Best Time for Bhutan Cultural Tour
Spring (March to May)
The spring season is one of the best times to experience the Bhutan sightseeing tour. Rhododendron will be blossoming everywhere on the hills while the valley is covered in rich greenery. Temperatures are also pleasant throughout the days and make touring around the dzongs a pleasant experience.
Summer (June to August)
The rains start in the summer months and may affect road travel between places such as Bumthang and Punakha, due to landslides that can cause some delays. However, the scenery is quite lush during the time of year and there aren’t many tourists to deal with.
Autumn (September to November)
Autumn is considered one of the best seasons for a holiday in Bhutan. There will be no clouds in the sky, no humidity, and excellent views of the mountains. Many large festivals of Bhutan happen during this period, so your Bhutan sightseeing tour will surely coincide with some colorful local holidays.
Winter (December to February)
During the winter, the temperature decreases significantly, especially at night, but the advantage is clear weather and a smaller number of people at tourist sights. The high valleys, such as Phobjikha, will have very low temperatures, while low valleys of Paro and Punakha will still be comfortable.
Depending on what is more important to the tourists, each season provides its own characteristics for Bhutan Cultural Tour Package.
One more thing to remember is that the main Tsechu festival date of Bhutan usually shifts every year since they follow Bhutanese Lunar calendar. If participating in a Tsechu festival is important for you, make sure to contact us before confirming your booking.
Bhutan Cultural Tour Difficulty
This Bhutan cultural tour is an easy journey focusing more on cultural sightseeing than a strenuous trek. For most of the part, there will be visit and trips to beautiful valleys and ancient places with enough time to rest in between.
Walking is the big part of this adventure especially when you visit the dzong, temples and the ancient towns. There will be stairways, cobbled paths, and uneven terrain, so having a good pair of shoes will be essential.
The only tough task will be getting to the Tiger’s Nest monastery because it will take you about three hours of hiking up the hills. The journey is the most difficult activity in the entire Bhutan cultural tour itinerary but not challenging like high altitude expedition.
Aside from that hike, this tour is suitable for visitor who have reasonable mobility skills, including for many elderly guests. There is no need for walking long distances because of private transfers between destinations. Your driver covers all distances, allowing you to focus on experiencing and enjoying the trip.
However, if you have difficulties with mobility, inform Epic Trek Nepal in advance. We will customize a Bhutan cultural tour itinerary to change the speed of walking, to skip some difficult section or to choose other viewpoints from large dzongs.
In general, this tour through Bhutan sights is suitable for different level of fitness. The culture, architectural monuments, and landscape are what matter during the trip, not physical abilities.
Cultural Experience in the tour
This Bhutan cultural tour is not just traveling from one place to another. It is a tour which aims to give an authentic experience of how Bhutanese culture works, every day of your life.
Buddhist Heritage
Buddhism is not a show piece to the cultural tour of Bhutan; it is an integral part of the Bhutanese way of life. Buddhist prayer flags decorate houses and mountain passes, and prayer wheels are turned daily by local people. All along your journey, you will witness how this religion impacts architecture, traditions and rituals.
Dzong and Monasteries
Dzongs are unique to Bhutan. They are fortress-monastery complexes used to protect the valley and house monks at the same time. In historical times, they also served as administrative centers and today most dzongs perform this dual function.
Traditional Architecture
The architectural style of all constructions in Bhutan consists of thick walls, sloping roofs and wooden carvings. Most constructions do not contain any metal elements including nails, which means that all constructions are built following the principles of traditional joinery.
Local Lifestyle
The Bhutan cultural tour takes you to villages, markets, and smaller workshops where you will get to see how the people of Bhutan live day-to-day. You will get to witness locals making their goods, from weaving fabrics to woodcarving, usually by people who use skills that have been passed down through the years.
Bhutanese Food
Ema Datshi, red rice, and various dairy foods unique to the Himalayas will give you a taste of what the Bhutanese cook in their homes.
Festivals
If your travel dates coincide with a local Tsechu festival, your guide will make sure that you take part in it. The timing of the festivals changes each year, so if you want to witness the festival, first you need to research the date and need to arrange your schedule according to that date.
Bhutan Travel Documents, Visa and Entry Requirement
Bhutan doesn’t make things complicated for tourist when it comes to visiting procedures, but it still requires certain preparations. So, here a list of things you have to done before taking Bhutan cultural tour.
Firstly, it is necessary for your passport to be valid for at least six months. This requirement is strict, so make sure to check it out before you book flight.
Most visitor from other countries will require a visa for entering Bhutan except for Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldives. They can enter without a visa but everybody else will have to have his/her visa issued by a licensed operator. That’s where we help you with these procedures and save you from all the hassle connected with documentation.
