Bhutan FAQ

The flights from Bangkok, Thailand to Paro, Bhutan generally leave Bangkok early in the morning and we typically land in Bhutan mid-morning. On last day the flights sometimes depart Paro in the morning and sometimes in the late afternoon.

The return flight times vary each year and typically arrive in Bangkok around 5 PM. We suggest you plan your flight home (or to your next destination) for the following day in case flights out of Paro are delayed.

Yes, there are are regular flights from Dehli, Kathmandu, Singapore, and a few other locations. Give us a call if you would like to fly from somewhere other than Bangkok, Thailand.

All guests must have a visa before traveling to Bhutan. We handle the application for you. To submit it, we’ll need two items:

1. A digital, passport-style head-and-shoulders photo
2. A digital copy (photo or scan) of your passport’s photo page

Bhutanese authorities have strict photo standards and will reject applications that don’t meet them, so please follow the guidelines below.

Visa Photo Guidelines

• Head and shoulders against a plain white background
• Eyes open, looking directly at the camera
• No glasses or sunglasses
• Shoulders covered (no tank tops)
• Well lit, in focus, no heavy shadows

Passport Copy Requirements

• Clear, in-focus image or scan of the photo page
• If it’s a photo (and not a scan) it must be taken straight on and not at an angle
• All text and the machine-readable zone (the numbers at the bottom) must be fully visible and legible

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• A finger covering any part of the image
• Photo taken at an angle (not flat or square to the camera)
• Glare or flash washing out details on the passport page
• Low resolution or blurry images

Your visa and flight ticket will be emailed to you as soon as we receive them, typically about one week before your trip. If you plan to do international travel before joining us in Bhutan, you may need to print these documents at your hotel. Most hotels can assist with printing at the front desk.

Nope! Both the Visa and Flight Ticket will can be printed in black and white.

We usually do 3 half day rafting trips spread throughout the 9 days we’re in Bhutan. Our new Mountains and Rivers of Bhutan itinerary has 2 half day rafting trips and a three day overnight rafting trip.

We generally raft two low volume rivers with technical Class III+ rapids (Paro Chhu and Chamkar Chhu) and one high volume river with Class II and III rapids (Pho Chhu).

The hikes are all on established trails and vary in length. We hike through rice fields, on gravel roads/paths, and cobble stone walkways. Most of the hikes have a bit of elevation gain but we just take our time to get where we are going. Many people ask about the hike to Tiger’s Nest.

It is a steep hike on a pretty nice trail/dirt path. We start early in the morning, take our time to get up there, and enjoy it as a group. That is the only thing we schedule for the day so we can take our time for the hike up and down.

We are at hotels every night for our more popular Rivers and Dzongs of Bhutan trip. If you choose our Mountains and Rivers of Bhutan trip we are in hotels for 6 nights and camping for 2 nights.

Yes. There is Wifi at each hotel but sometimes it may not work or may be slow.

We’ve got a comprehensive packing list in our trip details. If you are looking for more help that that we also published a packing blog to walk you though it! Plus, we’re always here in the office if you want to call and chat.

• Zach’s Bhutan Travel Tips
• Bhutan Packing Tips
• A First Timer’s Guide to Bangkok

• The Three Gems of Bhutan
• Bhutan’s Bodhisattvas of Compassion, Wisdom, and Power
• The Wrathful Deities of Bhutan
• The Four Heavenly Guardian Kings
• A Brief History of Bhutan
• Vajrakilaya in Bhutan: Cutting Through Obstacles with Compassion
• The Wheel of Life (Bhavacakra)