Bhutan - The Dragon Kingdom

Surprised there isn't more interest in coming to Bhutan.

I have been living here as a volunteer for the last 5 months and find the country and the people to be great. Trekking is unbelievable.

Yes, there are travel restrictions and can be expensive if travelling as a tourist, but that has never really put off the real travellers.

Regular tourist visa cost something like $200 US per day, but includes everything - hotels, guides, treks, transport.

There is another class of visa which cost $70 US per day, but you pay all costs in Bhutan. Friends in Bhutan need to sponsor you for this one. Bhutan is slightly more expensive than India.

The 3rd class of visa is if you have family living in Bhutan. Then it basically is free.

If you want any information on the country, feel free to drop me a line. I am here until June 2005.

Rick from New Zealand

I've always wondered about this place - are the mountains the main attraction, and how do they compare to India/Nepal/Pakistan?

Yes, the mountains are one of the main attractions in Bhutan. They are unbelievable. When you are living at 2,300 metres and quickly climb to 3 or 4,000 metres with the views all around, it is magnificant.

But as interesting are the culture and people of Bhutan. With every climbing experience comes a cultural one. Every trek has one or more monasteries along it where you are normally invited in for a tour, a talk and a cup of tea. The same goes for the yak hearders you meet along the way.

I can't comment on the mountains of India or Nepal as I have not visited them, or al least don't remember from my trip through the east in '72/'73.

I understand there are some difference in trekking systems. Here you basically have two choices. Go it alone, carry everything on your back, follow maps/trek itenaries; or hire a guide, cook and pack animals. The first is free and the second cost from $40 US per day up. Tourists only usually get the 2nd choice.

Somehow one needs to get into the country as something other than a tourist to afford to see the country and the mountains. Volunteer, guest of an expat or invited guest of the country.

Hope that helps.

Rick

i knew that there was a hefty tourist tax - it is to protect the environment right??

someone i met in india told me that they actually limit the number of foreign tourists at any given time. do you know if that is true??

you said that it is only a little more expensive than india...can you give some examples? the trekking sounds about the same price. what about food, guesthouses, ammenities.

how do you get the second class visa?? i guess i am asking how do i get "friends" in bhutan!!??

I guess this explains why most travellors decide against it. They probably feel they can do much the same in India or Nepal, but for less.

So tell us, how do the people/culture differ from the afforementioned countries?

Hi,
I'm new to all this and have just realised that I have posted a few times and never introduced myself.

I went to India for the first time this year as a volunteer in Sikkim and am in the process of getting the money together to return in Fenruary. This seems way off point (sorry).

I am so close to Bhutan in Sikkim and I would love to go but I simply cannot justify spending that kind of money on travelling (when I can spend it on the school I work for). But I would be really interested in volunteering there if there were opportunities and I didn't have to pay US $200 a day (which is about my monthly budget I'm afraid).

Rick can you tell me anything about the volunteer work you've been doing and how you came upon it/what it costs you?
Cheers,
Padma

In response to the issue of volunteering in Bhutan. Most of the volunteers here are professionals assisting Bhutan with a specific aspect of their development. They don't just want a body, they want specific expertise. Such as computer skills, road safety, engineering, human resources, doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.

Most of the volunteers have been hired in their country of origin where that country and Bhutan have a memorandium of understanding to provide such volunteers.

However, there are exceptions. Where people have offered their services to areas such as health and education and have come on their own without their country's support.

Cost of living appears to be similar to Sikkim. Monthly expenditure around 10,000 nu or rupes; that is a bit over $200 US. A light meal cost around 30 rupes and a bigger meal between 60 and 100 rupes. Taxi from town to home around 30 rupes. Beer 30 or up to 60 in hotel. Accommodation in hotel anywhere from 200 upwards.

Re limit on tourists, I am not sure whether they limit them or just charge so high a price that that acts as a limit. Druk Air, at least up to when they got some new planes, always has limited seats to fly into or out of Bhutan as well.

It is hard for me to differientate between Bhutan and other adjoining countries in terms of culture, people and landscape. Have a look that their website to get a better view of these issues: www.kingdomofbhutan.com All I can say is the people are really friendly, you feel safe where ever you are, outside of the capital city - it is unspoiled by rampant development, etc.

In terms of visas, I understand that if you have friends in Bhutan that are willing to host you and guarentee your travel in the country, that you can be issued with a visa which only cost the tax paid to the country ($70 US per day). In that case you are welcome to travel around Bhutan on your own and pay for whatever services you require. Otherwise, the full visa is $200 US in the high season and around $140 US in the off season. See website or your travel agent for more information.

Hope that helps, but as you can see I am not an expert on the country.

Rick

Rick,
Am curious about the off-season in Bhutan. I know the monsoon strikes in July and August, but unfortunately that's the only time our family could come. Is it possible to trek then? Does it rain all day, or are the rains heavy/intermittent? Does anybody come to hike then? Would be most grateful for your input as we're thinking of coming next year unless, of course, we'd simply be setting ourselves up for a soggy, unenjoyable time...

I suspect most of us on here would love to visit Bhutan, but I for one, simply don't have the cash. (Else I'd have already gone!).

love to go to bhutan- agree with Rob the Pom.

Got no cash €€€

And here's me toiling under the impression that being a real traveller was all about being able to leg it on a pound a year. I hear Bhutan is nice though -- I also gather it'll have to wait. I actually glanced at it over the border :-P

[QUOTE=montana]Rick,
Am curious about the off-season in Bhutan. I know the monsoon strikes in July and August, but unfortunately that's the only time our family could come. Is it possible to trek then? Does it rain all day, or are the rains heavy/intermittent? Does anybody come to hike then? QUOTE]

Personnally I think the off-seasons (Nov-Feb & June-Sept) are in some ways better than the short on-season. When I arrived here last year, in June, the weather was unseasonable dry. That continued for the whole summer. We trekked, mainly day hikes, hardly ever getting wet. This year the rains have come early, but as typical monsoon rains they are intermittent and mainly at night.

Yes, it is possible to trek in the rainy season, sticking to the higher elevations as leaches inhabit the lower regions. Equally in winter, there is liable to be too much snow on the passes (most over 4,000 metres) so you need to keep in the lower areas.

Hope that helps. I leave in three weeks, so if I can be of any further help contact me before the end of May.

Rick

Leaches? How high up do we have to go to avoid? I'd hate to find one in my sleeping bag.

More seriously, if you have any parting thoughts about a good week-long trek --again, during August--we'd would much appreciate. My daughter is 12 and last year we hiked in Ladakh, where the median altitude is higher than Bhutan. At 4,700m she had a bout of altitude sickness but was fine until then. So any favorite destinations would be much appreciated. Web sites on Bhutan tend to feature cultural tours with vehicles with some walking added in. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems like there's less emphasis on longer treks, perhaps because of the more monied (less energetic??) clientele. In any case, a full blown visit with no local connections is no small investment, so I'd rather get it right! And thanks again for your advice.

Bhutan does sound like an interesting place to visit, and I suppose for many travelers its "the ultimate." However, why visit any country that has such an obvious dislike for tourists (at least for ones that can't afford to fork 200 dollars a day??). The world is just to large to bother with such nuisance IMHO. There are quite a few countries that are acually happy to have me as a tourist!

This website says $20USD for a two week Visa? http://www.kingdomofbhutan.com/visitor/visitor_.html

Where does the $200 come in??

The expensive part seems to be the $680USD RT plane ticket to/from Delhi...

http://www.drukair.com.bt/fl_schdl.htm