Curries & Stories: Bhutan Diaries 2024 - A Preamble | Travel Tips & Recommendations

If you would have asked me in April what was my summer vacation plans this year I would have told you I am clueless. Because till March I was very much sure I wanted to travel to south Kashmir. I had already made my itinerary detailing out accommodations, food, sightseeing points et all. And around that time India's general Election schedule was published. Elections are not usually considered the best time for travelling due to the apprehension of getting caught in any unpleasant situation based on historical trends. I was crestfallen. May end - June first would be the time when I would usually plan my half yearly travels but this time the election dates were overlapping my entire preferred dates. 4th of June the election results would be out, give or take a couple of days after that for any political situation to simmer down, I wouldn't be able to travel `before second week of June. I did think lets plan for Kashmir on the second week but then again got the news that the assembly elections would follow in Kashmir post the results are out on 4th. More heartbreaks.

I had almost given up on the idea of summer vacation when I thought why not try out a place outside the country. This was the perfect excuse for a foreign trip. Easier said than done. Europe was out of questions because summers were the peak season hence very expensive and there were visa issues also which I heard. South east Asian countries were a good option but June was the rainy season in most of those parts hence not possible. Sri Lanka was a very strong contender in the running but then I saw the video of a vlogger on Youtube which piqued my interest in our neighboring country Bhutan. It had the perfect amount of non-crowded places, scenic locales, interesting local food and not very far from home. Since this was going to be my first foreign trip with mom, so I wanted the least amount of hassles to give her a good experience.

REVIEWS & RESEARCH

As always I did a thorough research on Bhutan starting with TripAdvisor forums, Youtube videos, Google reviews and so on. I cannot emphasize enough on how important this is. This helps in understanding a place before you even reach there and what you should expect. When I was convinced this was a safe and interesting place which can be explored it was time for me to lookup for a travel agent. When its a new place I do prefer going with a travel agent the first time. I searched for the best rated agents and eventually reached out to three agents including Amedewa which the aforementioned vlogger had also selected. Amedewa was the first to respond to my queries. Its owner Tashi was very prompt in turnarounds which matched my expectations. Also, I didn't want the typical kind of tour that agents take Indian tourists on. I wanted to touch upon a few additional places like Haa Valley and Gangtey during my 6 night 7 day trip. Amedewa was the only agency who agreed to this so it was easy for me to finalize them. Here's a small tip - always go for local agencies than 3rd party agencies as the locals provide better rates and experience. Now here's the catch - when you lookup in Google for best travel agent for Bhutan Amedewa's name doesn't pop up. But in Trip Advisor they have a good rating. I feel this is because they mostly take foreign tourists than cartload of Indian tourists hence I would say they are kind of niche. But looking at that Youtube vloggers video I felt they had a great experience from Amedewa so I was ready for a gamble. And it really paid off, I will come to that part when I talk about the whole trip.

AMEDEWA TOURS & TREK

Communication with Tashi, the owner of Amedewa Tours, was seamless. He was always responsive and willing to modify our package according to our preferences from hotel, to additional meals, to tweaking the itinerary and omitting any treks . From the moment we arrived, we were treated with exceptional care and attention, making our trip both enjoyable and memorable. He even accommodated a last-minute change in our return journey from train to flight, which was very helpful. Since a guide would be with us through the entire day, I had requested Tashi to provide someone with whom we can have good conversations. Our guide Phunso was fantastic. Not only was he knowledgeable and informative, but he also had a great sense of humor, making our conversations lively and engaging. His kindness towards my mother was particularly touching. He constantly ensured she was comfortable, helping her with doors and making sure she had everything she needed.

Our driver Sangey was equally impressive. We always felt safe, even in challenging conditions like extreme fog where visibility was minimal. He skillfully navigated the roads, and we were never worried about our safety. Moreover, he went above and beyond by taking us to see the Tashichho Dzong at night, a request that made our trip even more special. We had some great conversations with Sangey as well. He also helped us get some of the knick knacks like instant suja which we wanted to take home.

One of the standout aspects of our tour was the visit to Haa Valley via Chele La Pass. No other tour operator was willing to include this in our itinerary, but Amedewa Tours made it happen, and it was absolutely worth it. The Haa Valley was breathtakingly beautiful and an unforgettable part of our journey.

In summary, our experience with Amedewa Tours was absolutely amazing. As two women travelers, one of whom is a senior citizen, we were treated like family.

