Tashi Delek Bhutan – The Himalayan Kingdom

Krishnandu Sarkar

8 years ago

This part of Trip Report is being continued from Hike to Tiger’s Nest – Paro Taktsang

For your reference again, here’s the itinerary that we are following :

1st Feb : Day 1 : Hasimara – P/Soling via Jaigon
2nd Feb : Day 2 : P/Soling – Thimphu
3rd Feb : Day 3 : Thimphu SS
4th Feb : Day 4 : Thimphu – Phobjika via Punakha
5th Feb : Day 5 : Phobjika – Bumthang via Trongsa
6th Feb : Day 6 : Bumthang SS
7th Feb : Day 7 : Bumthang – Punakha via Wangdue
8th Feb : Day 8 : Punakha – Thimphu
9th Feb : Day 9 : Thimphu – Paro SS
10th Feb : Day 10 : Paro – Day Trip To Haa
11th Feb : Day 11 : Paro – Hike to Tiger’s Nest
12th Feb : Day 12 : Paro – Hasimara via P/Soling & Jaigaon

Trip To Bhutan Series :
Part 1: Planning A Trip To Bhutan – For Indians
Part 2: Entering Bhutan – The Land of Thunder Dragon
Part 3: Capital of Bhutan – Thimphu In & Around
Part 4: Journey To Phobjika via Dochula
Part 5: The Most Historic Dzongkhag – Bumthang
Part 6: The Old Capital – Punakha
Part 7: Exploring Paro, Haa and Chele La Pass
Part 8: Hike to Tiger’s Nest – Paro Taktsang
Part 9: Tashi Delek Bhutan – The Himalayan Kingdom

12th February : Day 12 : Paro To Hasimara :
Well, we had to accept the truth that our long-planned trip was now about to complete. We really enjoyed each and every moment we spent here in Bhutan but now we have to go back to the same old boring life again.

With no excitement left in us, we started for our return journey at around 8:30 AM. But Tshering was not there, she left for Thimphu where she used to work. Surprisingly we all were sitting silently, even Raj didn’t even utter a single word.

At around 11 o’clock we reached Hotel Damview near Dam Chu where we stopped for lunch while coming back. I’m still not sure why I asked Raj to stop there suddenly, though none of us were hungry or had the plan to have anything.

After around 5 minutes we started again for Jaigaon. This time Raj tried to do all the funny things he used to do and said to me that “khabhi aap log akele aiyeye, gasa trek pe jayenge” (Sometime you guys come alone without these elder people, we’ll go for a trek to Gasa). We smiled and for the last time, we had lots of fun that we were going to miss.

Finally, we reached Jaigaon at around 12:40 PM. First, we went to BK to appreciate for the service he provided and we also had to exchange the Bhutanese Ngultrum that we had left. BK was really happy and asked me to recommend him if someone plans to have a trip to Bhutan.

Raj Lama

Raj told us to have our lunch and he’ll come back within half an hour after getting freshen up and having lunch. He had another rented room at Jaigaon. So we went to Maa Annapurna Hotel to have our lunch. Aha…a complete Bengali lunch after 12 long days reminded me of home. The food at Maa Annapurna was much better than that of Hotel Tripti where we had lunch when we came here on 1st February. The rates are also much lower than that of Hotel Tripti. But to our bad luck, we couldn’t manage a seat here that day.

Finally, Raj drove us to Hasimara Railway Station and dedicated us the Nepali song he used to play and we really liked the tune of it. With tears in our eyes, we bid goodbye to him. We asked him to stay for some more time, but he replied “aap log the isliye me hospital se bhag ke aya tha”. (I ran away from hospital due to you guys only). We realised that not only he became like a family member to us, but we also mattered a lot to him. After all when you have a companion of your age, your partner in crimes (Haha…smoking at various places) for 12 long days, you are bound to develop a bonding that you are always going to remember.

Now it’s time to summarize my experiences about Bhutan.

Getting There : Most of the Indians choose to enter via land border, Phuentsholing, which is connected with Jaigaon in West Bengal, as it’s most convenient and commonly used to enter Bhutan. Nearest Airport is Bagdogra in West Bengal and nearest Railway Station is Hasimara. Another two land borders, Samdrup Jonkhar and Gelephu is connected with Assam.

