North East Experience tour

Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, is known for its monasteries, fortresses (or dzongs) and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. In the High Himalayas, peaks such as 7,326m Jomolhari are popular trekking destinations. Paro Taktsang monastery (also known as Tiger’s Nest) clings to cliffs above the forested Paro Valley. 

1. Paro: Paro International Airport is here, and it's a short distance away from the historic riverside town of Paro.

2. Thimphu: Bhutan's capital city offers a mix of culture and city life.

3. Punakha: You can find beautiful riverside farms, cows grazing in rice and chili fields and the Punakha River here.

4. Khoma: This village is Bhutan's textile hub.

5. Gangtey Valley: This location offers a 17th-century monastery overlooking the valley and its farmland.

6. Dochu La: This mountain pass is known for its 108 stupas honoring the Royal Bhutanese soldiers.

7. Laya: This village is the home of the Indigenous Layap people.

8. Bumthang: This spiritually significant area has four valleys, temples and the Jakar Dzong.

9. Haa Valley: This area is near the China-India border and offers hiking trails and monastery-dotted villages.

• Language: Dzongkha, Tshangla, Bumthang, Nepali, Lepcha, English
• Currency Accepted Here: Bhutanese Ngultrum, Indian Rupee
• Country Code: +975
• Capital of Bhutan: Thimpu
• It is the world's ONLY carbon-negative country.
• Bhutan has no traffic lights.
• Until the 1970s, it was isolated from the rest of the world.
• Bhutan has no traffic lights.
• Bhutanese share the same birthday. 
• Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, which was initiated in the 1970s to measure the country's prosperity through spiritual, physical and mental well-being.
• Women head the families and run all businesses in Bhutan, from shops to farms, and even inherit properties.

The Temperature over here is on the cooler side highest being 20℃ And coldest goes below zero.

Most Necessary Documents For Indian Travellers

Adults: 

• Voter id
• 6 months valid passport

Children:

• Birth Certificate( not Acceptable in local language. It has to be in English Language
• School / College id
• Valid Id card
• Permit copy
• Travel Insurance (recommended) 
• Valid Tickets
• Tour Itinerary
• Vaccine certificate 
• 2 Passport size photographs

• All NRI, OCI & PIO passport holder will be considered FOREIGN NATIONALS & will have to pay USD RATE as fixed by the Bhutan Government. 
• All FOREIGN NATIONALS tourist must obtain a visa clearance prior to travel to Bhutan. 
• Foreign nationals are required to send the clear readable and viewable photo-page of their passport to us & we will apply for their visa.
• For your kind information, once the full payment for the holiday has been wire transferred and received by the TCB (Tourism Council of Bhutan), the visa will be processed by them.
• At the point of entry, foreign nationals will have to show their visa clearance letter, for the visa to be stamped on their passport

• Indian food is available in Bhutan but no regional specific cuisines are served. The people of this area are mostly Non Vegetarian.
• Most of the hotels, serves both Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian food. The Jain food served by these hotels will be basic & cannot be compared, to the ones available, at the hometown of the traveler. 
• For the understanding, the food provided will be pure vegetarian meals, which will not include onion, potato, garlic etc, and items, which are grown underground. With changes in food habit globally, few hotels in Bhutan, are exclusively serving vegetable food to its entire guest.

Q1. When is the best time to travel to Bhutan ?

• One can visit Bhutan throughout the year, where January & February is winter, will be very cold. 
• If one is not very keen on festival then it would be wise to avoid Bhutan Tshechu (Festival) dates due to excessive rush and high price.

Q2. How safe is Bhutan for Tourist, especially for Female traveler?

• Bhutan is one of the safest countries to travel. The crime rate is Bhutan is negligible in Global index with family quarrel & petty theft accounting maximum count. It is completely safe for female travelers. 

Q3. How is the mobile roaming & connectivity facilities in Bhutan? Which local mobile operator has good network?

• Mobile SIM Card for Indians nationals travelling is easily available at Paro Airport.
• There are mainly two local operators namely Tashi Cell & B Mobile who offer good network for voice call as well as Data plan.
• However, Indian operator like BSNL, Airtel & Vodafone-Idea have good international roaming network in Bhutan.

Q4. Do sightseeing involve walking?

• Being a mountain destination, most of the sightseeing points involves walking & climbing of stairs. You  are requested to carry comfortable walking shoe, to avoid inconvenience & discomfort.

Q5. What are the custom, administrative restrictions in Bhutan? 
(a) Custom restrictions 

There are certain items that are strictly prohibited by Bhutan customs namely: 

• Arms, ammunition and explosives
• All narcotics and drugs except medically prescribed drugs
• Wildlife products, especially those of endangered species Antiques
• Import of plants, soils etc, are subject to quarantine regulations.

Notes: Visitors are advised to be cautious in purchasing old and used items, especially of religious or cultural significance, as such items may not be exported without a clearance certificate. 

(b) Restrictions on carrying Tobacco & Smoking in Bhutan

• It is the only country in the world that completely bans the sale, production of tobacco. Smoking is banned in public places and the offender can be booked for penalty, imprisonment, or both. 

