BHUTAN ON A SHOESTRING

Bhutan - The land of Thunder Dragon, has always intrigued me. Having seen numerous vlogs and read numerous travelogues, I was constantly planning to visit this place. Finally, I happened to visit this place with couple of my friends during the Christmas holidays of 2017. We were travelling on a budget and had an experience of a lifetime. This is, by huge margin, the cheapest foreign destination for an Indian, thanks to close ties and arrangements between the Indian and Bhutanese government.

Buddha Dordenma

Before we move ahead with the post, here are a few things of note you should know before travelling to Bhutan.

• Except for Indians, Bangladeshis, and Maldivians, all other nationalities require a visa to enter Bhutan. For Indians to secure a permit in Bhutan, they need to show their Passport or Voter ID. (Update: From January 1, 2019, the Indian immigration office at the border town will not provide any other Identity card, so, it is mandatory to have Passport or Voter ID to get a permit.) In case, both of this are not available, an Indian can make a Identity card at the Indian immigration office available at the Phuentsholing border town.
• Other nationality people are not allowed without a Visa and they cannot travel independently. They have to book a tour, with a minimum spend per day to be $250.
• You can enter the country by air and land. The only airport of the country is in Paro. Land entry can be done only from India through Phuentsholing, Gelephu, and Samdrup Jongkhar, Phuentsholing being the most common one.
• INR is accepted everywhere in Bhutan, however, the currency notes of 1000 and 2000 may not be accepted.
• Unlike in India, you have to cross a road from a Zebra Crossing. A pedestrian is always given preference in Bhutan. You can easily cross a road, provided you are doing it from a Zebra Crossing.
• Expect really spicy food.
• Get a local sim after you secure your permit, by producing the same permit.
• Homes have massive paintings of erect, ejaculating penises flanking the exterior; government offices sport large phallic dildos in the corridor; cab drivers have travel-size wooden ones on the dashboard, etc. It’s not pornographic. Don't be alarmed.
• Don’t try to pet stray dogs. They bite.
• No Smoking in the public areas.
• Bhutan is 30 mins ahead of Indian Standard Time.

Through this post, I will try to explain how to travel in Bhutan (the basic circuit) without spending a fortune. I will tell you, how we spent the money and how you can further reduce this amount. The total duration of this trip was 6 days and we covered places like Phuentsoling, Thimphu, Paro and Punakha. Now, to be very clear, the budget trip may not be suitable for people who are planning on capturing images of every view on the route. This, you will understand as you proceed in the post. I have considered triple sharing of the hotel rooms in this post and considered expenses, from and to Siliguri. This is because, Siliguri is the junction from where you have to travel onwards to Bhutan. There are 2 Railway stations here - New Jalpaiguri station and Siliguri station, and also Bagdogra Airport. These three are very well connected to the rest of India. So, without further ado, let's dive in.

Day-1: Phuentsholing

Phuentsholing is the entry point of Bhutan. On Indian side it is Jaigaon. In order to reach Phuentsoling from Siliguri, we boarded the early morning passenger train from Siliguri to Hasimara which cost Rs. 60 per person. After reaching Hasimara, we boarded a auto-rickshaw to reach Jaigaon, which cost us Rs. 200 for three. You can substantially reduce the auto fare, if you follow the crowd out of station though the tracks, rather than getting out of station from the main entrance, like we did. This will enable you to get shared auto to Jaigon which will  cost you around Rs. 30 per person.

As you enter Phuentsholing, the first work you have to do is to get the permit. The immigration office is situated just 200 m away from the Bhutan Gate. Go in there and collect a form, fill it, attach your ID (Passport or Voter ID), a hotel booking confirmation and Itinerary. This is the first instance where we got duped. There is basically no fees to be paid for the permit. But, we paid Rs. 800 for the permit. This was because we didn't had any hotel confirmation with us, which is a must to secure the permit ( Any hotel confirmation letter from either Thimphu or Paro ). So, someone offered us a hotel confirmation letter and faster processing of the permit (believe me, no one can process your permit faster, it will take its due time) and we took the opportunity and then regretted it. How can you save yourself from this? Book any hotel in Thimphu or Paro using the Booking.com website and choose the "Pay or Arrival" option. Remember to choose 3rd or 4th day of your trip as the day of check-in to that hotel, so that you can easily cancel the booking.

In order to travel to Thimphu, you would have to catch a bus, or a taxi. If you are planning to travel on a budget, buses are a very good option. While your permit is in process, you can walk over to the nearby bus stand to book a bus ticket for the next day. Remember that there are very limited buses, and moreover, these buses are 20 seaters. Bus ticket will be Rs. 225 per person. Shared taxi will cost you 800 per person. You can also roam around and search for a hotel. Cheapest hotels will cost you around Rs. 600-700 for a double-bed room. We checked-in to a Hotel room costing Rs 700 for the night.