You may also choose to fly directly at Paro Airport which is operated few selected cities. You might also like to fly directly at Bagdogra Airport and enter via land border of Phuentsholing.

Though Passport and Visa are not required for Indians but you’ll need an Entry Permit to enter to Bhutan, which can be ~~pre-collected from Kolkata Bhutan Consulate~~ or else it’ll be issued at Phuentsholing Immigration Office / Phuentsholing Gate when you’ll cross the border. Remember that the above-mentioned permit is valid only for Thimphu and Paro and valid for 7 days.

Documents you’d require for Entry Permits are Original Passport or Voter’s ID Card (for Adults), Original Birth Certificate in English (for Childs), Two Colour Passport Size Photograph, Photocopy of Passport / Voter’s ID Card / Birth Certificate and Application Form duly completed and signed off. If you are applying for permission at Kolkata Bhutan Consulate and you don’t have Passport, remember that you’ll have to submit another supporting document such as PAN Card, Driving Licence, Aadhar Card or Ration Card along with Voter ID Card.

Update (April 2017) : Bhutan Permit System has changed a lot since the article was written. And it has become impossible to track down and highlight all the changes here. So I have come up with a more specific post focusing on the Permit system. You may please check the same at Bhutan Entry Permit – All You Need To Know

UPDATE (June 2017) : Kolkata Consulate has stopped issuing permits as per order by Bhutan Govt. Please check Planning A Trip To Bhutan – For Indians for more details.

If you do not have either of the Passport or Voter ID Card, then you have to apply for Identification Slip at Indian Consulate in Phuentsholing. There you have to produce any two documents from Ration Card, PAN Card, Driving License and Aadhar Card along with passport size photo. Once you acquire the Identification Slip from Indian Consulate you may approach the Immigration Office for Entry Permit.

If you are planning to visit any place other than Thimphu and Paro or extend your stay for more than 7 days, you’ll have to acquire Inner Line Permit from Thimphu Immigration office.

Remember that, your entry and exit border check post must be the same. But if you plan it otherwise, remember to mention it to the Consulate Officers. All your permits will be collected on your exit.

Though I have tried my best to compile the information one would ever need to plan a trip to Bhutan at Planning A Trip To Bhutan – For Indians, still if you need to know anything else, let me know in comments, I’ll be more than glad to help you out.

You can also refer Tourism Council of Bhutan for all the information you need.

Tour Operators : It’s not mandatory for Indians to travel through TCB approved agents, so you can plan the trip on your own. Otherwise, if you feel to go via Tour Operator check out TCB for approved list of Tour Operators.

Generally, Tour Operators on Bhutan side charges a bit more but you’ll have an amazing experience with them as they provide a full-time Guide with you and take care of everything end to end.

But if you are a budget traveller like us, you may contact Tour operators based on Jaigaon. There are multiple operators in Jaigaon, but I mainly communicated with BK Tour & Travels and Maruti Tour & Travels. Finally, I choose BK Tour & Travels over Maruti Tour & Travels due to his reputation.

Transport : You may choose to travel completely on your own via Bus / Shared Cabs. Most of them are Coaster Bus. Your one point stop for all the information required regarding Bus is RSTA. You can get the fares and schedule there.

But remember that, though the buses to Thimphu and Paro are regular and runs at multiple intervals, but buses to further places are rare and runs twice or thrice weekly.

You may also choose to hire a shared taxi or exclusive vehicle. Charges for exclusive vehicles in Bhutan side are more than that of the Indian side. So I’d recommend to contact BK Tour & Travels if you are interested in hiring an exclusive vehicle.

Shopping : You’ll come across a lot of Handicraft and authentic Souvenir shops at Thimphu and Paro. You’ll also get convenience stores like Eight 11 (Similar to Big Bazaar) for your daily needs in Thimphu and Paro.

Food : Let me keep it straight, if you are used to having Roti / Rice along with Dal, Sabzi or Non-veg items like Egg and Chicken, you’ll have no issues at all. At Thimphu and Paro, you’ll have a wide range of choice including Fish, but at other remote areas options will be very basic. You won’t find chicken at all places so be prepared for that if you can’t live without chicken.

Though I have seen, you’ll easily get noodles at various joints in Thimphu and Paro, but it’s hard to get the same in other remote places beyond that.

