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Essentials

Essentials..........

Visa

Except for Indian citizens, all travelers to Bhutan need a visa. The visa is issued only after a confirmed booking is made through a registered Bhutanese tour operator.

Access

Bhutan is a landlocked country. Entry to Bhutan can be done by air or land. The national airline Druk Air is the sole carrier operating in Bhutan. Druk Air flies from Bangkok, Dhaka, New Delhi, Kolkatta and Kathmandu.

By land, you can enter Bhutan through the Indian state of West Bengal or Assam. When entering from West Bengal, your nearest airport in India will be Bagdogra from where you can reach the Bhutanese border town of Phuntsholing. In Assam, you will travel by road from the Guahati airport to the border town of Samdrupjongkhar, on Bhutanfs southeastern region.

Time

Bhutan is six hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, GMT.

Currency

The Bhutanese currency Ngultrum is at par with the Indian Rupee. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the airport in Paro or at banks. Many bigger hotels and businesses accept major credit cards like American Express, MasterCard and JCB.

Climate

Bhutan has four seasons. The climate of the southern part of Bhutan is tropical, with the central part characterized by cool and temperate zone and the northern part of Bhutan is alpine in nature.

While spring and autumn are ideal seasons to visit Bhutan, the summer can be equally adventurous with hills aznd valleys becoming lush and verdant green. Unlike winter in other parts of the world, the days of winter in Bhutan are sunny with mornings and evenings becoming chilly.

Food

Blessed with abundant produce and a pristine forest, dining in Bhutan is a culinary experience laced with purity. With fresh organic produce from the family farms, the dishes on the table are cooked to suit the varying tastes of the consumer. Bhutanese are voracious consumers of chili and the saying that the hot pepper in Bhutan is not a spice but a vegetable. Your gastronomical adventures in Bhutan will take you from the exotic cuisines of Bhutan made with wild mushrooms and orchids to continental dishes served at the hotels and restaurants.

Drinks

From pure Bhutan apple juice grown and packed in the beautiful valley of Bumthang in central Bhutan to the home brewed unique Bhutanese alcohol Ara, there is a wide-ranging choice of Bhutanese beverages. You can complement your gastronomical adventure by tasting Bhutanfs own Red Panda beer and a collection of impressive distilled spirits. Foreign liquor and wines are also available in hotels and duty free shops at the airport and the capital city, Thimphu.

Books of Bhutan

Beyond the Sky and the Earth is part travel and part memoir written by Canadian author Jamie Zeppa who taught in Bhutan during the late eighties and early nineties.

The Circle of Karma, Folktales of Bhutan, Bhutanese Tales of the Yeti, Dawa, the story of a stray dog in Bhutan are the works of prolific Bhutanese author Kunzang Choden. A treasure trove of local customs, folklore and beliefs.

Useful Websites

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Last Update: 2008/09/25
Zhidey Bhutan Tours & Treks is an authorized tour operator by Royal Government of Bhutan.(License: 1015446)
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No reproduction or republication without prior written permission.