Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Budget Trip to Bhutan

We (My wife and I) travelled to Bhutan during Apr 21 to Apr 28, 2014 from Hyderabad, India. The place had fascinated me ever since I heard about it from my two classmates in Philippines. The place has many unique things to its credit.
1. A place still ruled by the king and the queen and has democracy
2. A landlocked country
3. Beautiful clean places with its own unique culture of clothes, food, games, traditions and beliefs
4. A unique ecosystem of plants and animals
among other things.

I will give a brief of the plan followed by details to help you plan your trip.
Hyderabad --> Bagdogra --> Phuentsholing --> Thimphu --> Paro --> Phuentsholing --> Bagdogra --> Hyderabad

Day 1: Early morning flight from Hyd to Kolkata, Stopover for 2 hrs at Kolkata, Connecting Flight from Kolkatta to Bagdogra. Reach Bagdogra by afternoon, take a prepaid taxi to Phuentsholing and stay at Hotel Sinchula (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g469428-d456013-Reviews-Hotel_Sinchula-Phuntsholing_Chukha_District.html).
Day 2: Get immigration formalities done, get a prepaid sim card, take a bus to Thimphu. Saw Buddha statue at night and night view of Thimphu from near Buddha statue. Stayed in Peaceful Resort (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g293845-d1943683-Reviews-Peaceful_Resort-Thimphu_Thimphu_District.html) for the night.
Day 3: Saw the Takin preserve, roamed around Thimphu market (meant for tourists), Bought souvenirs, went to Choki Traditional Art School, Saw Thimphu Dzong (from outside), Visited the local football stadium and stayed at Peaceful resort.
Day 4: Travelled by taxi to Paro, enroute visited Tachogang temple (on a hill after crossing Paro river), Checked into Rema resort in Paro (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g321541-d2166460-Reviews-Rema_Resort-Paro_Paro_District.html), Visited the Paro musuem, the Paro Dzong, did archery for an hour and rested at Rema resort for the night.
Day 5: Trekking Tiger's nest (Paro Taktsang), booked bus tickets for travel next day to Phuentsholing .
Day 6: Travelled to Phuentsholing, took Bhutanese bus from Phuentsholing to Siliguri and stayed at Sevoke Valley Residency (http://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g659786-d4606812-Reviews-Sevoke_Valley_Recidency-Siliguri_West_Bengal.html) in Siliguri, West Bengal.
Day 7: Auto from hotel to Bagdogra airport and afternoon flight Bagdogra-Kolkata-Hyderabad with a layover at Kolkata. Reached home in Hyderabad at night.

The detailed plan of the above with associated costs, distances, mode of travel, review of places is hereunder:
Day 1: Reached Bagdogra at around 1 pm and took a prepaid taxi at a prepaid taxi stand to Phuentsholing. Enroute the driver stopped for lunch at a restaurant. The cost of the prepaid taxi was Rs.2,263 for an Indica. You can get Indicas and Innovas from the prepaid taxi stand with payment and receipt.

We reached Phuentsholing around 7 pm.
You know you are entering Bhutan when you see the welcome board:


We put our stuff at Hotel Sinchula and though we could have ordered food in the hotel, we walked back to India for dinner as we wanted to explore the border area. The hotel is 5-10 min walk from the border. We had dinner at a vegetarian hotel (tried their unique delicious Bhutanese dish called Kewa Datshi - A dish made of Potatoes, Cheese and chillies, Photo below)
There are restaurants around in the Indian side and food should not be a problem. They serve both Indian and Bhutanese dishes on both sides of the border.
Dzong next to Hotel Sinchula:
Night stay at Hotel Sinchula.