Our Expense: 60 (Train) + 65 (Auto) + 265 (Permit) + 235 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous) + 225 (Bus to Thimphu) = 1100

Proper Expense: 60 (Train) + 30 (Auto) + 0 (Permit) + 200 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous) + 225 (Bus to Thimphu) = 765

Day 2: Phuentsoling and Thimphu:

Karbandi Monastery

On second day, our first visit was to Karbandi Monastery, situated around 4 kms away from the main town. We walked all the way up to this place and then, while returning we hitchhiked on a taxi, which charged us Rs. 60. You can easily walk back down, but, as we had a bus to catch at 12:30 PM we decided to hitchhike.

Before climbing on the bus we bought packed lunch, as the bus would've stopped for lunch at 4 PM. We reached Thimphu at around 7:30 PM and took a cab to search a hotel. Taking a cab is absolutely unnecessary, as the main street, with numerous hotels, is just a kilometer away from the bus stand. This cab cost us Rs. 100. As it was peak tourist season, it was very hard to find a hotel, and that too, a cheap one. We did find one finally, which charged us Rs. 900 for a double-bed room. You can find cheaper hotels available at a range of 700-800 in off season.

Our Expense: 20 (Cab 1) + 35 (Cab 2) + 300 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous) = 585 + 1100 = 1685

Proper Expense: 0 (Cab 1) + 0 (Cab 2) + 250 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  = 500 + 765 = 1265

Day 3: Thimphu:

First order of the day was to secure a permit to visit Punakha. Since, the permit that we obtain from Phuentsholing allows you to visit only Thimphu and Paro, and that too for a duration of 7 days only, in order to visit any other place in Bhutan, you need to make an extension permit from Thimphu immigration office. Again no charge applicable. You need to fill a form and attach a photo copy of your existing permit. While the permit was processing, we visited Trashi Chho Dzong on foot. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to enter inside, as this is an office campus and is open for tourists only after office hours. Then we went back to the immigration office to collect our permit and the extension letter.

Next stop was the bus stop, where we booked two bus tickets, one for Punakha for the next day, which cost us Rs. 90 per person, and another for Paro for the day after, which cost us Rs. 50 per person.

Buddha Dordenma

After this, we took a cab to Buddha Dordenma, which is around 6 Km away on the mountains, the to-fro trip cost us Rs. 500. If there are 4 passengers, the cab charges are 125 per person. While returning we got off at a juncture from where the Changangkha Lhakhang monastery was about 2.5 Km away. We walked all the way to there and then walked back down to the main city to visit the Thimphu Chorten, also known as the Memorial Chorten. The entry fees, for foreigners to this Chorten is Rs. 300. Now, it is up to you to go inside the place (We didn't). Later, we had the Druk Pizza and after stroll around the market area, returned back to the hotel.

Our Expense: 90 (Bus to Punakha) + 50 (Bus to Paro) + 165 (cab) + 300 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  =  855 + 1685 = 2540

Proper Expense: 90 (Bus to Punakha) + 50 (Bus to Paro) + 125 (cab) + 250 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)= 765 + 1265 = 2030

Day 4: Punakha

Punakha Dzong

Since we had already booked bus ticket to visit Punakha, we boarded our bus at 7 AM and reached Punakha at 11 AM. The bus halted for breakfast at around 10 AM. Once we reached Punakha, our  first  work was to book the return ticket to Thimphu. Same charge of Rs. 90. Then we took a cab and visited the Punakha Dzong, which cost us Rs. 160. The sharing cost for cab is Rs 40 per person, if there are 4 passengers. In fact, there is no need of cab to visit Dzong. The bus in which you came from Thimphu will go to the Dzong after a 15 minute halt at the bus stop for no extra charge.

The entry fee of the Dzong for foreigners is Rs. 300. Again it is up to you to go in. We did, since we felt that having come so far, it would be of no use if we didn't go in. Later, we took a cab, which charges Rs. 50 per person, to-fro, for 4 passengers, to the suspension bridge, so, it cost us Rs. 200 in total. We had momos for lunch and then boarded the bus for return journey at 3:00 PM. We reached Thimphu at 7:00 PM. Again, strolled around the city before returning to our hotel. The hotel operator informed us that the room we were in, was pre-booked couple weeks back, so he shifted us to the adjacent hotel, which charged us Rs. 750 for the night stay.