However as per Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan in 2014, the following tobacco products are permitted to be carried for personal consumption: 

- 800 sticks of cigarettes.

- 150 pieces of cigars.

- 750 grams of other tobacco products.

• A person shall be allowed to import only one tobacco or tobacco product at a time as stated above. A proof or receipt of tax Payment shall be valid only for one month from the date of payment of Tax on import of cigarettes and other tobacco products depend on the place of import.

(c) Tax on import of cigarettes and other tobacco products depend on the place of import.

Note: While in Bhutan, visitors must retain the tax receipt to present to, if you encounter any checking by Tobacco control Inspectors.

(d) Restrictions on consumption of alcohol in Bhutan

Consumption of Alcohol is allowed in Bhutan. However, Tuesday is a dry day. Good brands of alcohol are easily available at duty free shop at the airport. Tourists are allowed to carry back 2 liters of alcohol per head in & out of Bhutan under duty free allowance. 

• Important Note : Days When Foreign / Regional Tourist Not Permitted
• 15th Day Of 1st Month (Chotrul Duchen)
• 10th Day Of 3rd Month (Zhabdrung Kuchoe)
• 15th Day Of 4th Month (Saga Dawa Guchen / Lord Buddha Parinirvana)
• 10th Day Of 5th Month (Birth Anniversary Of Guru Rimpoche)
• 04th Day Of 06th Month (Chokhor Duchen / First Sermon Of Lord Buddha)
• 22th Day Of 9th Month (Lha Bab Duchen / Descending Day Of Lord Buddha)

• Check in time at Hotel: 1400 Hrs / Check out time: 1100 Hrs.
• Bhutan Tourism Policy is based on High value, low volume impact. The hotel rates are comparatively higher to what we get in India. 
• This is because its main towns (Thimphu, Paro & Punakha) still houses maximum International brands like Dusit-D2, Lemeridien, Uma, Aman & Six Senses group.
• In hilly area, scarcity of water & electricity is a natural phenomenon. Most of the high-end hotels do have power back-up system. All hotels runs on 220/240 volts with round hole two-pin and three-pin power outlets what we generally use in India. It is highly recommended that you bring flat-to-round pin converters for your electronic devices if necessary; however, some hotels offer multi plug sockets.
• Most of the hotels, in the area do not have lift. One has to climb stairs to reach the lobby or the allotted rooms. 
• In case of problems related to blood pressure, breathing, knee & heart  or even if the guest cannot climb higher floors, then we request them to let us know, at the time of briefing call. So that the FHE gets time to handle in advance and the hotels assigns room accordingly. In case of any difference in price arising due to this displacement, this will have to be settled directly by the guest, at the time of check-in. 
• Other than Thimphu – Capital City, all other places in Bhutan are small town where good hotels are located slightly away from the market place.
• In Thimphu, most hotels are located in the city, while new and higher-level hotels are located a short distance from the city centre.
• Such hotels are built in area where they have no view, or view of the building in front, beside or behind them. Services of many hotels located in City Centre are not up to the marks (as their main source of business is of walking tourist). 
• The City Centre hotels have been selected (used in the packages) on the basis of SERVICE & their reliability. 

• The allocated vehicle is exclusively for the guest, but not at disposal & will operate strictly as per the itinerary. 
• In case the guest want to go for shopping, it is advisable to inform the Trip leader in advance helping them to plan the day accordingly. 
• However, in case of late intimation or extra vehicle usage after scheduled duty, then there will be additional charge of INR 3000 per vehicle for minimum 02 Hrs & INR 5000.00 per vehicle for maximum 04 Hrs.
• Every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes, landslide etc., which are beyond our control, all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes and any additional cost if any, will be borne by the guests directly.
• Based on the operational conditions, at the time of actual travelling, the itinerary could be altered, changed. All such right are reserved with the operating company.

• Generally in Bhutan, most of the vehicle, we write NAC (Non AC) as because of its location & Altitude, AC are not required. In case guest is insisting on AC, Supplement cost as per vehicle selection could be taken. 
• The AC will be on when the Vehicle is on move only. While travelling in the plains the clients would need AC, which will be switch on. When the car is travelling uphill AC will be switch off.
• All AC Vehicle request should come way in advance helping us to place the vehicle accordingly, on tours AC vehicle request will be difficult to entertain & will not be in a position to honor the same.
• The big vehicles such as tempo travelers and buses are modified over here as per hilly areas. Coach size is small, seats and in between space is narrow and seats are usually non push back.
• All our Bhutan tours are inclusive of Bhutan approved Trip leader (Guide), which is a mandatory norm, set by Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB). 
• We do not have a concept of using Driver cum Guide. In our packages, Driver is separate person and Guide (Trip Leader) is a separate person. 
• This Trip leader speaks English and majority of them do understand & speak manageable Hindi. Here we would also like to inform you that the drivers are mainly concern with driving the vehicle with safety & comfort of the guest.
• They come from remote places and are not educated in tourism etiquette and some of them do not know how to speak & behave. You are requested to be soft & gentle with your drivers. Your point of contact is your Trip leader (Guide) & the FHE (File handling Executive), who is pre-assigned for your file.