STOPOVER BEFORE ENTERING BHUTAN - WBTDCL PROPERTY

It also happened that when I was booking the trip my mom was at Pune with me but she had not carried her passport. So my original plan of flying to Paro directly had to be scrapped as flight tickets couldn't be booked without the passport number. Thus it was Plan B for us - entering into Bhutan by road through Jaigaon - Phuentsholing border. That meant an extra day stay at the start of the trip so that we didn't have to do a straight 7-8 hours of travel to Thimpu from Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri. I would recommend if you have senior citizens in the group, then do take a stopover before headign to Thimpu as you dont want to tire yourselves on the very first day of the trip!

I had the option of either staying that extra day in West Bengal or cross the borders and stay at Phuentsholing. After deliberating a bit both me and mom agreed that it has been a while since we have been to North Bengal so we should spend this day somewhere in North Bengal instead of Phuentsholing. The next problem was to find a good accommodation in the Hashimara / Jaigaon area. Now if you do a google search you would know that Jaigaon only has low budget hotels because of a very practical reason - people use this place just for a layover before they enter Bhutan, so no point in having luxury or mid budget hotels. That meant we had to stay somewhere in Hashimara. The only problem in this was that we would need to travel for a good 45-50 minutes to reach Jaigon early morning next day. Since my plan was to have a cab prebooked I thought this was manageable. The first place that pops up in search results when you look for resorts is The Jungle Book resort.

This place looks uber chic in all the photos that I saw on net. Its very hard for anyone to not like this hotel. I was almost bought on this property but then I thought this place is a little too resort-like and it lacks the quaint charm of staying near a forest zone. I also saw some reviews which stated that, the property is often rented for parties. That was a major no-no for me. When I am in a forest zone I expect complete solitude. Forests are meant to be peaceful. This is where I started looking for an alternative. Thankfully I stumbled upon a property by the WBTDCL called Aranya Tourism Property. After a quick research I learnt that they have built a new wing beside the older building and the rooms in them looked real neat with all kinds of modern amenities. It was called as the brick block and it had three levels - first , second and third. Since the property didn't have a lift and I had a senior citizen travel with me I opted for second floor so that there is a balance of view and ease of reaching. I didn't find many videos of the brick block but the limited pictures which I saw, looked promising. The cost was also cheaper compared to the Jungle Book resort which was another selling point. And the final thing that checked all the boxes for me was that this property is located just at the fringe of the Jaldapara Sanctuary and you can see the forest from your room. If you want to book this property then visit the official website of WBTDCL, link is HERE.

One important thing here, when you book you will only be charged the room tariff, the taxes will be collected in person at the property when you reach. Many people think that the price they pay on the website is the final one but on top of it you have to pay the stipulated taxes. Just like me some of the other tourists were also surprised, but when I read the fine prints of the booking receipt I saw it was clearly mentioned so.

With the accommodation sorted for the first day now it was the turn of the logistics to reach there. I explained to Tashi my issue of why I am not able to fly in, and he was very kind in adjusting the plan and arranging a pickup form Jaigaon instead of Paro. I also asked him if he can arrange a pickup from Bagdogra to Hashimara on Day 1 and then from Hashimara to Jaigaon border on Day 2. Since this was coming in India, I was not sure whether Tashi will be able to arrange that but he did. They have tie ups with Indian cab providers for the India segment as well. The additional cost for this logistics was as per market rates so I was okay with it.

WEATHER FORCAST

With all the logistics and stuff taken care it was time to get packing. I looked up at the weather forecast for the second week of June and it said that nights are colder in Thimpu and Paro and temperature would be around 10 °C at night ( I usually refer to Accuweather website, and they have been more of less on point) . Day temperatures were normal around 23-25 °C. Travelling with a senior citizen means you need to be extra cautious of the weather. Also since this was a foreign country we didn't want to be caught unawares and end up buying warm cloth after reaching Bhutan ( this had actually happened with us a decade ago when we visited Gangtok and the mercury fell way below I had anticipated). So though the weather didn't seem threatening enough I asked my mom to carry a good jacket which we had used during our Kashmir visit in winter. When it was almost time for our trip I however decided to skip the heavy jacket and carry a waterproof windcheater instead. That was a good decision as it effectively kept the cold away and didn't overcrowd my luggage. So I would say a good waterproof windcheater is enough if you are travelling during June.

CLOTHES

Coming to clothes. This is very important. The first thing you need to wrap your head around is that Bhutan is a very spiritual and religious place. They love their culture and the traditional ways of things. There are rules in place which says you cannot keep your arms or legs exposed when you enter a Dzong or a Monastery as its considered uncouth. So never wear a shorts of sleeveless to any of these places. And anyway your guide will always tell you what to do and what not to do , so don't act obnoxious, just abide by what they recommend.

