Our Bhutan Trip – a senior citizen's effort to backpack!

You are welcome. We are here in IM for helping each other.

As regards your return journey, it is indeed tight. We were in exactly similar situation as yours. We took morning(7 AM)bus from Paro to Phuentsolling. On reaching Phuentsolling Bus Stand, we were told that right now a bus will start for NJP. It was an Express Bus and will surely reach NJP before departure of Darjeeling Mail. Without much thought we boarded the bus, it was brand new Deluxe kind of bus and rightly it started soon thereafter. But my God, the road was terrible and despite Driver's serious attempts to drive faster, it had to be slowed down to avoid accidents! We crossed outskirts of Jalpaiguri town at around 6.30 and literally our hands were in our mouth!However, after lot of knell biting moments (literally) we finally reached NJP Station at about 7-50 PM and Darjeeling Mail was scheduled to leave at 8 PM. We got the train alright, but it was quite an experience!! I don't want you to experience such experience. ha ha ha!!
Hence, my recommendation is: Hire a cab (local cab) from Paro to Phuentsolling and ask the driver to drop you at Phuentsolling Taxi Stand. Hire another cab with WB registration to travel from Phuentsolling or Jaigaon to NJP. In case, if you can made a deal for direct journey from Paro to NJP, it will be much better. From my earlier experience, I would not recommend other available options (viz. Bus & Bus, Bus & train from Hasimara). Yes, it will be expensive, but quite safe. Unfortunately, I do not have any idea about the cost. Best of luck!!

Hi IM-ers,

I, with three friends, will be visiting Bhutan and Gangtok in May. We will be in Bhutan from 7th to 12th May and we are going to cover Thimpu and Paro only, for the time being. We have planned almost everything (thanks to this awesome website and you all, specially Mr. Ashish Das!) but the one concern that we have is regarding accommodation.

All 4 of us are students and thus on tight budget. So we are looking to economize out trip to maximum extent. And thus I want to ask, as May is a peak/busy season, can we get cheap rooms/lodges/dorm rooms in thimpu and paro? We are thinking of using them only for sleeping. so rooms with good view are not for us!

Any help will be highly appreciated.

Hi Vishal!

As you have gone through my thread, you must have noticed that I had almost backpacked, even at my age! I'm a backpacker from my student days and therefore I very well understand your need. Whatever little knowledge I am having about Bhutan, I had tried to incorporate in my thread, I hardly had anything beyond that. Notwithstanding this, I invite your attention to my reference to a Thimphu Hotel called HOTEL GHASEL. Its tariff was the cheapest of all the Hotels I had visited and had collected informations. You may try this Hotel, may be, they might be having Dormitory type of accommodation. Incidentally, they have an account on FACEBOOK. You may search it out and try to negotiate with them. Happy journey!

read till day 3, loving the detailed report...it will be of great help for future travellers...will read the rest again in leisure...

Thank you Aditi! It's my pleasure.

Hi Ashish da, I am again with a problem...

I called up hotel Tandin, and found out that they have no room available for book during the month of june.

kindly guide me with some other hotel name and info which is best among the cheapest(a budget acomodation) , like hotel tandin.

Thank you.

There may be many more. But I will give you two names viz. Hotel Singey and Hotel Ghasel. Contact Numbers for both these Hotels have been given in my thread. If I remember correctly, Hotel Singtay has their own website and Hotel Ghasel as a Facebook A/c. I would request other friends in IM, who had visited Bhutan earlier, to offer their inputs for Anindya's help. Check Singey;s website:http://hotels.nielindia.com/bhutan/t...l%20Singye.htm

a very detailed and enriching trip report sir , thank you very much for this post,i had a virtual trip to bhutan

Thank you once again Aditi! Visit Bhutan, if you have done that yet. It's serene, distinctly and refreshingly different than India, very friendly people and has not yet become too "touristy"! Contrary to popular perception, it is not at all expensive place.

Today I called Amrita Pradhan of hotel Singhye,she asked me to send a mail which I deed immediately and she wrote back that double bed room is 1600/-,20 percent discount.Should I write for some more rate cut?or is it not acceptable?

When I inquired last year, she offered me 1100 + 10%. In your case it is coming to 1280/- all inclusive. I think it is okay. The Hotel is very good, shade better than Tandin (where I stayed). Having said that, I must say that Tandin is also good and we all liked the Hotel. But nothing wrong in asking some more discount from Ms. Pradhan, say 25%. Best of luck!

yes i also think the same as you do. no, i have not yet visited bhutan. tell me one thing do you have any idea about the route punakha- damji- gasa ... i was going through bhutan google map and in internet i found mostly laya- gasa trek starting from paro , but does one go from punakha to gasa ?

no planning as of yet ,asking just for curosity.

No idea whatsoever! Considering my present age and health status I restrict my journey/travel on run-of-the-mills routes. Difficult and off-the-beaten-track is strictly no-no for me. Aditi,,gone are the days...

yes, i understand completely.......i thought as you visited punakha you might have come across these names...damji and gasa ...

The amount 1600,the tariff of Singye is after discount and I mailed to Hotel Phunshum (Paro)also,they are charging 1500+10 % service tax,not agreeing for any bargaining.Is the hike because of season?