Bhutan Travel Guide

Bhutan is extremely safe and travellers on the whole never come into any problems during their trips. We always advise to keep an eye on your belongings and leave your valuables at home.

Despite being a small, landlocked country, Bhutan is home to some of the Indian Subcontinents most stunning and majestic scenery. The famous Taktsang Monastery, also known at the Tigers Nest, perched on the edge of a cliff in the Paro Valley, is a truly breathtaking sight and a visit to this ancient Buddhist monastery should not be missed off any itinerary.

While it certainly could most visits to Bhutan focus on the many cultural highlights of the country rather than trekking. On a typical visit, the main trek that most people would do is up to the Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery near Paro.

This climb is reasonably strenuous and will take between 2-3 hours up, and 1.5-2 hours back down. There is a cafeteria halfway with fabulous views and your guide will encourage you to go at your own pace and no faster. If you are interested in trekking there are some terrific options ranging from half a day to the epic Snowman Trek that takes around 25 days – the latter recognised as one of the world’s hardest treks.

When visiting Bhutan, it is always important to walk around Chortens (stupas) and spin prayer wheels clockwise. When photographing local people, it is best to ask beforehand. If in the country during a festival, visitors must stay within the crowd and not move into the performance area to get a better photograph – this is thought of as extremely rude by the locals.

Internet access is now growing throughout the country, with internet cafés found in a few tourist areas and at luxury hotels. Connection speed can sometimes still be slow, so please bear this in mind.

Bhutan is six hours ahead of GMT.

From London Heathrow to Nepal or India, the flight time is between 10 and 12 ½ hours. The onward flight to Paro is then approximately two hours.