Some of you may say that you have seen influencers in reels wearing short dresses, sleeveless etc. I have seen that too both in reels and in real when I was in Bhutan. So the thing is, no one will object to these dresses unless you are entering into a Dzong or Monastery. If you happen to wear such clothes then you need to carry a jacket or coverups before you enter any formal place. The Bhutanese locals have to be in their national dress Gho and Kira when they enter into these establishments. So you can take a clue what should be the appropriate clothing. Interestingly, the dress code is enforced more strictly for a Dzong than a monastery as Dzongs are administrative buildings where all people needs to be dressed in formals. One more thing, when you enter any of these religious or administrative buildings you cannot keep your head covered, that is also considered unappropriated. So the rule of thumb is apart from your head everything else should be covered. Only exception is if your religion asks you to cover your head - like Sikhs. For them this rule is not applicable as Bhutanese respect any kind of religious obligations. Our Guide was a very religious person, so initially he didn't even approve of my slippers while entering into these places, but when the authorities didn't object he allowed me! I used to either have my windcheater or a shrug to cover my hands whenever entering into Dzongs or monasteries.

SHOES

When in Bhutan, you need good comfortable walking shoes or slippers. People who will be doing treks like the tigers nest trek need to carry good sports shoes. Even if you are not doing treks , you will be walking a lot, going up and down many stairs, and be on your feet almost all the time during sightseeing. I had recovered from Sciatica just a few months back so I carried extra cushiony slippers from sketchers.

One more thing, you will need to frequently take off your shoes throughout the day when you enter any Dzong or Monastery, so you need to wear such shoes which can be taken off / worn quickly and easily.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

From documents standpoint, for Indians you either need a Passport (Valid for at least six months from your intended departure date from Bhutan) or a Voters Card. Aadhar Card is not accepted if you want to travel inside Bhutan. Also as I said earlier for booking flights you need to enter the Passport details. Your i-card details will also be required when your agent applies for your e-permit. So a softcopy of any of the two is accepted along with softcopies of your passport size photos. When you enter Bhutan, your passport is stamped and for Voter card holders they are given a print out which needs to be kept safely with you throughout the trip as it is needed while exiting Bhutan. Usually your guide would keep that printout with them to keep it safe. For children under 18 who are accompanied by a legal guardian , original birth certificate in English is needed. And always ask your travel agent or guide to get the e-permit done beforehand. With an e-permit in place the whole entry, immigration process takes less than 30 minutes. But if you don't have the e-permit you need to go to immigration office after your initial data entry and there it depends on the queue on a particular day how much time will be needed. I have seen people saying 1-2 hours for the same.

SAFETY OF PASSPORT WHILE TRAVELLING

Now the question may come if you are carrying passport where to keep it when you go for sightseeing? This was a question which I also had. But based on my travel to other foreign countries I knew the ground rule - passport is the most valuable document in a foreign country so at all times you need to carry it with yourself. Have a backpack or a theft proof pouch where you keep it with you all the time. Leaving it at the hotel is not advisable, as if it goes missing you will be in much trouble. Also initially I was lugging my backpack everywhere I went, but after day 2, we started leaving the bag with our money and passport in the car itself. The driver would be present in the car so its pretty safe. And also the driver is very dependable so no tension of your belonging being stolen.

RAIN GEAR / SUN SHADE/ WALKING STICKS

The other important thing is that you will be walking a lot in Bhutan so for senior citizens its good to have a walking stick/ trekking stick. You should also carry an umbrella if you are travelling in summer or monsoon, reason being apart from rains this also was much needed during the long walk to the suspension bridge in Punakha. Its super hot and sunny and umbrella is totally recommended. Also a good sunscreen is a must even if you are travelling during monsoon.

FOOD IN BHUTAN

When it comes to food, I will recommend you to keep an open mind for their local food. Especially, ask your guide to arrange lunch at local farms rather than having local food in restaurants. The food cooked at someone's home is much more authentic than what you would get in restaurants like Zombala. We had the best meal in a beautiful farmstead in Phobjika valley. The only exception to this would be the restaurants in Haa Valley. Haa is not a very touristy place so the restaurants there serve very authentic local food as it majorly caters to locals only. I would recommend you try out all the indigenous produce of the region which are super tasty and flavorful. My mom even complained that she gained weight after coming back from Bhutan due to eating so much! Also Bhutanese cuisine is very much vegetarian friendly. They have a lots of side dishes which are purely vegetarian and delicious.

