Getting into Bhutan

Travel By Air

The most convenient way to get into Bhutan is by Air and most of the travelers enter Bhutan by Air. Paro International Airport is the only international airport to enter Bhutan by Air.  Paro is surrounded by mountains and is situated at a height of 7300 ft. above sea level.

Flying into Bhutan’s Paro International Airport is typically an exciting experience as the descent into Paro Valley brings you closer to the mountain tops than most other flights in the world.

We have domestic airports which are Gelephu Domestic Airport in southern Bhutan, Yonphulla in eastern Bhutan, and Bathpalathang Domestic Airport in central Bhutan. You have to travel to Bhutan by Drukair or Bhutan Airlines; we have only two carriers in Bhutan. Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines have a fleet of modern Airbus A-319 and ATR planes.

Drukair Flight Routes

  • Singapore – Paro – Singapore
  • Bangkok – Paro – Bangkok
  • Delhi – Paro – Delhi
  • Dhaka – Paro – Dhaka
  • Kathmandu – Paro – Kathmandu
  • Kolkata – Paro – Kolkata
  • Gaya – Paro – Gaya
  • Bagdogra – Paro – Bagdogra
  • Guwahati – Paro – Guwahati

Bhutan Airlines Flight Routes:

  • Bangkok – Paro – Bangkok
  • Delhi – Paro – Delhi
  • Kathmandu – Paro – Kathmandu
  • Kolkata – Paro – Kolkata
  • Gaya – Paro – Gaya

Domestic Flight Routes within Bhutan

  • Paro – Gelephu – Paro
  • Paro – Bumthang – Paro
  • Paro – Yongphulla – Paro

Travel By Land

Traveling across Bhutan through the curvy roads with sharp turns is something you must experience. The scenery around Bhutan’s roads is so magnificent, that you might want to stop in the middle of the road and just observe the beauty.

Entering Bhutan by road is only possible from the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. There are three borders between India and Bhutan that are open for tourists:  Phuentsholing, Jaigoan border, Gelephu border, and Samdrup Jongkhar, Guwahati, Assam border.

Travelers can enter and exit Bhutan from Phuentsholing, a border town with Jaigoan, West Bengal. The nearest Railway Station is Hasimara and the nearest Airport is Bagdogra.  From here we have a number of destinations you can fly to including Paro, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangkok.  The distance from Bagdogra to Phuntsholing is 4 hours by car.

After crossing Phuentsholing, you begin your journey to Thimphu, the capital city with a travel time of about six hours.

Travelers can enter and exit from Samdrup Jongkhar, the border town of Guwahati, Assam.  The nearest airport is Guwahati International Airport. The journey from Guwahati to Samdrup Jongkhar is about three hours. From here we have a number of destinations you can fly to including Paro, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangkok. The entering route, Samdrup Jongkhar takes travelers through Trashigang, Mongar, Bumthang, Trongsa, Wangdue Phodrang, and then finally to the capital Thimphu, The distance is about 700 km, and will take you a minimum of three days to reach Thimphu.

Gelephu is another entry point to Bhutan situated in southern Bhutan. It is approximately 250 km from the capital city of Thimphu. The journey to reach Thimphu is quite interesting. It takes travelers through the sub-tropical areas and the alpine zone of Bhutan. Approximately ten hours of travel through three beautiful dzongkhags (districts).