Our Expense: 90 (Bus to Thimphu) + 55 (cab to Dzong) + 65 (cab to suspension bridge) + 300 (Dzong entry fee) + 250 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  =  1010 + 2540 = 3550

Proper Expense: 90 (Bus to Thimphu) + 0 (cab to Dzong) + 50 (cab to suspension bridge) + 0 (Dzong entry fee) + 250 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  = 640 + 2030 = 2670

Day 5: Paro

We boarded our bus to Paro at 8:00 AM, and reached Paro at 10:00 AM. Now, this is where we ran into quite a few road blocks. First of all, as soon as we set foot in Paro, we went to book bus ticket for Phuentsholing, which would have cost us Rs. 180 per person. Unfortunately, all the seats for next 3 days were pre-booked, so we were left with no option but to travel by a shared cab.

Rinpung Dzong

Next, as we went in search of a hotel, almost all the hotels were occupied. After a search for over an hour, we found a hotel with a room at the top floor available. It was more of a attic than a room, and it cost us Rs. 1500. How to overcome this obstacle? You can ask your hotel operator in Thimphu to book a hotel for you in Paro. They can get you one for Rs. 1000. Then you can ask the operator of the hotel in Paro to book bus ticket for Phuentsholing.

We visited the Rinpung Dzong in late afternoon on foot. The entry fee to this Dzong is also Rs. 300. Since, we reached late, we were not allowed entry in the Dzong.

Our Expense: 500 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  =  750 + 3550 = 4300

Proper Expense: 335 (Hotel) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  = 585 + 2670 = 3255

Day 6: Tiger's Nest

Tiger's Nest

The day of main attraction of the trip. The trek to Tiger's nest. We checked out of our room early this morning and left our bag at the hotel and took a cab. Since the start of the climb is some 12 Km away from main town, you need to contact a cab the previous day to drop and pick you up from there. The Cab will drop you there and then come back later, once you inform him that you have climbed back down to the cafeteria. This arrangement will cost you Rs. 1000, as it cost us. You cannot bargain this price. For the climb, there are ponies available till the cafeteria which will cost you Rs. 600-800 one-way. In the cafeteria, there was only tea and coffee available, with free sweet biscuits. The cost of one cup of tea or coffee is Rs. 120. The entry fee to the monastery is Rs. 500 per person for foreigners, which you have to pay at the start of the climb. Again, it is up to you to go in to the monastery.

Once we had come down from the monastery to the cafeteria, we informed our cab the same, and he came to pick us up. Then we picked up our luggage from the hotel and went to the taxi stand. Here, initially the cab operators were asking us to pay Rs. 4000 to drop us to Phuentsholing. After waiting and bargaining for around an hour, one cab operator agreed to take us to Phuentsholing for Rs. 800 per person. We reached Phuentsoling at 6 PM. and checked into a hotel in Jaigon ( India ) for night stay. which cost us Rs. 600. This is the cheapest hotel you can consider for a standard stay. The next day, we took a bus to Siliguri which cost us Rs. 360.

Our Expense: 335 (cab to-fro Tiger's Nest) + 800 (cab to Phuentsholing) + 120 (Bus to Siliguri) + 200 (Hotel at Jaigaon) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  =  1705 + 4300 = 6005

Proper Expense: 335 (cab to-fro Tiger's Nest) + 180 (bus to Phuentsholing) + 120 (Bus to Siliguri) + 200 (Hotel at Jaigaon) + 250 (Food and Miscellaneous)  = 1085 + 3255 = 4340

Considering that you decide to enter the Dzong, Chorten and Monastery which charge entry fees your final expense will be : 300 (Thimphu Chorten) + 300 (Punakha Dzong) + 300 (Rinpung Dzong) + 500 ( Tiger's Nest) = 1400 + 4340 = 5740

So, if you have a budget of around Rs. 6000, you can easily enjoy Bhutan. Moreover, if you increase your budget to around Rs. 10,000 and you have few more days to spare, you can visit places like Gangtey, Bhumtang, Haa and other places. Remember to extend your permit from the Thimphu Immigration Office.

"Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness" - Dalai Lama

A post shared by Mudit Acharya (@_tidum) on Feb 18, 2018 at 11:41pm PST

In the end, I would like to say that, although, a trip like this is budget friendly, the best way to really explore Bhutan is by bringing in your own vehicle to the country. You'll have to make a permit for the vehicle along with your permit and then would have to extend it in Thimphu immigration office, for other places that you want to visit. The best advantage of having your own vehicle is you are not time bound, and moreover, petrol and diesel rate in Bhutan is very low as compared to India.

Keep Traveling.