How and when to visit Bhutan
Bhutan is a small Himalayan country, bordering Tibet in the north and India in south. Bhutan was closed off for tourists until 1971 but due to the desire of increasing revenue and promote their unique culture and traditions they decided to welcome the outside world. The first tourists didn’t arrive until 1974 with 287 visitors. The numbers of tourists have just increased ever since and I understand why. However, not just anyone can apply for a visa, get on a plane and explore the country. The country has decided on the strategy “low volume, high quality” when in comes to tourism. Even though they are open to foreigners, they are aware of the impact the tourists have on the environment, landscape and culture.
How is their strategy implemented?
1) A day rate while being in the country
2) Mandatory to pre-arrange the visit through a Bhutanese tour operator or any of their international partners. These requirements applies for anyone except people from India, Bangladesh or the Maldives.
One important thing to keep in mind is that the day rate includes pretty much everything and you don’t have to pay the travel operator plus the day rate. You pay one lump sum to the tour operator and they make sure that the Government gets their part.
What is included in the arrangement with a tour operator?
The lump sum paid to the tour operator includes a guide and a driver, depending on how large the party is. If you’re a solo traveler, you’ll probably have a guide that will also be your driver. We were a party of three and we had a guide and a driver. The lump sum also includes accommodations and meals, which means that you don’t need a lot of pocket money.
The things that are excluded are the flights, tips for the guide and driver and whatever amount you want to spend on souvenirs, an extra lunch etc. I bought an extra lunch one day. They eat a lot of rice, vegetables and eggs, which is good but it didn’t necessarily fill me up every day. This is just information to help you figure out how much money to withdraw from the ATM.
Recommend withdrawing money at the airport, even though there are some ATMs in the biggest cities.
What is the cost?
The day rate depends on the season. The peak tourist seasons are spring and fall, leaving March, April, October and November to be the busiest months. During the peak season the daily rate is $250 per person. This is the most expensive time to travel. If you want to save some money, I would recommend travel off-season. The day rate is reduced to $200 between December-February and June-August. If you want to travel during peak-season, I recommend you plan ahead and make sure you don’t make your reservations the last minute. Bhutan is becoming more and more popular and it topped Lonely Planet’s list of best places to travel in 2020.
When to travel?
A thing to consider while planning the “when” of your trip is what you want to experience. There is a reason why there is a peak season: The weather. A lot of people want to trek while in Bhutan and April, May, September and October are the best months for trekking. It’s often clear blue skies and the trails won’t be muddy. We had amazing weather in early November and it does make the experience just a bit better.
How to choose a travel operator?
When it comes to choosing a tour operator, I just recommend using Google and do some research. I chose Druk Asia, they gave us an incredible experience but there are several great tour operators out there. The Tourism Council of Bhutan have a comprehensive list of tour operators available online if you find this helpful. The tour operator will arrange everything for you, including visa, hotel etc.
Lastly, I just want to say that I highly recommend visiting Bhutan. I had an amazing experience, it´s such a different country. It´s something zen about it. I loved it