One more interesting fact that I felt is Bhutanese eating culture is somewhat identical to the Korean food culture that we often see in the K-Dramas. Bhutanese also have a staple rice dish and with that they have many side dishes. These side dishes are not curries like we are used to in Indian food culture, instead they are dry or semi-dry dishes. So while your Indian self might pine for a dal when it comes to rice, you wont get any gravy kinda thing. Initially we were unsure how to have rice with dry sides but over the period of 6 days we learnt that we can survive even without a gravy to go with rice. And surprisingly I loved that pairing as well. The sides would be so scrumptious that you will get full just by having them. Also be aware that Bhutanese use very less or no condiments in their local fare - the most used things are local cheese and chilies. So don't look for a heavy tadka to spice things up, the chilies or the organic taste of unadulterated vegetables will actually win you over.

Also one additional tips for the K-Drama fans. If you are temped to try out what Soju tastes like then you can experience it in Bhutan. Soju is available here in grocery marts that too in various fruity flavors. Definitely a must try to quench your curiosity.

STAY RECOMMENDATIONS

Try to stay in places where you can interact with locals. I have this recommendation wherever I go. That's the best way to experience a slice of the local life anywhere in the world. Just going and doing ten sightseeing wont give you the insight into a place which you can get by talking to the locals. So don't miss on that. While in places like Thimpu or Paro you might not get that opportunity but when you travel to places like Punakha, Phobjika, Bumthang etc. try to get a hotel which gives u a feel of the local life. Like in Punakha we stayed at a beautiful property atop a hill called the Dhumra Farm Resort. To be frank it was expensive, but it is rightly so - it keeps the crowd away and you can enjoy nature and local life at its best while having the best view of the Punakha Dzong right form your room. This was the most memorable stay in our entire trip and I can go back to Bhutan once again just to spend a few more days in Dhumra. The hosts Sangay and Rinzi are absolute darlings and the most warm hearted people we have met during our travels. I cannot stop talking about Dhumra time and again in my posts, reels , videos because it was so so good! In case you are not willing to spend much, you can also check with your travel agent for stay in any farm - there are a plethora of options available in all places. The only disclaimer here is in any farmstay you will not get any attached bathrooms. There will be common bathrooms in the house for all guests. While you may think its inconvenient, but its not so, the room and the bathroom are almost adjacent and there are not many guest rooms, mostly like there will be two bedrooms , so eventually it doesn't feel like a separate place in the house.

I have made a Youtube Video on Hotel Suggestions in Bhutan and Recommended hotels. Checkout below:

GENERAL BEHAVIOR

The next thing I would like to call out is behavior - how you carry yourself in a foreign country. While this is something which you will expect people to know by default but I have seen people from a particular Indian state behave in such an uncouth manner that I wanted to also highlight this point. Whether you are in your own country or foreign country, always remember the way you behave will also become a representation of the state or the country you belong from. Just because you are on a vacation doesn't give you the liberty to behave in a rowdy, uncivilized, arrogant manner. For an example when we were inside Buddha Dordenma, the place is just like any other religious place where you are expected to maintain certain decorum like taking in hushed voice and respecting the cultural aspects. While every other tourists from various countries were inside the hall, in comes a group from India, all mid-aged, and one lady in the group starts making small talks and jokes in a high pitched voice. Everyone around turned to look at them obviously because of the disturbance she created, but she didn't care and continued in the same pitch. Even their guide was silent, maybe because that is how their conduct was in every place. Now bring that lady in any temple in India and suppose a foreigner stats yelling and screaming inside the temple, I am sure the same lady would say foreigners have no manners! That is the exact impression she left about her state in my mind and about our country to the Bhutanese. So before you think of doing something like this please be sensitive to the surroundings and the culture. Especially Bhutanese people are very religious people and they don't like anyone disrespecting their culture.

Power Adaptors in Bhutan (Courtesy - Internet)

POWER ADAPTORS

In Bhutan the power plugs and sockets are of type D, F and G. The standard voltage is 230 V – 240 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. The three associated plug types are, types C, D and G. All Standard Indian Chargers work fine in Bhutan without any travel adaptors. But still as a best practice I always carry one travel adaptor with me whenever I am travelling outside the country. Most of the hotels where we stayed in had ample power points, but this is one thing you should check when you look at the reviews of the hotel. Also I keep a 10000 mah power bank with me for emergency charging when I am out for sightseeing. If you have a power bank which can charge both your phone and camera, its a plus.