Day 2: We started at around 9 am for and went to the immigration centre after having breakfast. We filled up the application forms for visitor visa along with the 2 photographs and passport and submitted it. We had to wait for about 45 min to get our application processed along with our photo taken and get the permit. (You are only allowed to travel to some distance in Phuentsholing without the permit)
With the permit to enter Bhutan, we photocopied a couple of copies of the permit. We bought ourselves a local sim card (http://www.tashicell.com/prepaid-mobile for latest call rates) from the Tashi complex which is the office of Tashi (a popular mobile service provider) and is 5 min walk from the immigration office.
There is a park with a Dzong nearby which can be checked out if time permits.

We comfortably checked out of Hotel Sinchula (check out time is 12 pm or so) and took a cab to Phuentsholing bus stop (around a km away. We paid Rs.50 for taxi). We bought bus tickets to Thimphu (Rs.230 per head) and it took close to 6 hrs to reach thimphu. We reached Thimphu bus station around 6.15 pm. We took a taxi to take us to Peaceful resort (Taxi fare Rs.100 after bargaining. 5 km distance. Rs.20/km seems to be fair although they demand more). My friend came to the hotel and picked us up for dinner. Post dinner, we went to see a big Buddha statue in Thimphu and the night view of Thimphu from the same hilltop. It is advisable to see the Buddha statue during the day although the night view of the city from the hilltop is mesmerizing.


Day 3: My friend picked us up at the hotel and we visited the Takin preserve which is very close to the peaceful resort. The takins were unfortunately a little far away that day from the enclosure boundary and we didnt get a very good look at them. They are very lazy. After that we went to the tourist area with lots of souvenirs/handcrafts for tourists to buy. We then went to the Thimphu main post office where we bought a souvenir of the Taktsang monastry magnet which is the cheapest here (Rs.500). One can also get their photo taken in the post office and get custom stamps made with your photo at this place. Unlike in India where your customised stamp has a photo alongside the regular stamp, here your photo is the main part of the stamp. A set of 4 stamps can be done for around Rs.350. Later, we took leave of our friend and we had hired the same taxi of the previous night for the rest of the day (Rs.800 post negotiation). We went to Choki Traditional Art School (it is north of Thimphu and the route can be a little back breaking as there is no proper road in the last few kilometers). The entrance of the school is mesmerizing with the large art work:
Embroidery of Goddess White Tara being made. It takes close to 4 months to get this embroidery from start to finish.
 Wood carving being done at one of the classrooms.

En route you will crossing the Thimphu chu (Thimphu river) and you can get a few good photographs along the river front.
We saw the Thimphu Dzong in the evening and were late for the ceremony which starts at 4.30 pm or so. We later went to the nearby football stadium and went back to our hotel.

Day 4: We checked out of the hotel (Peaceful Resort) and travelled to Paro with the same taxi driver (Rs.2000 for the entire day). On the way, we visited Tamchogang temple. It is temple on top of a hill which can be reached after crossing the Paro river. There are 2 parallel river crossings - one metallic thrilling one and another less thrilling one.


The drive from Thimphu to Paro is around 1.5 hr excluding the small trek and river crossing to Tamchogang temple. We arrived at Rema resort which is 1.5-2km from central Paro and is situated alongside Paro river at around 1 pm. The view from the resort is good, but the service is the worst ever. We had lunch (with bugs in it - one of the many reasons for poor service of this hotel) and visited the Paro museum and Paro Dzong. The Paro museum has an entrance fees of Rs.50 for an Indian couple or so. The museum has a wide variety of things - masks used for festivities, stuffed animals (especially lots of birds) specific to Bhutan area, mineral samples with a small area on geology, Pottery, how to make buttered tea, etc. It is an interesting museum to see. Cameras and mobiles need to be submitted at the entrance.
Paro Dzong is situated along the Paro river and has a breathtaking panaromic view of the entire Paro valley.



Dzongs were once military areas but are now administrative areas of Buddhist temples and have paintings/sculptures and Buddha Statue/other gods inside.
Inside Paro Dzong:




We later went to an archery range in Paro and did archery. One side of this range has professionals and the other side is free for amateurs to try archery (Rs.100 per head/hr). 

