Travel Information
VISA
Except travelers from India, Bangladesh and Maldives, all visitors to Bhutan requires visa. Visas are issued only when a confirmed booking through a government-licensed tour operator like Aaro Bhutan tours & treks is made. Druk Air tickets can only be issued once the visa is confirmed. On arrival at the entry point the visa is stamped on the passport. The visa fees of US$ 20 will be collected from visitors by the custom officials. Aaro Bhutan will handle all the visa procedures for you. We will provide you with a visa application once your travel dates and itinerary have been confirmed.
Entry
Bhutan can be entered either by air or land. The national airline Druk Air flies from Bangkok, Delhi, Dhaka, Katmandu, and Kolkata. Entry by land is through the Indian state of west Bengal that shares border with Bhutan’s border town’s Phuntsholing in the south.
Accommodation
Visitors are booked into hotels approved by the Department of Tourism which are comfortable, clean and safe. Generally, Bhutanese hotels are modest and simple providing basic amenities for a comfortable stay. Aaro Bhutan accommodates you in all A-Graded hotels. However, if the visitors wish to stay in one of the high-end resorts like the UMA, Aman Kora or Zhiwaling, the reservations will be made but the tour tariff does not include the high occupancy cost of such resorts. The visitors will have to make the additional payment directly to the resort.
Dinning out
Almost all restaurants serve Indian and Chinese cuisine. Bhutanese dishes are also available in all the restaurants, the favorite being Ema Datsi – a cheese and chilly dish. All Bhutanese dishes use an abundance of chilly so do order according to your palette strength! Besides the locally produce beer and whisky the local brew, Ara that is distilled from rice, barley or wheat is also popular with visitors.
Shopping
Bhutan is popular for its textiles and cane and bamboo products. There are a lot of shops that sell hand woven Bhutanese textiles, handicrafts and cane and bamboo baskets which the Bhutanese use for a variety of purposes.
Currency
The Bhutanese is called the Ngultrum and is at par with the Indian Rupee and both are used in Bhutan.
1 Ngultrum = 100 Chetrum.
US $ = 45 Ngultrum (approximately).
Foreign currencies can be changed at the airport and from the banks. Some credit cards like the Visa, the American Express and the JCB are accepted by the bigger hotels and business establishments mostly confined to the bigger towns like Thimphu and Paro.
Telecommunication
Bhutan is well connected and virtually every town has IDD services. Internet cafes are available almost every where. Cell phones can also be used in most places around the country.
Time difference
Bhutan has one zone for the entire country. It is six hours ahead of the GMT. Bhutan is thirty minutes ahead of India, one hour behind Thailand, and fifteen minutes ahead of Nepal.