Pricing and Policies
When Bhutan opened it's borders to tourism in the 1970s, the people recognized the negative impact unregulated tourism had on the culture and environment of neighboring countries. To combat this problem, the government imposed a policy of “Low Volume, High Value Tourism” which requires all visitors to travel with a licensed Bhutanese tour operator and to pay a daily tourism tax.
The Bhutan Department of Tourism determines the price for all tours in Bhutan. This fixed price covers expenses for hotels, camping facilities, transportation, meals, entrance fees, guide services and the government royalty fees of $65 US per day. When you book directly with Village Tours and Treks you do not have to pay any additional commission to a non-Bhutanese travel agent. The fixed hotel price is for simple, clean and comfortable hotels based on double occupancy; all hotels have electricity and showers with hot water. Five-star luxury upgrades are available in Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha at an additional cost.
The final tour price depends upon the number of people in a group and the season. You can visit Bhutan any time of the year. The peak season is from September through June. The summer months are warmer with some monsoon rains typically in the late afternoon and evening hours. Only the months of July and August are off season. Due to winter snows and summer rains, trekking is best during the spring and fall months. Click here for more policy information.
US $200 per day - Group of three or more people
US $230 per day - Two people
US $240 per day - One person
US $165 per day - Group of three or more people
US $195 per day - Two people
US $205 per day - One person
The government does not charge a royalty fee for children under the age of six; expenses for food and bedding will be charged. Children from six through twelve accompanied by their parents or guardians receive a 50% discount on the daily rates.
When booking any vacation in Bhutan, you deposit the payment directly to the Bhutan’s Department of Tourism in the name of your tour operator. The Department of Tourism distributes your funds only after your trip is completed, ensuring the financial safety of the money you deposited.
Once you have selected your itinerary, we will direct you to transfer the payment to Bhutan National Bank, Thimphu. Please click here for details on how to properly transfer your funds.
Druk Air, the national airline, is the only airline offering service to Bhutan through Bangkok, Thailand; Delhi and Kolkata in India; Kathmandu in Nepal; Dhaka in Bangladesh. We will arrange and purchase your Druk Air ticket for you. We recommend flying through Bangkok as Thailand does not require an advance visa from many countries including the US, and has very comfortable hotels located very close to the airport. The Druk Air flight and your connecting flights are not included in the daily tour cost. Click here for more traveller information. Tour operators may click here to view the most recent Druk Air policies.
Airfare costs are round-trip and include all taxes
US $684 Delhi-Paro-Delhi
US $428 Kathmandu-Paro-Kathmandu
US $793 Bangkok-Paro-Bangkok
US $435 Kolkata-Paro-Kolkata
The Department of Tourism fixes the following guidelines for refunds:
Days Out Refund Amount
30 100%
21 90%
14 85%
7 70%
0-6 50%
in Bhutan 0%
No charges occur for weather delays disrupting flights or creating road blocks if traveling from India. After the full payment deadline, it is extremely rare that a program will be cancelled. If that happens, you will be refunded the full amount you have paid.
Visas are not issued by international Bhutan embassies. Village Tours and Treks will arrange the visa for you. Please have the following information ready when you book your trip so that we may speed your visa application process.
Full name (exactly as it appears in your passport)
Permanent address
Occupation
Sex
Nationality
Passport number
Passport date of issue and expiry date
Date and place of birth
In order to avoid unnecessary hassles and delays due to mismatched information on tourist visas the Department of Immigration asks all guests to submit a copy of the passport along with the information above.
Further, section 72 of the Immigration Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan requires a passport to be valid for a minimum of six months beyond the intended date of departure from the Kingdom. You are kindly requested to cross check the validity of the passports before applying.
|