For processing the visa, we will require a scanned copy of your passport, a passport-size photo, and the dates of your visit and itinerary. Then you will obtain the clearance letter before your trip and the visa will be stamped upon your arrival in Paro
Bhutan also charges a Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) on every day that you spend there. The SDF is set at USD $100 per adult per night, which is a discounted price that will remain until August 2027, and also a onetime visa processing fee for Bhutan Cultural Tour. Children under six years doesn’t have to pay and children between 6 to 12 years old get more discount. All the money raised through this goes into funding healthcare, education, and the conservation of the environment and culture.
As the entry requirements and fees in Bhutan vary with time, Epic Trek Nepal ensure to verify the most current details to avoid misleading information on the fees.
Accommodation
Accommodation that is comfortable and clean is also a part of the Bhutan Cultural tour package. Most of the night you will stay at a 3 Star standard hotel, selected for their accessibility and safety in the various region of Bhutan.
The rooms are arranged on a twin or double sharing basis with attached bathroom in each room. A single room can also be arranged for single person but for an extra cost.
In each hotel, a breakfast will always be included which will be served in your hotel room They will offer mix of Bhutanese and continental meals depending on your hotel. There will be Wi-Fi available in the hotels in towns like Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha while in remote areas like Bumthang and Gangtey the Wi-Fi will be a bit slow.
Hotels are normally located either in central or near the major attraction of each town, minimizing any extra trave time. Heating is usually offered in colder areas during winter season but is it important to keep in mind that some hotels do not offer powerful heating facilities, so you should carry some extra clothes for warmth.
For those looking for some luxury or boutique hotels, we can arrange some upgrades to luxurious hotels in the important cities such as Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha. Let us know your requirements before booking the trip for you.
Foods and Dining
All meals will be provided for you during this Bhutan cultural tour, including breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. This will make things easier because there will not be many option available for your meal other than those provided by your hotel and restaurants.
Your breakfasts will be in your hotel, where there will be a combination of continental foods such as eggs and toast with more local foods such as porridge and butter tea.
The Bhutanese cuisine features strong dishes which include the use of red rice, chili dishes, and dairy food. Ema datshi is an excellent chili and cheese stew and is often regarded as the national food of Bhutan.
The vegetarians are definitely not left behind since most of the meals available include vegetables, lentil and cheese. Most of the restaurants and hotels also serve Indian meals as well as continental cuisine. It is also not difficult to get Nepalese cuisine either, especially in bigger towns.
In case you have any dietary restrictions, which may include being gluten-free or vegan among others, kindly notify us beforehand. Restaurants on this route are usually friendly, but informing them in advance always helps.
Transportation
Road transport is an important part of Bhutan sightseeing tour traveling through hilly geography of the country, where all the destination are connected via twisting and beautiful highways from one destination to another, not a short trip from one place to another.
The tour begins and ends with flight transfer from/to the Paro International Airport which is the only international airport in Bhutan. During the tour, you will travel in a private vehicle which give you the advantage of stopping wherever you want for photographs or simply admire the surrounding views.
Transports between locations such as Thimphu, Gangtey, Bumthang and Punakha involve actual driving time which may range from several hours depending on the state of the road and the distance between the valleys. But then again, the landscape does make up for the long drives that you will be doing. You can see pine woods, terraced farms, pass with prayer flags, and valley vistas most of the way through. The roads are generally good on the larger roads, but may still be narrow at times, and there could also be some roadworks going on during monsoon season, which can slow you down a bit.
On longer drives, there would usually be some stop along the way at interesting places or local cafes or villages, which not only make for interesting stopovers but also give a break to your journey. Your driver and guide will also ensure that no interesting site is left unnoticed by you.
The use of private transportation through the tour ensures that you don’t have to depend on public transport or shared vehicles anywhere in the tour.
Tips for Beginner
There are some tips that will actually assist you on the Bhutan Cultural Tour. So, make sure you have them in mind while preparing for your tour.
First of all, it is important to arrange your stay beforehand because of the high requirement for rooms in Paro hotels during the season.
The main thing you need to do during the Bhutan sightseeing tour is to respect all religious traditions. All the activities being performed at the monasteries, temples and dzong are religious ones and not meant for tourists only, so better listen to your tour guide regarding this matter.
You should dress decently, especially when you visit dzongs. You should wear clothes which do not expose your shoulders and legs.
Always seek permission to take pictures of people, especially the monks, the elders, and performers. Even a simple gesture like a nod or a smile would be enough to give you permission and avoid awkwardness.
It is good if you carry some cash for buying small things like food and crafts. Not everyone has credit card machines outside the big towns.
Be careful with your belongings, especially in crowded places.
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