We booked a driver with the help of the reception at the hotel for a hotel pick up and drop to the base of Taktsang monastry for the next day.

Day 5: It takes about 45 min to reach the base of the monastery from Paro (Taxi charge of Rs.700 for pick up and drop). There are two options: trekking or hiring a horse and trekking only the last part. We trekked the whole way. We were slow and it took us about 3 hrs to reach to the top. Almost 1 hr looking around and resting and about 2 hrs on the way down.
Photo of monastery from base. The little while thing in the mountain in the below photo is the monastery.

The real size is revealed as you get close to it.
There is a restaurant in the middle of the way to eat, but it is quite expensive at Rs.450 per head for a vegetarian buffet.
On the way back to the hotel, we bought bus tickets for the next day from Paro to Phuentsholing (Rs.220 per head) as there are only 2 morning buses daily. One is at 8.00 am which we took. Another costlier alternative is to hire a sharing taxi which can charge around Rs.600-Rs.800 per head (dont remember the exact figure) or hire a full cab for Rs.3200 or so.
We reached Phuentsholing bus station at 1 pm and booked the Bhutan bus to Siliguri from Phuentsholing for Rs.132 per head (yes, it is that cheap). The Bhutan bus is faster and reaches Siliguri in 3.5 hrs or so compared to Indian buses which start from Jaigoan (Indian side of Phuentsholing) and take over 5-6 hrs to reach Siliguri. Another costlier alternative is to hire prepaid taxis to Siliguri or Bagdogra. We had enquired on day 2 we while leaving Phuentsholing to Thimphu and they said the bus to Siliguri would start at 2pm. It was supposed to be a tight schedule from Paro but the departure bus timing (not sure if the time was revised) was 3 pm from Phuentsholing. We reached Siliguri at around 7 pm (post a tyre change enroute) and took a share auto to reach Sevoke Valley Residency hotel.

Day 7: Checked out of the hotel at around 12 pm, caught an auto (Rs.300) to Bagdogra airport and caught flight back to Hyderabad with layover at Kolkatta.

Some interesting things discovered about Bhutan:
There is only one traffic junction in Bhutan which is there in Thimphu. This is yet to have an automated traffic signal and there is a traffic police directing traffic at this one junction.
Television was introduced in Bhutan only in 1999.
Although notes above Rs.100 are forbidden to be taken or used in Bhutan, people arent against it as it helps them trade more easily with Indians across the border.
Indian currency works easily in Bhutan as the people want more of Indian currency and it costs the people to get Indian currency for buying things.
Archery is their national sport.
Terracotta Buddhist Vortive miniature stupas can be found a plenty in mountain crevices.

The culture of Buddhism does not allow killing of animals. But, the modernisation of the country is expanding non-vegetarianism.

The various key costs of our trip are as follows:
Flight                  - 26248
Road transport   -   8933
Food and drinks -   3200 (We did pack in quite a lot of ready to eat items for the journey)
Hotel           - 15065 (Hotel Sinchula: Rs.1240 (1 Night); Peaceful resort: Rs.8385 (2 N); Rema Resort: Rs.3780 (Paid for 1 Night although stayed here for 2 nights as the service was so bad I demanded refund of 1 night and I got it); Sevoke Valley Residency: Rs.1610 (1 N); Remaining tips)
Misc                           -  1247
Gift/items/Souveneirs-  3478
Total                          - 58171 (door to door from Hyd)

Hope this information helps all of you to make your own travel plans to visit and enjoy beautiful Bhutan.

Cheers.

P.S: Updated on 1 Apr 2016:
A good post on travel to Bhutan is mentioned in the below link which I have not covered.
http://blog.byond.travel/index.php/cocks-kings-an-honest-travel-companys-guide-to-bhutan/byond/

49 comments:

  1. Thanks for this detailed trip note. Will certainly be helpful to plan my next visit to Bhutan.

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  2. Thanks for putting these little details. They will help a lot in planning. Cheers

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  3. Thanx Dear Ajit, it will be very helpful to plan & execute to travel to Bhutan in May,2015 in budget

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  4. Did anyone put any fund in your account??

