Travelling To bhutan

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Druk Air is the way to fly

As usual, a lot of our research has centred around the Trip Advisor web site. We soon learned that there is only one airline that flies into Paro, the capital of Bhutan. It is called Drukair. It's a tiny airline that employs a select few, highly trained pilots that are good enough to fly in to the country around high mountains and through deep valleys. Commercial flights into Bhutan only began in February 1983.

 

Tours to Bhutan

You can't just fly into Bhutan and do your own thing. The government in Bhutan is very protective of their special environment and culture and they, rightfully, don't want hordes of tourists spoiling their magnificent kingdom.

If you travel to Bhutan you must be part of a "tour" and you will be looked after by a guide the whole of the time you are there. Initially the thought of being part of a tour group made us cringe but looking further into it we found that a tour group could be just us three people. In fact a tour group can be just one person. You can go there alone and be looked after by a tour company.

 

Research shows there are many tour companies in Bhutan all offering much the same kinds of tours and services. The tour companies are very much regulated by the government and they all charge the same daily fees, i.e. $200 US dollars per day. If your group totals less than three people then there is a surcharge on top of the $200. This daily fee covers covers all your accommodation, three meals per day, all transportation and all entrance fees. It really is quite a good deal. All you need to do is to give the tour company an idea of which places you want to visit and the dates you intend being in Bhutan and then they work out an itinerary for you. They book your flights into and out of Bhutan for you as well.

Added later: Tour costs are due to increase shortly

 

Choosing a tour company in Bhutan

We wondered how we would choose a tour company. There are many tour companies listed online and virtually all come with excellent reviews and comments from folk who have used their services. In the end we just selected two well recommended companies. We emailed both of them. Both were very quick and pleasant to deal with. In the end it was pretty much a case of simply tossing a coin.

We have chosen Lhomen Tours and Treks. Karchung Wangchuk runs the company and we are pleased to say he is pleasant to deal with and is always willing to answer all our questions. We felt a need to change part of our itinerary and he was willing to do that and he has offered suggestions to make our trip more enjoyable. He always answers our emails promptly.

 

 

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