And remember that Beef and Pork is very common in Bhutan and make sure exactly what items are used while ordering dishes like Mixed Fried Rice, Mixed Noodles, Momo etc. At India, they generally use Chicken, Prawn and Egg in Mixed Fried Rice or Mixed Noodles, but in Bhutan, it’s very common to use Chicken, Pork and Beef on such dishes.

Remember that, nowhere you’ll be served dishes instantly, as they will prepare the same after taking your order. So be ready to wait for atleast 20-30 minutes after placing order. At remote places, you’ll have to order your dinner by around 6 – 7 o’clock, as in most of the cases I have seen they go to the market to bring the items after placing your order. Though this might be due to offseason and we being the only guests in the hotel. This might not be same if you are visiting on high season.

Make sure to try out Ema Datshi (Chilly Curry prepared in cheese), Kewa Datshi (Potato Curry prepared in cheese), Shamu Datshi (Mushroom Curry prepared in cheese) while in Bhutan.

Restaurants : I’d recommend Hotel Tandin (Indian Cuisine), Hotel Ghasel (Indian Veg. Cuisine), Bhutan Kitchen (Bhutanese Cuisine), Rice Bowl (Chinese Cuisine) at Thimphu. Hotel Sonam Trophel (Bengali Dishes) is a must-try at Paro. At other remote places, you won’t have any options other than having your dinner at the Hotel only.

Hotels : Well, let me specify that all the hotels and restaurants have a bar section. So don’t hesitate, it’s very common in Bhutan. All the hotels are equipped with Geyser and Room Heaters. But some budget hotels charge extra for room heater though. Well, another thing that I noticed consistently throughout Bhutan is that Double Bed Rooms means two Single Beds. Though if you are not healthy enough, one single bed would be enough for you else you always have the option to join yourself or you can ask hotel staff to do so.

WiFi : Most of the hotels have WiFi, but at some hotels it’s chargeable.

Tobacco : Consumption of Tobacco is strictly banned in Bhutan in Public Places. But you are allowed to smoke in your room or common passage in Hotels. But the selling of Tobacco is strictly banned in Bhutan and have consequences if caught. So if you are a smoker, you’ll have to bring it yourselves and have to pay 100% import tax for the same. Though smoking is prohibited in public but if one wants to smoke he can do so privately in a way escaping the common eye.

Though Tobacco is restricted in Bhutan, but all of them keeps chewing Doma (raw Areca nut) and Pan (Betel Leaf). As soon as you’ll enter Bhutan, you’ll come across a smell which is of Doma. Though you’d get acquainted with it later.

Currency : Bhutanese Currency popularly known as Ngultrum or Nu. in short is on par with Indian Currency and Indian Currency is widely accepted in Bhutan. Though TCB strictly mentions that bills 500/- and ~~1000/-~~ Rs. 2000/- are not allowed, but in practice, they accepts all kinds of bills in Thimphu and Paro. Beyond that, in remote places, we came upon various instances where they don’t accept Indian Currency.

The Good :
Bhutan is a country, where growth is not measured by GDP, instead, they have implemented a unique concept Gross National Happiness (GNH). Our tour was a completely cultural tour as we wanted to experience the unique culture and traditions of Bhutan. You may plan for Trekking Activities or can plan to attend a Tshechu. (Tshechu means Festival in Dzongkha).

The Bad :
Well, you cannot compare countries just like that, but somewhere we felt, being a completely cultural tour, it was getting monotonous at some point of times, as the only thing we were visiting are Dzongs and various Monasteries.

The main thing that I didn’t like is their implementation of Minimum Daily Package which completely restricted backpackers. Being a budget traveller myself, I couldn’t support this. Though luckily we Indians don’t have such restrictions.

Cost :
All the accomodation charges are mentioned in the format of 1 Double Bed Room + 1 Extra Mat (For 4 pax) and 1 Double Bed Room (For 2 Pax)
Hotel Shelgoen, Phuentsholing : Rs. 1100 x 2 x 1 = 2200 + 300 = 2500/-
Hotel Zey Zang, Thimphu : Rs. 1100 x 2 x 3 = 6600 + 900 = 7500/-
Gakiling Guest House, Phobjika : Rs. 1800 x 2 x 1 = 3600 + 600 = 4200/-
Samyae Resort, Bumthang : Rs. 1900 x 2 x 2 = 7600 + 1400 = 9000/-
Kingaling Hotel, Punakha : Rs. 1500 x 2 x 1 = 3000 + 500 = 3500/-
Hotel Phunsum, Paro : Rs. 1100 x 2 x 3 = 6600 + 900 = 7500/-

Total Hotel Charges : Rs. 34,200/-

Transportation (Innova From Phuentsholing to Phuentsholing) : Rs. 3000 x 12 = Rs. 36,000/-

We also paid Rs. 700 x 2 = Rs. 1400/- for Pickup & Drop from Hasimara.