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  5. Hi,

    If you were to plan a trek there, e.g. a 7-8 day trek to jomolhari loop, how much would it cost? Is it easy to get the packages there itself or is it required to book the trek in advance?

    Thank You

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  6. Hello. Thanks for sharing this post. I really enjoy reading your blogs. I am planning to visit Bhutan this year with my family and one of my friends suggested me a local travel service provider Bhutan Mahayana Tours which helped him while he was on a tour to Bhutan last month. I am very excited for my tour and hope I will enjoy a lot as like my friend.

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  7. Dear Abhay, I have not explored the possibility of trekking in Bhutan. So, I am not sure. But, you must be able to find some companies online who will be doing this. You can also ask your hotel if they know some companies for this kind of thing. Alternatively, people on tripadvisor may have commented or recommended some companies for trekking. Costs of a trek depend on the difficulty of the trek and how many guides are needed for persons/group trekking. Also, if someone needs to carry eatables or if it is available on the route. Request you to kindly explore.
    Regards, Ajit

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  8. This is a very informative blog especially now that it is a bit difficult to book flights direct from Bangkok to Paro on my preferred dates. May I please know if it is safe for a lady foreigner travelling alone to travel from Bagdogra to Phuentsholing using the prepaid taxi service? this would mean I will be at the driver's mercy for 6 hours or more =)

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  9. as per your blog, places seem near by... so hiring a private cab doesnt seem like a compulsion... taxi are readily available on the go?

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  10. Dear Anonymous, it is a risk for a single lady to travel alone by taxi for such a long distance with a taxi driver (and/or with his friend). My suggestion would be make friends with some fellow Indian travellers going to Phuentsholing from Bagdogra and travel with them.

    Dear Karan,
    Taxis are not available at every place. Only in taxi stands at particular places. Some taxis in the marketplace may be available by hailing them. Better to pre-book as you dont have the chance of moving your things from one taxi to another and save time searching for a taxi and negotiating with them each time.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. You gave me an excellent idea. Is the immigration office at Bhutan gate open until evening? I already have my visa clearance. The problem is the flight arrives in Bagdogra at 2:15PM.

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  12. Hi Ajit, thanks a lot for sharing this information. I am planning to visit Bhutan in 1st week of December on my Honeymoon trip. I just want to know if advance booking of hotels is needed, that time being an off-season for tourists. I only want to avoid any inconvenience on my first trip with my wife :)

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  13. Dear Suneel, Advance congratulations on your near milestone. I believe you can make a reservation at most of the hotels without paying any advance. So, my suggestion is to make a reservation and get a confirmation on email. Just take a copy of the confirmation mail with you while you are there. This way you can avoid making your wife wait at some place and then searching for a hotel, in case the hotel is booked.

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  14. V nice detailed account of the trip

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  15. Hi Ajit,
    Your blog is very informative. I'm planning to visit Bhutan with my family this year in the month of march. This is a personalised trip.
    Would like to know if budget hotels are available and if you can share some info/ links regarding the same?
    Secondly, did you visit the Chele La Pass and Dochu La Pass?
    Thirdly, can we book bus tickets in advance?

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  16. Hi Neha, You can check budget hotels in tripadvisor.com.
    We did not visit the two passes mentioned.
    I do not think you can prebook tickets on internet sitting in India. However, once you are in Bhutan, there are travel agencies (sometimes in a normal kirana shop) who will sell you advance tickets to travel from place to place (Thimphu to Phuentsholing). But some of the buses have no prior booking facility. It is first come, first serve.

