BHUTAN - The Travel Facts
Land area: 38,394 sq km
Forest area: 72.5 %
Altitude: 240metres to 7541metres
above sea level
Population: 700,000
Language: Official language is Dzongkha;
English is spoken
Religion: Buddhism (Tantric Buddhism)
Staple food: Rice
Currency: Ngultrum (equal to Indian
rupee) (Indian Rupee is allowed but notes of denominations
of Rs 500 and 1000 are banned in Bhutan in view of reports
of circulation of fake notes.)
Temperature in Thimphu: Summer: Max
25 deg C, Min 15; Winter: Max 12 deg C, Min minus2
Handicrafts: Dragon's Heritage, Thimphu
Capital: Thimphu
Druk Air, Paro: Phone: 975
8 271856/57/58; +975 8 271860; Thimphu: 975-2-
322215 / 323420 / 322825; Paro Airport: Phone:
+975 8 271423 Delhi Airport: +91 11 25653207, City:
+91 11 23357703/04
Travel requirements:
Foreigners require visa to visit Bhutan. No visa is
required for Indians desiring to visit the kingdom, but
they have to keep passport/ration card/election card and
provide 4 passport size photos at the border immigration
office at Phuntsholing or on landing in Paro. Tour packages
are mandatory for foreigners except Indians and may cost
around US$200 per person per night.
Best Time: September-October (Autumn)
festival season and March-April are the best periods to
visit Bhutan. Check with the embassy for travel during
December to March as snowfall hampers journey; During
the monsoon from May to August landslides are frequent
and journey should be avoided. While south is sub-tropical,
north is of highest Himalayan altitudes and glaciers.
(Royal Bhutan
Embassies provide travel guidelines for a given time)