Almost as soon as I learned about Bhutan, I knew I wanted to go there. However, traveling to Bhutan is not as easy as buying a plane tickets and packing your bags. There are some specific steps you have to go through to visit, which I’ve laid out here.
Set Daily Cost to Visit Bhutan
Bhutan is perhaps best known for its policy of placing the highest level of importance on what was termed Gross National Happiness, instead of Gross Domestic Product. As such, the country decided to focus on quality tourism rather than quantities of tourists.
Years ago the number of tourist visas was restricted, which is NOT the case now. To travel there it costs a single traveler $250 (US) per day, all-inclusive. The daily tariff may seem steep and be accompanied by a amount of sticker shock, but consider that this pays for your lodging (in minimum 3-star, often higher), food, guide, any kind of trekking staff (such as ponies, cook and porters), in-country transportation (I had a personal driver) and any kind of permits you may need.
The only thing I paid for while in Bhutan was for beverages and personal souvenirs.
How to Choose the Required Tour Company
One thing that may be a deterrent to some people is that you must travel through a tour company and be accompanied by a guide. The companies and guides are all certified through the government and you can browse them on the Tourism Council of Bhutan’s Web site.
But there are so many! How do you choose?
For me, I knew I wanted to go on a trek, so I read about all of the different treks available in Bhutan and decided on the Dagala Thousand Lakes Trek. I liked that it was one of the easier treks and that it was not as frequented by travelers.
From there, I searched the Internet for tour companies that offered itineraries that went on this trek. A number of them came up and I would cross reference the companies with the list of registered tour companies on the Tourism Council’s Web site to make sure I would be going with a reputable company. I found four different companies and e-mailed them all to get a quote from them, and compared their respective itineraries and read about the different places they visited.
I settled on Bhutan Tourism Bureau, because they waived the single traveler fee and had the most diverse and interesting itinerary. In the time that I was doing more research on the tour companies I saw that the Thimphu tsechu would be happening around the time that I wanted to visit and BTB’s itinerary allowed enough flexibility for me to be able to plan to attend one of the days of the festival.
After Booking with a Tour Company
Once I decided to go with BTB, and received an invoice, I was instructed to wire the amount of the trip to a government bank account. The Tourism Council then held onto the payment and would release it to the tour company once my trip had ended, to ensure satisfaction and quality.
The tour company made all of the arrangements for my visa and plane tickets. There is only one, state-owned, airline that flies to Bhutan, but they do have partnerships with other airlines. I was e-mailed confirmations for my visa and flight details, which were checked when I checked in for my flight, along with all the other passengers. I was warned that if I did not have my visa information I would not be allowed to board.
Definitely Recommend Going
I was met at the airport by my guide and driver, who were wonderful. In fact, while I am thoroughly pleased with the service that I received from BTB, my guide, Pema Tsechwang, was so stupendous that I would whole-heartedly recommend his own tour company that he started, Druk Dra Travels.
Pema is from the eastern part of the country, which is less visited and the people there are poorer, which inspired him to use a portion the profits he makes from his company to help with the education of the children in the area. He has been a guide for seven years and is very passionate about his country and what he does. You can work with them to tailor make your own trip itinerary to make sure you get to hit all the spots that you want.
It definitely takes some planning and foresight to be able to visit this amazing country, but it was so worth it and the experience is certainly one that I know will be unforgettable. I can’t wait to go back some day!