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  17. Hi Ajit..Can we stay at phuentsholing for a day without the permit as we will be reaching phuentsholing by 9-10 pm

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  18. Hello Traveller,
    Yes, you are allowed to be in Phuentsholing without a permit. There is a single land route through Phuentsholing to Thimphu/Paro. They check for valid permits/papers from every person just outside phuentsholing on the way to thimphu/paro.

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  19. Hello, Thanks For your information. You explains superb and your information is useful.

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  20. Very useful tips and you have documented it painfully making your travelogue so authentic. Thank you. Btw, did you explore availability of taxis from PS to Thimphu. How much does it cost.?

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  21. Useful to plan a tour to Bhutan....

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  22. hi Ajit very nice blog , its for ppl like you that folks like us get the luxury of a real experience
    in one place

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  23. we ( 8 of us .. 4 adults and 4 children ) planning to do the road trip from bagdogra --a s there are no flights available from del -- all booked .
    However wanted to check - because we can only reach bagdogra on 1st afternoon and have to be back in delhi by 5th .. is this good enuf for a trip to the key places in Bhutan ?

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  24. also how is the drive -- scenic etc

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  25. Hello ajit.reading the blog has already made my bhutan trip comfortable.Iam in Paro right now looking for some archery range.If you can guide a little as to where you tried your hand would be really helpfull.looking for a promp reply.

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  26. Awesome blog and informative. I am planning for a trip in the month of November but the flights are costing me huge. Is it safe to travel by road from Bagdogra to Paro/Bhutan.

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    1. Yes, it is safe to travel from Bagdogra to Phuentsholing (which is the border town in Bhutan) via indian taxis, and then taxi/bus to Paro/Thimphu.

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  27. Hi Ajit

    Thanks for inspiring people like me (and many more) through your adventures and passion of sharing information. It is very helpful

    I am planning to travel to Bhutan with my wife from 25 Aug to 10 Sep (13 days), entering via Phuentsholing, but planning to exit via Samdrup Jongkhar. Quick questions please:

    1. Is it legally allowed to enter and exit from different points?

    2. If yes, is it too difficult to balance sight-seeing w/ so many places enroute? Or is it manageable?

    3. We would love to do a trek that's memorable yet not too difficult for our avg. fitness levels. Can you recommend something?

    4. Should we expect a high price surge during this season?

    Thanks a lot for anything you'd share, in advance.

    Regards,
    Alok

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  28. why you not delete this money scam.....awful in good blog

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  29. Grt detailed plani am planing to visit in 1st week of dec 16 thank u so much

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  30. Thanks for sharing from your trip. It gave me an idea of what's Bhutan like.

    Recently i visited Bhutan. I have documented some of my experiences from the trip here: https://medium.com/@Nambidextrous/pursuit-of-happiness-in-bhutan-thimphu-7d11dd3beeb7#.iq68pclew

    Please see and tell me your thoughts.

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  31. hi i am planning to visit Bhutan in Dec16 holiday.
    Please suggest
    >Is it good time to travel from weather point of view.
    >Thimpu attraction for kids age group (8~13)
    >Paro 2day are sufficient ..?

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  33. hi you have done an excellent review on your trip. I would like to make more trips like this if you can join me

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  34. hi you have done an excellent review on your trip. I would like to make more trips like this if you can join me

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  35. We(20) are planning to visit Bhutan in March for a week on a budgeted tour.Can any tour agency help us to materialise our tour to Bhutan ?
    Tushar-
    tusharnepu1@yahoo.com

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  36. You call spending 58171/- a budget trip... You need to have more experience in travel.

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  37. Hi, great post. Very helpful. I have a query. can I get the permit at phuentsholing on Sunday. immigration office is closed on weekends. at some place I read that permit will be issued on Monday only. Another place I read that permit can be issued from the gate when the immigration office is closed. Do you have any info on this. Thanks

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  41. your blog is amazing quiet interesting
    thanks

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  42. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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