US$ 250 per day? Know Where You Money Goes for Such a High Daily Fee to Visit Bhutan

Bhutan, one of the happiest countries on earth, has strong attractions to tourists from all directions. Seeking to be a high value destination, Bhutan imposes a daily fee of US$ 250 on every tourist every night.

However, there are quite a number of tourists confused about the daily tariff to visit Bhutan. It seems that tourists must pay for 250 dollars per night just to enter the country. Actually, the daily fee for a Bhutan tour covers almost all a tourist needs, including accommodation, transport in Bhutan, local travel guide, all meals, entrance fees, and camping service for trekking tours. The tours are prepaid so there are hardly any other costs, except your personal expenses, such as for drinks, laundry, souvenirs, tips and more.

What is the Daily Fee for a Bhutan Tour

The Royal Government of Bhutan sets minimum selling prices for packages to Bhutan. Every tourist is required US$ 250 per night for the halt in Bhutan in a group of 3 people or more, which must be paid before your arrival in Bhutan. This is for the high value and sustainable development of Bhutan tourism. More details about the daily fee are explained below.

What Included in the Daily Fee

Almost all you need for a Bhutan tour are included in the daily fee. Read to know the details.

Local Travel Guide and Driver

You will be accompanied by a licensed English speaking Bhutanese tour guide and an experienced driver. To visit Bhutan, you definitely need the help of a local guide because Bhutan is a deeply Buddhist land. Your exclusive tour guide can explain the stories behind the temples, Buddhist statues and traditional festivals. Driver will take you around during the journey, so you are hassle free to worry about internal transport in Bhutan. While your stay, they will always be with you. Namely, you pay 250 dollars per night for a personalized journey.

Private Transfer throughout Bhutan

The daily fee ensures you to get a car with good condition that is specially arranged for you. The driver will pick you up at Paro Airport, take you to every tourist attractions contained in the itinerary, and finally send you back to the airport. You will spend a lot of time on the road every day, so the comfort of the vehicle is especially important. The vehicles used are usually SUVs (Toyota Prado or Hyundai Tucson). And they always reserve enough space for luggage because you need to change hotels every night.

Local Hotels

The Bhutan daily tariff covers a minimum of 3 star accommodation. Usually, the guestrooms of 3 star hotel are spacious and comfortable enough. Basic facilities like hairdryer, slipper, toiletries, towel and bath towel are all available. If you are acceptable of the respectable standard of hotel, no more extra money on accommodation will be charged. For visitors who want to experience the authentic local lifestyle, there are many choices of homestay as well. If you prefer high-end accommodation, you can choose the 4 and 5 star hotels, which require an additional premium.

3 Meals a Day throughout the Journey

The Bhutan tourist fee will also assure you of three meals a day. Usually, breakfast and dinner are offered by the hotels that you stay in. As for lunch, you will be guided to the local restaurants. By the way, Bhutan cuisine is generally made very spicy with a lot of chilies and cheese. But don’t worry. Local chefs usually tone it down for foreign diners.

Entrance Fees and Permits

The entrance fees of scenic spots on the tour are all covered in the cost you pay each day while your stay in Bhutan. The country currently has eight declared tentative sites for UNESCO inclusion since 2012 and an endless number of other amazing sites. The entrance fees would be a massive amount of money if you didn’t pay for the tourism fee in advance.

Camping Equipment and Porterage for Trekking

Bhutan proves to be an ideal destination for mountain adventure trekking and hiking. Jhomolhari Base Camp trek, Snowman trek, and Masagang trek are some of the popular treks in Bhutan. If you go trekking, the camping equipment and porterage for trekking tours are contained in the daily fee as well.

USD 65 Sustainable Development Fee

Every tourists will be charged 65 dollars per night during your Bhutan tour, which goes to sustainable tourism, free education, healthcare, infrastructure, and more in Bhutan. This puzzles visitors a lot. However the taxes you pay during the trip will be put back to Bhutanese eventually. This is probably the reason people here are so friendly and warmhearted towards tourists.