So Total Hotel + Vehicle Cost was Rs. 71600/-

Entry Fee for Crocodile Park, Phuentsholing was Rs. 20/- per head
Entry Fee for National Textile Museum, Thimphu was Rs. 50/- per head
Entry Fee for Folk Heritage Museum, Thimphu was Rs. 30/- per head
Entry Fee for Takin Preserve, Thimphu was Rs. 30/- per head

Our total fooding cost was Rs. 52000/- for the entire trip. That means around Rs. 750/- per person per day on average. But fooding cost was bit high in remote destinations like Punakha, Phobjika & Bumthang where we took our dinner at the hotel only whereas it was a bit low in Phuentsholing, Thimphu and Paro.

NOTE : I have omitted the cost of personal nature such as Shopping, Alcohol etc. I have also omitted the cost of travelling by Train To & From Hasimara.

Contacts :

Kolkata Bhutan Consulate : 033-4012-3999 / 033-4012-3924

BK Tour & Travels : +91-9593837520 (India), +975-17601325 (Bhutan). bktourandtravels@gmail.com

Hotel Shelgoen, Phuentsholing : +975-5253982, +975-77160283. shelgoenhotel@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Hotel Zey Zang, Thimphu : +975-17601658 / +975-17714622. You can find my Review here.

Hotel Ghasel, Thimphu : +975-2324002 / +975-17248826. ghaselhotel@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Hotel Tandin, Thimphu : +975-2323380 / +975-2323381. dorjeetandin001@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Gakiling Guest House, Phobjika : +975-17651577 / +975-77651577 / +975-77868677 / +975-17807233 / +975-17488355. hotelgakiling77@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Samyae Resort, Bumthang : +975-17852453 / +975-03631899. ktshed37@gmail.com. samyaeresort@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Kingaling Hotel, Punakha : +975-17536515 / +975-77377291 / +975-02480584. kingaling@druknet.com. You can find my Review here.

Hotel Phunsum, Paro : +975-272670 / +975-77290274. hphunsum@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Hotel Dragon, Paro : +975-8272174 / +975-17762628 / +975-17320473. bookingdragonhillresort@gmail.com

Hotel Sonam Trophel, Paro : +975-08274444 / +975-17604434. hotelsonamtrophel@gmail.com. You can find my Review here.

Raj Lama (WB-06C-1474) : +91-7602568237 (India) / +97517410750 (Bhutan)

Mr. Bhadra Man Subba : +975-17670742. (Who drove us till Trongsa from Bumthang).

Sonam Norbu (The Guide) : +975-17924986 (Who helped us entering Tiger’s Nest and explained the details).

Gratitude :
The various trip reports from Trip Advisor Forums helped me a lot understanding various things. But due to a different set of rules for Foreigner’s and Indians, Trip Advisor failed to provide end to end information that I needed to plan the tour on my own.

Then I came across India Mike Forums. And I must say if you are an Indian and planning for Bhutan the Our Bhutan Trip – a senior citizen’s effort to backpack! by Ashish Da deserves to be a bookmark on your browser. This one is a gem of all the threads in Crossing the Border Forum. Without this, I’d not have been able to plan this trip so wonderful.

But as I had planned for travelling to more remote places the above Trip Report failed to provide necessary information that I needed. Infact very less people travel beyond Thimphu, Paro and Punakha. Thus very less information exists on the Internet for those places. But again, Our Bhutan Trip – a senior citizen’s effort to backpack! proved to be a gem where Mr. Mehpra had posted a Trip Report on which he travelled almost end to end of Bhutan. So don’t skip the post and go to the end, instead take your time to go through all the posts. Most of your question will be answered even before asking.

Another gem that provides a lot of information on travelling via Bus is Bhutan – Walking in the Air by Mr. Ashoke.

I’d recommend subscribing Bhutan Updates if you want to keep track of the live updates in Tourism Sector of Bhutan.

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