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2. Where do I start if I wish to go to Bhutan?
3. Do I need to get a VISA for Bhutan?
1. Bhutan Visa: Do I need to get a VISA for Bhutan? How can I get a visa to travel to Bhutan? Are there any countries from where I can get a visa? How long does it take?
All tourists (except Indian national with valid travel document) need visa to enter Bhutan. Tourists Visas are all processed in Thimphu via a local travel company such us Wind Horse Tours. No embassies abroad will issue Bhutan tourist Visa. In order to process your Visa, first your trip duration and itinerary must be confirmed. Then once you send the passport details, tour payment, your visa is then ready within a week. However, Department of Tourism (now Tourism Council), will only issue visa about 1 month prior to the start of the trip in Bhutan. It is possible to request an expedited visa, if your trip is coming up soon. The processed Visa paper is faxed/ scanned and emailed to you. This confirms your visa for your arrival to Bhutan. When you arrive at Paro airport or at the border in Phuentsholing (for those using the land option), you need to show this copy and then passport is stamped with visa for duration of your stay in Bhutan. Visa is pre-paid and so you do not need to pay for it. Earlier passport size photos were required but since beginning of 2008, this has also been waived.
Answered by: Mr Ugen Tshering - (Mar. 11, 2010)
2. Where do I start if I wish to go to Bhutan?
You can start a dialogue with us and we can walk through the steps.
Or
If you know the trip that suits you, you can book online, e-mail request, fax or call us.
If you need a customized trip, you need to first decide on the approximate duration you wish to spend in Bhutan, then check with the Druk Air flight schedule to make your entry and departure dates; the duration of stay in Bhutan will determine your package costs.
3. Do I need to get a VISA for Bhutan?
Unless you are of Indian nationality holding a valid Indian passport, you need a visa for entry into Bhutan.
4. Why is there a fixed cost for travel to Bhutan? And why is it relatively more expensive than neighboring destinations?
The fixed cost that you pay is not just a fee for entry to Bhutan. This cost is a package tour cost that covers all your hotel, meals, transfers to and from the airport or border, transport for sightseeing, one knowledgeable local guide, all inland permits and fees. And if you are trekking this covers all expenses for the treks such as horses/yaks, guide, all tenting/camping equipment, meals and transport.
The only way to visit Bhutan is by purchasing a tour with a reliable and licensed travel agency.
5. Can I travel as an individual with a tour guide?
Individual travel is possible in Bhutan; costs for single only travel is US$ 30 extra per day, and it includes (one guide with private car/transport).
6. Can I travel on my own without booking the trip with travel agent in advance? Do I have to buy a tour package for traveling in Bhutan?, Can I not travel on my own, choose any hotel I wish, plan my own tour itinerary as I go along?
All tourist to Bhutan must travel in a pre-booked tour package. It is not to censor your movement but to manage tourism in a sustainable way, to grow sensibly without taxing on the environment and its rich and intact culture. Having paid for a package tour, you can be flexible in the tour program, change the tour to see or do what most interests you to an extent feasible and possible.
