretty much excited for our first actual tourist spot "Tiger's Nest Monastery". It was the main reason we wanted to visit this place. It's a 3hr trek to reach the top where you are greeted with the peaceful and beautiful Tiger's Nest also called as "Takstang". The trek is a medium level trek but the height and climatic conditions can make it a little tiring sometimes. We started at around 9.30 AM in the morning and reached back by 5.00 PM. We were pretty slow to be frank but I enjoyed that pace as it gives me more time for clicking pictures.
Day 4: This day actually turned into an adventure, thanks to the icy roads on our way to Haa Valley. Because of the slipper roads, the car could not move forward and the car slipped backwards that came to a halt after hitting another car. Fortunately no one got harmed. We had a good view of snow and ice there which I was dying to experience. After that incident we dropped the plan to visit Haa Valley and shifted our trip to Buddha Statue located at Thimpu. The statue is really huge and the place is enormous, located on a hill with 360 degree view of mountains. One feels like sitting their for hours and just look at the beauty around and also enjoy the cold breeze.
Day 5&6: These were pretty much a low ending days as it's just us traveling back to Phuentsholing and from there to Bagdogra.
Few Tips :
- If planning to travel by car from Bagdogra, travel time to and from the actual tourist places consumes 3 effective days, so always plan you trip accordingly.
- Always make sure that the driver you would be getting for your travel from Phuentsholing is Bhutanese one as they would give more trivia about each place. We missed this.
- Buy souvenirs at Phuentsholing as they cost lesser compared to Paro and Thimpu.
- There are no shops or stalls on the trek path to Tiger's Nest. Only one cafe which has limited food items. I suggest to buy Chocolates, Dry Fruits and snacks before starting the trek.
I hope this post will be helpful for few and inspires you to travel more. Also feel free to ask any other details you want to know about my travel.
Hello...@InaS @PoliMC @DanniS... Tagging you guys as I thought you might enjoy the pictures ?