What Excluded in the Bhutan Daily Fee

The expenses below are excluded in the Bhutan daily fee. Keep reading to have a check.

Bhutan Visa

Except for citizens of India, Bangladesh and Maldives, every tourists to Bhutan needs a tourist visa. Bhutan Tourist Visa costs 40 dollars per person and it is not included in the daily fee. After the full payment of your Bhutan tourist fee, the tour operator will help you apply for visa. And it is usually released about 1-2 weeks before your arrival in Bhutan.

Flights to Bhutan

The round-trip flights to Bhutan is excluded in the daily fee. There are a total of 5 countries available for you to fly to Bhutan directly, including Nepal (Kathmandu), India (New Delhi, Kolkata, Bagdogra, Guwahati, and Gaya), Bangladesh (Dhaka), Thailand (Bangkok) and Singapore (Changi). For visitors from other countries, you need to firstly take connecting flights to one of the above nine airports and then fly to Bhutan Paro International Airport. Most tourists fly to Bhutan from Kathmandu and New Delhi, and round-trip tickets are cheaper.

Personal Expenses

Your any personal expenses for alcoholic beverages, laundry, health care, etc. are additional money you need to pay. You have one free bottled water offered in the car. And if you want to try the well-known Bhutan traditional hot stone bath, you need to pay for extra money.

Souvenirs and Gifts

During the journey, it is inevitable that there will be some small expenses for souvenirs and gifts, which are not contained in the Bhutan tourist daily fee. Handmade textiles, stamps, and Thangka from Bhutan are very good options. In addition, the Bhutan music CDs are also worth of a collection.

Tips for Guide and Driver

Generally, the guide, driver, cook and waiter all expect tips. Beyond that, it is necessary to tip the porter and horseman after your trekking tour. These expenses are excluded in the Bhutan daily fee.

Local SIM Card

Almost all hotels in western and central Bhutan offer free WiFi, and visitors can access the Internet. But you still need a local SIM card. Tourists can easily buy a prepaid SIM card. As soon as you arrive in Paro Airport, you can buy a prepaid SIM card by just offering your passport number and filling up a simple form.

Note:
If you plan to make purchases or give tips, you'd better bring some US dollars in cash just in case you can’t find an ATM. At the airport, you can easily change US dollars into Bhutan Ngultrum. Usually, you need to change at least 50-100 dollars to pay for drinks, laundry, souvenirs, and tips.

More Questions about Bhutan Daily Fee

There are some further questions you may concern.

Is that worth to go?

Many tourists have second thoughts before they book the journey to Bhutan due to the high daily fee. But in fact, the daily fee covers almost all you need to travel in Bhutan, including a knowledgeable local guide who shows you around, an experienced driver, comfortable hotels, three meals a day, entrance fees for all tourist attractions, and camping equipment and porter service for trekking. We believe that Bhutan is quite worth to go as the country has made so considerate arrangements for visitors from all over the world.

In addition, Bhutan holds many surprises. The unspoiled landscape, strong Buddhist culture, and lovely people make the country a wonderland. In Bhutan, you can breathe very fresh air as at least 60% of the country is covered by forest. Bhutanese adhere to tradition. Here you can hardly see modern high-rise buildings. Living in one of the happiest countries in the world, people here have happy smiles on their faces. Bhutan proves to be a magical destination that is worth a visit.

Is that possible to cut down the price?

Still a bit expensive? Actually you can avoid the tourist peak months of March, April, May, September, October, and November. The price is cheaper in months of January, February, June, July, August, and December. Only USD 200 will be charged per person per night.

Conclusion

As explained above, for every tourists, the Bhutan daily fee is almost all-inclusive - accommodation, food, private transport, guide, entry fees, permits, a fully organized trek, etc. It's not a bad deal. And located at the foot of the Himalayas, Bhutan is an isolated and mysterious country that has its special charm. The natural landscapes, ancient temples and traditional buildings are waiting for you. Travel to Bhutan to check whether Bhutan is worth to spend US$ 200-250 everyday.