CURRENCY & EXPENSES ( ENTRY FEE, TIPS, SHOPPING)

Now coming to money matters. Indians have it easy in Bhutan as Indian currency is widely accepted. Make sure to carry denominations of 500 and 100 for ease of use. With lower denominations one might face challenges. Also credit or debit cards don't work in Bhutan so make sure you carry ample cash needed for entire trip. If you are going via an agent your accommodation, travel, SDF, guide, Driver, breakfast and dinner will already be covered. Apart from this you need to factor in entry charges for all the sightseeing points, lunch, water, snacks (if any), shopping, emergency funds and tips. So for all these things you need to carry cash.

The major expense out of these things is the entry fee and lunch. I want to bust a myth here that water is very expensive in Bhutan. It is not, a small 500 Ml water bottle costs Rs. 15 and a 1 litre bottle costs Rs. 20. If you buy a keg of water it will be even cheaper. Always buy water from any local grocery shop and not from any restaurant.

Lunch if you don't take ala carte and go for local Bhutanese meal the average is 500 INR/ per person for a thali ( if there is one chicken dish and no other meat) and 700 or 800 INR if you have a couple of meat dishes like pork, chicken, beef etc. This doesn't include any soft or hard drinks but it includes the local butter tea or Suja. If you go for ala carte still you will end up paying 300-400 per person per meal. There maybe cheaper options but I did not come across any.

Snacks are something which you can carry from India or get in local grocery shops. Don't buy from shops which are located at strategic locations like the couple of shops after you cross the suspension bridge in Punakha. They have monopoly there as there are only a couple of shops and they know after the long walk across the bridge in hot sun, people will end up buying water/drinks/ice cream even if they charge 2-3 times the MRP.

For shopping, I would recommend either Thimpu or the tiny shop by the Paro Chu river bed ( ask your Guide to take you to the riverside spot in Paro). The prices of same souvenir within Paro city center is much higher. Or if you are staying in Phuentsholing then do your souvenir shopping from there, I have heard its the cheapest shopping destination among all.

Coming to Tips- its not mandatory to tip at the hotels or restaurants. But if you like a service you can definitely give tips in both of these places and the staff appreciates even small monetary gestures. When it comes to tipping the driver and the guide, its always recommended you do tip them. Usually 300-500 INR per day basis ( Approx. 3000- 4000 INR) to each driver and guide is considered a decent tip. Sometimes people give less to the driver and more to the guide. But I feel both of them needs to be rewarded equally for their efforts, especially the drivers are very good in Bhutan and always abide by safety protocols on the road. They also take care of the guests like their own family. Also, its a good gesture if you want to carry a souvenir from your own country and gift it to the driver and guide. Small things like spices or fridge magnets or some showpiece is good enough. I had gifted our driver and guide Darjeeling tea and it felt really good because of the way they took care of us in every situation.

Coming to emergency funds - this depends on you but always have around 5000-6000 INR in reserve per person in case you need it. Shopkeepers would give you change in either INR or Bhutanese money. Don't worry about money exchange, most of the time the remaining Bhutanese money that you have you can easily spend on souvenir shopping that way you will have very minimal money in Bhutanese currency by the end of your trip - which either you can have as a keepsake or try to get it exchanged by your driver/guide.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Regarding travel insurance, just before we travelled to Bhutan in June, the Bhutan government had made travel insurance as non -mandatory. But still when you go to any foreign country I would recommend having a travel insurance, just to have all bases covered. You can get a travel insurance as cheap as 450 INR and its available online through any of the reliable insurance companies in India. I did from Bajaj Allianz as it was the cheapest of the lot. Also if you have a senior citizen the premium for the same kind of coverage would be almost double, so keep that in mind. Before purchasing an insurance I also ran a quick comparison on Policy Bazar to get a fair idea about the fare differences and services included. ( This is not a sponsored post, my recommendation is purely based on my experience of getting a travel insurance).

SIM CARD

Lastly Sim cards - your Indian Sim will not work once you are in Bhutan. The first thing you do after your immigration is get yourself a local SIM card from Phuentsholing itself. I forgot to do that and for two days I was without any connectivity once I was on the roads. Every hotel has a free WIFI, so there you will not have any issues, but once you are outside, there is no tower. If you miss getting a sim in Phuentsholing then you need to search for a shop in Thimpu which sells tourist sim cards like me. You'll need to bring your passport or voter ID card (for Indian nationals only) as identification, but I was not asked for any ID card when I bought the SIM. There are various data plans the the plan with least amount of data ( 1 GB/ 2 GB) is sufficient as you would have free wifi inside the hotel where you are staying. I would recommend get only a single local sim card if you are travelling in a group. As it would majorly be used to communicate with your guide/ driver.

I am summarizing the details below :

Travel Agency Details: