Nepal Bhutan Tour

1. What is the Kathmandu to Bhutan Distance?

About 505km straight flight distance from Kathmandu to Paro which takes about one hour.

2. When is the best time to visit Nepal and Bhutan?

Spring (March. April, May) and autumn (September, October, November) are the two best seasons to visit both Nepal and Bhutan. Summer (June, July and August) is the monsoon season both in Nepal and Bhutan so it may rain a lot, but they are still nice to travel to since the views are more verdant. While winter (December, January and February) can be very cold in high-altitude in these two countries, lower areas are still agreeable to travel to and, for Bhutan, there are also some very interesting festivals in wintertime, like Punakha Tsechu in February.

3. How to get the visa for a Nepal Bhutan tour?

For Nepal visa, you can apply by yourself either in advance online or on arrival, which is available for nationals from most countries. Once you have paid the fee and handed your documents, your visa will be issued within an hour or so.

For Bhutan visa/permits, you can only apply via a licensed Bhutan agent or their international partners. The policy as it is, you need to book a Bhutan tour package beforehand from a licensed agent like us and pay the full fare. Then we will apply for your Bhutan visa and other permits needed on your behalf. All our Nepal Bhutan tours have visa fees included to give our guests a one-stop experience without the hassle and worry of visa applications.

4. How to travel between Nepal and Bhutan?

By flight. This is the easiest, quickest and most convenient way to get to Bhutan from Nepal. It is also the most frequent flight route of all into Bhutan. Currently, there is only one international airport in Bhutan located at Paro and only two Bhutan airlines to choose from: Drukair and Bhutan Airlines. Drukair usually runs 3 flights daily between Kathmandu and Paro while Bhutan Airlines has 3 flights every day on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The one-way ticket is about USD 233 per person for economic class and the duration is about an hour.

By land. You can travel from Nepal to Bhutan by land. However, since there is no land access available between Nepal and Bhutan, you have to go to India first and then transfer to Bhutan.

5. How much does it cost to visit Nepal and Bhutan together?

It really depends.

For Nepal: transportation fee to and from Nepal, and Nepal tour fee Nepal tour fee includes Nepal visa fee (if needed), tour package fee, accommodation & food and tips. Since Nepal is open for all tourists to travel freely, the cost altogether can be very varied depending on your requests.

For Bhutan: transportation fee to and from Bhutan, Bhutan tour fee.

Bhutan tour fee includes Bhutan visa/permits, tour package fee and tips. No visa and visa fee is needed for Indians, Maldivians and Bangladeshis. For nationals from other countries, the visa fee is USD 40 per person.

Tour package fee is what we know as the minimum daily rate, i.e. for a group of 3 travellers or more, USD 250 per person in spring and autumn and USD 200 per person in summer and winter. This daily rate includes everything, except for the tips given to your guide and driver, during your stay in Bhutan, from transportation, accommodation to guide and vehicle. However, other discounts are available or surcharge is requested depending on the complexity of the tour number of people in the group and extra accommodation and food requests (e.g. a cook), etc. Please contact our experienced travel consultant for a more detailed plan.

6. What are the top things to do during the Nepal Bhutan tour?

For Nepal, you can enjoy the temples and stupas, like Boudhanath Stupa, the largest stupa in Nepal and Swayambhunath Temple, also known as Monkey Temple. Also, you can do some outdoor activities like an epic EBC trek, boating at Phewa Lake of Pokhara and visiting Chitwan National Park.

If you take the flight between Nepal and Bhutan, you can also enjoy the bird’s eye view of Himalayas up in the air.

For Bhutan, the last Shangri-la, there are many well-preserved natural landscapes like the pristine views of Paro valley and the many wildlife sanctuaries. In addition, all year round, there are cultural sides of Bhutan for you to enjoy - festivals like Thimpu Tshechu, historical attractions like Punakha Dzong and religious sites like Taktshang Goemba (Tiger Nest), etc.

7. Is it possible to take a train tour from Nepal to Bhutan?

Nope. Up to now, there is no railway network running in Bhutan. If you want, you can take a train from Nepal to India and transfer to a flight into Bhutan.

8. What to eat in Nepal and Bhutan?

Cuisine in the Himalayas is pretty unique. In Nepal, influenced by both India and China, the food has a very distinct local flavour. The most popular dish is Dhal, Bhat and Tarkari. These three form the regular lunch and dinner of Nepali. Dhal is a soup made of leguminous seeds cooked with onion, salt, and garlic; bhat is white edible grains; and tarkari could be a dish of vegetables or meat, cooked in oil, with onions and various spices like garlic and turmeric. There is no Nepali who has not consumed Dhal, Bhat and Tarkari in his or her life. Other Nepali dishes include momos, Taas (a meat dish, usually lamb or chicken), alcohol like Rakshi (a strong local liquor made from millet or rice), desserts like Kheer (a thick pudding made of rice, milk, almonds, etc. that are usually prepared on special occasions like festivals).

In Bhutan, although a variety of cuisines - Indian, Tibetan, Nepali and Chinese - can be found, a typical Bhutanese meal consists of unpolished red rice (or brown rice) with dishes of vegetables, chillies and meat. Chillies - green or red and dry or fresh - are added to dishes not only as additional flavour, but also, in some cases are the dishes themselves. Ema Datshi, a dish consisting of cheese and chilli, is considered to be the national dish of Bhutan. Though chillies are the main vegetable in this dish, it is not intolerably spicy. The seeds of the chillies are removed before they are added to the gravy, and most restaurants do prepare the dish with tourists’ chilli-sensitivity in mind. Other famous Bhutanese dishes include Jasha Maroo (spicy chicken), Phaksha Paa (pork with red chillies), momos, etc.

9. How about the accommodation in Nepal and Bhutan?

Nepal has a wide range of accommodation for you to stay in, from the cheapest backpacker hostels that can cost as little as USD 2 per night, to 4-star hotels that can be as much as USD 150 per night. You can always choose some place that matches your budget. Bhutan, however, is very different. Tourists are required to stay in hotels with a minimum rating of three stars, which is part of the compulsory tour package. You can also upgrade to four and five stars hotels in Bhutan, for additional costs.