Tips for Indians travelling to Bhutan

If you are a nature lover, Bhutan the only carbon negative country in the world is sure to quench your thirst. Here are few tips for Indian travelers wishing to explore this beautiful country.

Country : Bhutan

Travel options: Bhutan houses an international airport at Paro. Flights from Delhi / Kolkata can be availed for directly flying into the country. During the peak seasons ,i.e. March/April and Sep/ Oct try booking the flight tickets early. If one wishes to avail train service, the nearest railway station on Indian side is Hasimara. From Hasimara one can take vehicle to reach the Indo-Bhutan border which is at a distance of 18 km (approx 30 mins). We had opted for the second option as flight tickets were already exhausted. We boarded "Kanchan kanya Express" from Sealdah station at  8.30pm and reached Hasimara at 10.46 am the following day. On disembarking  we hired a vehicle and reached Phuntsholing (first city after crossing Indo-Bhutan border) after 40 minutes of travel.

Currency : The currency of Bhutan is Ngultrum which is of the same value as Indian Rupees. In Bhutan's popular destinations like Thimpu, Paro, Punakha and Phuntsholing one can freely use all Indian denominations but in remote areas denomination above 100 are not freely used. So its advisable to carry more currency in smaller denomination. 

Entry Permit and VISA: Indian tourists travelling to Bhutan do not require to get VISAs but can get entry permit for Thimpu and Paro from Immigration office at Phuntsholing (if travelling by road) or at Paro airport (if travelling by flight). The immigration office is open from 10 to 5 pm on working days of the week and closed on Saturday, Sunday and Government holidays. Without processing permit Indian nationals are allowed to enter the border town of Phuntsholing but not beyond that. Separate permit is required for any other city of Bhutan like Punakha , Bumthang etc ,such permits are obtained from immigration office at Thimpu. It is advisable to avoid reaching permit office on Monday/after any government holiday as it becomes excessively crowded. 
Documents required for Thimpu Paro permit are : Voter ID card or Passport(original and xerox) with 2 copies of passport size photos. If you don't have the above documents carry adhaar card, driving licence, pan card (original and xerox) along with 2 copies of passport size photos. Also its mandatory to produce the hotel confirmation vouchers of all hotel stays during your trip ( This however depends upon the immigration officer whether they check the voucher only for first place of stay or for all the places  ) 
Documents required for other region permit : Thimpu _paro permit Xerox and Id proof.

Local SIM: Bhutan has two popular telecom service provider Tashicell and Bhutan Telecom. We had purchased SIM card of Tashicell by paying Rs 210 of which we got Rs. 200 talk-time and Rs 10 was charged as SIM new connection cost. The SIM can be procured by submitting xerox copy of entry permit. 

Seasons: There are two high seasons in Bhutan  first being during Spring-March/April when Rhododendron blooms and weather is comfortable. Second being Autumn-Sep/Oct when there are many festivals and weather again comfortable. December to Feb is the winter season with good amount of snowfall in most parts of Bhutan while June to first few weeks of September should be avoided as Bhutan experiences monsoon and chances of landslides are high.

Places not to be missed :

In Phuntsholing : Karbandi Monastery (you can get a bird eye view of the entire town with view of river Torsa and mountains enveloping the city) , Zangto Pelri Lhakhang monastery located in the market area very close to immigration office and border gate.

In Thimpu : Gaint Buddha (Buddha Dordenma) , Changangkha Lhakhang, Memorial Chorten , Tashiccho Dzong (it houses the administrative building and a monastery. On working days its open to visitors only after office hours), Takin reserve, National library, Folk heritage museum, National textile museum.

In Punakha : Dochula Pass (this falls en-route to Punakha while travelling from Thimpu) , Punakha Dzong, suspension bridge.

In Paro : Paro Dzong, Paro airport bird eye view point, Paro Museum, Chelela Pass, Trek to Tiger Nest monastery ( start early morning as it takes around 3 hours to climb up and similar time to trek back )

Language spoken: Dzongkha, english.

Shopping: Its my personal experience that if you want to buy souvenirs buy them from Phuntsheling  or Paro (they are much cheaper in these two places. Market in  Thimpu is the costliest. And remember to bargain hard in order to strike a good deal) 

Dress Code: In the Dzong and monasteries dress modestly. Although we were not blocked in-spite of wearing rounded neck t-shirt, we were informed by a guide during our visit to Dzong that entry is restricted if one doesn't wear collared T-shirt.

Entry fees: Entry fee to all Dzongs is Rs 300 per head. 

Cuisines to try : Bhutanese dishes like Ema datchi, Kewa datchi, shamu datchi, momos/dumping, jhasa maru, goen hogey, red rice and churppi.

Food joints and cuisines we tried:

In Phuntsholing: Hotel Asian Kitchen (both Chinese and Indian), Hotel Kuenga (Indian Veg)

In Thimpu: Hotel Bhutan Centennial (Indian), Zomabala 2 restuarant (Bhutanese)

In Douchala: Druk Wangyel Cafe (Indian)

In Paro: Hotel Sonam Trophel Inn (both Chinese and Indian), Champaca Cafe (bakery & evening snack).

Dear Travel enthusiasts I hope you find this useful. If you have any further queries I will be glad to help. Just drop your queries in the comment section.