Bhutan is a small mountain kingdom nestled in the Himalayan Mountains between India and China. Each November we organize a few small groups tours to explore its monasteries (lhakhang), fortresses (dzongs) and rivers (chhu).
When are the Flights?
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.
Where do we meet?
We usually have an optional pre-trip meeting in Bangkok the night before we fly to Paro. If you can’t make that meeting then we’ll meet you when you arrive at the Paro, Bhutan airport.
Can we fly from another country/city?
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.
How many days do we raft?
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.
How difficult is the rafting?
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).
How difficult are the hikes?
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.
Are we camping or staying in hotels?
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.
Do the hotels have WiFi?
Yes. There is Wifi at each hotel but sometimes it may not work or may be slow.
What is the food like?
The food is served buffet style and varies from day to day. At breakfast you will typically find eggs, toast, sausage, veggies, yogurt, cereal, porridge, coffee, and tea. Lunch and dinner tend to be a mix of “internationals cuisine” with rice, meat, veggie curries, and noodles. The national dish is a spicy cheese sauce over rice with chilis called Ema Datshi. You will see it out at most meals and it is fun to give a try if you like spicy food.
