4 Nights / 5 Days1N Phuentsholing · 1N Thimphu · 2N ParoBest: March to May, and September to NovemberBagdogra (IXB) or NJP, then overland via Phuentsholing
About this trip
The shortest honest Bhutan itinerary by road. It gives you the capital, the Paro valley and the Taktsang climb, and it leaves out Punakha, which is a real loss but is the only way to fit Bhutan into five days without spending all of them driving.
If you have two more days, take the seven-day trip instead and add Punakha and Dochula. If you do not, this works, and the Tiger’s Nest on its own is worth the border crossing.
Trip highlights
Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest monastery
Buddha Dordenma and Tashichho Dzong at Thimphu
Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum at Paro
Kyichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples in Bhutan
The climb from the border at 300 m to the capital at 2,320 m
Chele La pass, on request, the highest motorable pass in Bhutan
Day by day
This is the plan as we would run it. Days can be swapped, dropped or added — say what you want changed and we will rebuild it before you pay anything.
1
Day 1
Bagdogra or NJP to Phuentsholing
Met on arrival and driven to the border, about four hours. Evening in Phuentsholing, permit paperwork prepared.
Drive to the Bhutan border
Stay: PhuentsholingMeals: Dinner
2
Day 2
Permits, then up to Thimphu
Permits from 9 am, then the six-hour climb to the capital. Afternoon and evening in Thimphu: the Memorial Chorten, the clock tower square, and Tashichho Dzong in the late light.
Permit formalitiesMemorial ChortenTashichho Dzong
Stay: ThimphuMeals: Breakfast, dinner
Immigration is closed on Sundays and Bhutanese public holidays.
3
Day 3
Thimphu sights, then across to Paro
Buddha Dordenma, the takin preserve and the folk heritage museum in the morning, then the two-hour drive to Paro via the Chuzom confluence. Afternoon: Rinpung Dzong, the National Museum and Kyichu Lhakhang. Early night.
Buddha DordenmaRinpung DzongKyichu Lhakhang
Stay: ParoMeals: Breakfast, dinner
4
Day 4
Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest
The climb: 900 m of switchbacks to the monastery on the cliff, four to five hours return. Afternoon free in Paro town, or up to Chele La at 3,988 m if anyone still has legs.
Taktsang MonasteryParo townChele La, optional
Stay: ParoMeals: Breakfast, dinner
5
Day 5
Paro to the border and back to India
Down to Phuentsholing, exit formalities, and on to Bagdogra or NJP. A long day; book an evening flight.
Descent to PhuentsholingTransfer to IXB or NJP
Stay: Departure dayMeals: Breakfast
Where you stay
Hotels are named on your written itinerary before you pay. The properties below are the ones we normally use in this band; if one is full on your dates we substitute a hotel of the same standard and tell you which, rather than leaving you to find out at check-in.
Phuentsholing1 nightStandard border-town hotelTypically: Hotel Druk · or similar
Thimphu1 nightBhutan government-approved 3-starTypically: Hotel Migmar · or similar
Paro2 nightsBhutan government-approved 3-starTypically: Tashi Namgay Resort · or similar
Getting around
Indian vehicle to the border; Bhutanese-registered vehicle, driver and licensed guide inside Bhutan, as the law requires.
Up to 4 travellers normally ride in a Wagon R, Swift Dzire or similar; 5 to 7 in an Innova, Xylo or Scorpio; 8 and above in a Tempo Traveller or a second vehicle. On the North Sikkim and Silk Route legs the vehicle is always a Bolero, Sumo or Scorpio, because that is what those roads take.
What is and is not included
Included in the price
Accommodation on twin sharing in the hotel category booked, with all applicable taxes
Daily breakfast and dinner at the hotel, unless stated otherwise for a particular night
All transfers and sightseeing by private non-air-conditioned hill vehicle, exclusively for your group
Driver allowance, fuel, tolls, parking and inter-state road taxes
All permits and inner-line documentation required by the itinerary
Pick-up and drop at Bagdogra airport (IXB) or New Jalpaiguri station (NJP)
A named trip coordinator reachable by phone for the length of the trip
Bhutan entry permits
Licensed Bhutanese guide and vehicle inside Bhutan
All monument and dzong entry fees inside Bhutan
Not included
Air and rail fare to and from the start point
Lunch, and any meal not listed as included
Entry tickets and camera fees at monuments, parks and viewpoints, unless a line above includes them
Any ride, activity or excursion marked optional in the day-by-day plan
Room service, laundry, telephone calls, tips and anything of a personal nature
Travel insurance and medical costs
Cost of any extension, detour or extra night caused by weather, landslide, roadblock, strike or another event outside our control
Anything not expressly listed under what is included
The Sustainable Development Fee, quoted separately at the rate in force
Pony hire at Taktsang
Chele La excursion, if added
Bhutanese visa fee for nationalities that require a visa
Booking, payment and cancellation
How booking works
A written itinerary with named hotels and one all-in price is issued before any payment is taken.
Booking is confirmed against the advance; hotel and transport vouchers are issued once it is received.
The balance is payable before the trip begins, unless a different schedule is agreed in writing.
Peak-season travel (mid-October to early January, and mid-April to early June) is held on shorter cut-offs and may need full payment earlier.
Rates are held against the dates quoted. A change of dates is re-quoted at the rates for the new dates.
Government levies, permit fees and entry charges are charged at the rate in force on the day of travel.
If you have to cancel
Cancellations must reach us in writing. The date we receive that message is the date we use.
What we can return depends on what the hotels, transport and permit offices have already charged us. Those deductions are passed on at cost, without a markup from us.
Permits, entry tickets and train or air tickets already issued are governed by the issuing authority and are usually non-refundable.
Peak-season bookings carry tighter terms because hotels hold us to tighter terms. These are stated on your confirmation.
No refund is due for unused nights, unused services or an early departure once a trip has begun.
A road or pass closed by weather is not a cancellation. We rework the day; costs already committed to third parties cannot be returned.
Your written confirmation carries the exact advance, the balance date and the cancellation schedule for your trip. Those numbers, not this page, are the ones that apply. Full terms are on the booking conditions page.
Questions about this trip
Is it worth going to Bhutan for only four nights?
Two of those nights are effectively travel nights, so you get two and a half days in the country. It is enough for Thimphu and Taktsang and nothing more. We would rather you took the seven-day trip, but this is an honest version of the short one.
Could we fly to Paro and save the driving?
Yes, and on a trip this short it is often the right call: it converts two road days into two sightseeing days. Ask us to price the fly-in version.
Fill this in and we will come back with a proper day-by-day itinerary for your dates, with named hotels and one all-in price. No payment is taken at this stage and nothing is confirmed until you say so.
We reply within the working day.
The itinerary comes in writing, with the hotels named.
Change anything you like before you decide.
Your details stay with us. We do not sell or share them.
Seven World Heritage sites and a lake under the Annapurnas
6 Nights / 7 DaysBhutan & Nepal
From₹27,500per person, twin sharing
View trip
Tell us roughly what you want. We will send back a real itinerary.
Dates, how many of you, and anywhere you have your heart set on — that is enough for us to start. You will get a day-by-day plan with named hotels and one all-in price, in writing, before you pay anything.
