Bhutan, deliberately different

Bhutan charges every visitor a Sustainable Development Fee for each night of the stay, on top of all your other costs. Most travellers first react badly to that. Then they arrive, and find a Himalayan country with no billboards, no traffic, monasteries that are still working monasteries rather than museums, and valleys with almost nobody in them.

The trip itself is not physically extreme, with one exception. The walk up to Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest monastery clinging to a cliff face 900 metres above the Paro valley, takes four to five hours return and is the reason most people come. It is manageable for anyone reasonably fit, and horses can take you part of the way.

Because Bhutan requires travellers to book through a licensed operator with a fixed daily structure, planning matters differently here. What we control is the quality of the hotels, the guide, the pacing and whether your itinerary leaves room for the country rather than racing through it.

Why Bhutan works for travellers from Tamil Nadu

• One of the least commercialised countries you can visit, by government policy
• The Tiger's Nest monastery, one of the most striking buildings in the Himalaya
• Clean air, no crowds and genuinely preserved culture
• Short flight from India, with no long-haul journey involved
• Excellent for travellers who have done the usual destinations and want something different

The best time to visit Bhutan

There is no single right month, only the right month for what you want. Here is how the year breaks down, and what each window means for weather, crowds and price.

March to May	Spring, with rhododendron in bloom and clear mountain views. The best overall window.
September to November	Autumn, with the clearest skies of the year and the major festivals. Equally excellent.
December to February	Cold and very quiet, with clear views and lower rates. Some high passes close.
June to August	Monsoon. Green and cheap, but cloud often hides the mountains and trails get slippery.

What to do in Bhutan

Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest

A four to five hour return walk up a forested ridge to a monastery built into a cliff. There is a cafeteria at the halfway point and horses available for the ascent. Start early. This is the single reason most people come to Bhutan and it lives up to it.

Punakha Dzong

Arguably the most beautiful building in Bhutan, at the confluence of two rivers, reached over a suspension bridge. Spectacular in spring when the jacaranda is out. The drive there crosses the Dochula pass with its 108 chortens and, on a clear day, a line of Himalayan peaks.

Thimphu, a capital without traffic lights

The Buddha Dordenma statue above the city, the weekend market, the textile museum and the takin preserve. Thimphu is small and walkable, and the absence of a single traffic light is genuinely the detail everyone remembers.

Paro valley

Rinpung Dzong, the National Museum and the old town. Most itineraries start and end here because the airport is here, and the valley itself is lovely enough that a slow day is never wasted.

Festivals, if your dates allow

The tsechu festivals at Paro in spring and Thimphu in autumn involve masked dances, enormous crowds of Bhutanese in traditional dress, and a scale that is hard to describe. If your dates are near one, we will build the itinerary around it.

Hot stone baths and Bhutanese food

A traditional hot stone bath after the Tiger's Nest walk is the right way to end that day. Bhutanese food centres on chillies and cheese, which is not to everyone's taste, so hotels also cook Indian and continental. Tell us your preferences.

A sample Bhutan itinerary

A starting point, not a fixed plan. Every MilesBeyond itinerary is rebuilt around your dates, your group and the pace you actually want.

Day 1	Fly to Paro, transfer to Thimphu, evening walk.
Day 2	Thimphu sightseeing, Buddha Dordenma, markets.
Day 3	Drive to Punakha over Dochula pass, Punakha Dzong.
Day 4	Punakha valley walk, return to Paro.
Day 5	Tiger's Nest hike, hot stone bath in the evening.
Day 6	Paro town and dzong, fly home.

Who this trip suits

Bhutan suits travellers who want somewhere genuinely different and are willing to pay for it. It involves walking at altitude, so it is demanding for very young children and for travellers with knee or heart conditions. Tell us and we will adjust, including skipping the Tiger's Nest climb.

Bhutan at a glance

Ideal duration	5 to 7 nights
Entry	Indian citizens need a permit rather than a visa; a valid passport or voter ID is required
Daily fee	A Sustainable Development Fee applies per person per night; the current rate is confirmed at booking
Currency	Ngultrum, pegged to the Indian Rupee, which is also accepted
Getting there	Fly to Paro via Kolkata, Delhi or Bagdogra, or enter by road via Phuentsholing
Best suited to	Repeat travellers, couples, photographers, reasonably fit families

What a Bhutan package includes

Unless your quotation says otherwise, our packages include return flights, accommodation on twin sharing, airport and inter-city transfers, the sightseeing listed in your itinerary, daily breakfast, visa or permit assistance where applicable, and our planning and on-trip support.

They exclude personal expenses, meals not specified, optional excursions, tips, travel insurance and anything arising from delays outside our control. Every quotation lists inclusions and exclusions separately, so you know exactly what you are paying for before you pay anything.

How we plan your Bhutan holiday

You tell us your travel month, how many people are coming and roughly what you want to spend. We come back with a written itinerary showing the hotels by name, the transfers, and a clear price. If something does not suit you, we change it. There is no obligation, and we do not take a booking until you are happy with the plan on paper.

Once you travel, you have a real person on WhatsApp for the length of the trip. Flight delay, a hotel that is not as promised, a change of plan on day four: one message and we handle it from Coimbatore.