Travel to Bhutan

[Vash01]

Has anyone been to this small and beautiful country that is located north of India and south of Tibet? It is in the foothills of the Himalayas. I am considering visiting it for about a week. There are tours from India but as a US citizen i am having difficulty finding information on visa. The US does not have relations with Bhutan. Bhutan has an embassy in Delhi and i read thats where you have to go if there is a need regarding Bhutan.

What i gleaned from the internet is that we cannot apply for a visa on our own. There needs to be a local tour getting it for you.

I may end up not going but at least for the future I would like to know. I heard Bhutan is very sparsely populated and very much into protecting the environment. It sounds like a very interesting place.

 

[Japanfan]

I remember an interview with an athlete from Bhutan at the London summer Olympics. I think she was an archer, and part of a most tiny delegation.

She said she was at the Olympics to increase awareness of her tiny landlocked country, one in which neighbours look out for each other and the government has a 'happiness index', or something like that.

Sounds like a cool place to visit.

 

[moebius]

Right now it's very expensive to visit, but at least there will be virtually no tourists. Bhutan is most notable for their monasteries and Himalayas. The cheaper alternative would be Tibet, but it's more touristy.

 

[Vash01]

If I go there, it will be with a tour. I am trying to find out if the tour organizers can help me get a visa. The procedure posted on the internet says one has to be sponsored by a local travel agency and I would have to fly on Drukair. So it doesn't look very likely right now, but I would definitely like to visit it, and also Nepal in the future. The good part of the visa procedure for Bhutan is that I won't have to send them my passport, just a copy of it. For Nepal, it seems you get it at the airport.

 

[gk_891]

A food vlogger named Mark Wiens was there not that long ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFZuFR2d3ko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pcbscUqgP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwCg1AV9MN0

Seems like an interesting place.

 

[moebius]

For Nepal, it seems you get it at the airport.

Yes, you can get the Nepalese visa at the airport. Bring a passport sized photo.

 

[RomyNL]

I went to Bhutan last year. It's a beautiful country, but terribly overpriced. As a foreigner, you can only travel as part of the tour group organized by a locally accredited travel company. Once you book your tour with them, they will arrange a visa for you, this service is usually included in the price.

When traveling to Bhutan, you are required to spend at least $250 ($200 in low season) per day per person. In theory that would include a 3-star accommodation, meals and standard excursion, however in reality what you get is a hostel-style accommodation and really almost the same food every day. For anything extra and for upgrading yourself to better (read: reasonable) hotels you will have to spend hundreds of dollars.

My conclusion: it's a beautiful country with friendly people (and very very basic food) but at the end of the trip you will ask yourself was it worth that lot of money...

 

[Vash01]

I went to Bhutan last year. It's a beautiful country, but terribly overpriced. As a foreigner, you can only travel as part of the tour group organized by a locally accredited travel company. Once you book your tour with them, they will arrange a visa for you, this service is usually included in the price.

When traveling to Bhutan, you are required to spend at least $250 ($200 in low season) per day per person. In theory that would include a 3-star accommodation, meals and standard excursion, however in reality what you get is a hostel-style accommodation and really almost the same food every day. For anything extra and for upgrading yourself to better (read: reasonable) hotels you will have to spend hundreds of dollars.

My conclusion: it's a beautiful country with friendly people (and very very basic food) but at the end of the trip you will ask yourself was it worth that lot of money...

Thank you for sharing. I think you are the first person I have met (and only on the internet) who has visited Bhutan.