Backpacking Bhutan

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A fantastic addition to your North East India itinerary, Backpacking Bhutan is as fun and adventurous as Backpacking North East India.

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About Bhutan | Backpacking Bhutan

Bhutan often touted as the Last Shangrila is a tiny Himalayan kingdom nestled between India and China.

What makes Bhutan unique is not just the beautiful Himalayan landscape but also its wonderful people who according to my experience were one of the happiest and honest in the world.

Thimpu is the capital city of Bhutan, and is popularly known for being the only capital in the world with no traffic lights! Beat that!

Paro town located close to Thimpu is the site of international airport and country’s national carrier – DrukAir.

Bhutan, the land of thunder dragon, has the unique distinction to be the sole surviving home to Vajrayana Buddhism and is the only Buddhist kingdom in the world. It’s no surprise that Bhutan is a deeply religious country with strong adherence to its traditions.

Interestingly, it’s mandatory for people working in public sector to wear the traditional Bhutanese dress.

The royalty is highly regarded in Bhutan, specially the former king who gave up his thrown. You’ll see framed pictures of the royalty, draped in traditional dressed, at almost every public office, hotel and restaurant. The wonderful culture and friendly locals makes solo travel in Bhutan a pure joy!

While backpacking in Bhutan you will find that the people of Bhutan are honest, helpful and welcoming.

Bhutan is known for championing the happiness of its people rather than chasing materialistic goals. Gross National Happiness is the figure more sought after than Gross Domestic Product.

Selling and consumption of tobacco in any form is strictly prohibited. Police do random checks on the main highway for illegal trafficking of cigarettes. That being said I’ve seen a few people, young ones of-course, smoking cigarettes on the street in broad day light.

Though, as a solo male traveler to Bhutan it was little easier for me than the female travelers from India. My Bhutan solo trip needed a bit of planning as I was looking to go beyond the capital Thimpu. So, let’s start with some practical matters.

Travel Tips | Backpacking Bhutan

It is possible to Travel Bhutan alone, only if you are an Indian citizen. For foreign nationals on solo trip to Bhutan, they need to spend a minimum of $250 per day. Ouch!

Safety | Backpacking Bhutan

Is it safe to travel to Bhutan alone?

Bhutan is one of the safest place in the world to travel. The country in general has very low crime rate and crime against tourist is something unheard of. If you are a solo female traveler to Bhutan there can’t be any safer place. So, grab your backpack and get on with that Bhutanese holiday you’ve been dreaming of for long! And yeah, don’t bring heels bring good shoes and boots

Is Bhutan safe for solo female travelers?

The short and crisp answer is Yes, A lot of Indian female travelers also go for a solo trip to Bhutan. Crime rate is non existent in the country. Backpacking in Bhutan is really that safe for everyone.

Visa on Arrival | Backpacking Bhutan

Citizens of following countries do not require a Bhutan visa, however they require a permit to enter the country:

Indian Citizens
Maldives
Bangladesh

What to See | Backpacking Bhutan

Paro, Thimpu and Punakha are three most visited towns in Bhutan for solo travelers. Additionally you can visit Jakar (Bumtang) which lies in interior Bhutan. Bhumtang needs inner permit. You can only apply for it in Thimpu – remember on Sunday the office is closed, so plan ahead.

Tiger’s nest, Paro

Tiger’s nest is one of the best places to visit in Bhutan. Taktsang Monastery also known as Tiger’s Nest is a world renowned Buddhist religious site located near the town of Paro. Tiger’s Nest is associated with the legend or rather belief for the local people, according to which the highly revered Guru Rinpoche came to the site riding on the back of a tigress somewhere in the eighth century.

Interestingly, you can visit a small cave where a soft toy of a tiger is placed. I do not the reason or significance of it and I request to you to post in the comment if you know anything on the subject. What makes the temple jaw dropping is its location – Tiger’s Nest, constructed in the 17th century, is perched on top of a cliff 1100 meters high.

Bhutanese Food | Backpacking Bhutan

It came as a shock to me that being hardcore Buddhist Bhutanese are big on beef. Anyone remember Siddartha saving the dove? That being said, you will love Bhutanese food, one of the great perks to traveling solo in Bhutan.

Try Ambience Cafe Thimpu, they serve very good breakfast with cappuccino. And they have good wifi as well.

Some of the famous Bhutanese dishes are:

Ema-datsi. Ema means chili and datsi is a kind of cottage cheese, so ema-datsi is similar to jalapeños with cream cheese.
Kewa-datsi. A potato, cheese and chili dish.
Shamu-datsi. A mushroom, cheese and chili dish. Kewa-datsi and shamu-datsi tend to be less hot than ema-datsi; all three dishes are generally served with rice.

Cheese momo. A small steamed bun that traditionally contained cheese, cabbage and sometimes onion. However, these days other vegetables, including green papaya, may be substituted for cabbage.
Red Panda Weissbeer – Wheat beer

Places to stay in Bhutan | Backpacking Bhutan

You can either book online, lot of places to stay in Bhutan are available. Alternatively, book when you arrive, in towns like Thimpu and Paro you’ll find always find a few budget options to choose from. Plus, you can check and compare the hotels and bargain as you please. Also, note that the hotel prices vary based on season and off season period.

Other way to find a suitable hotel in your budget is through the Bhutan Hotel website: hotel.bt On the left hand side bar, provide the destination city and choose the price range (e.g. less than 1000 Nu) and you’d see a filtered result of your choice.

You can also select the wifi option if you are looking for one. Booking can’t be done online but you can send an email or make a call to the hotel asking them to reserve a room for you. There is no advance payment need to be made.

Places to stay in Thimpu

Several budget hotels are the beginning of the Norzim Lam 1. Start your search from Hotel new Grand which btw has a good pure veg restaurants that serves north Indian food. Some of the below 1000 Nu options in Thimpu can be found here.

Places to stay in Paro

I wholeheartedly recommend Paro hotel. The hotel is run by a very nice family. Very clean and modern rooms, bathroom has hot water. A double bed room would cost you around 1200 Nu/- You can’t book the hotel online as there are no contacts available. The hotel is located quite close to Sonam Trophel Hotel which is very near to the petrol station.

Places to stay in Jakar

There are a string of cheap hotels on the central street (Jakar main market) of Jakar. All these hotels range around 600-700 Nu/- for the night. It might be however little tricky to find a vacancy if you come late in the evening as lot of locals coming by bus would stay in these for the night. I strongly recommend if you are coming by bus to book the hotel first as soon as you step down.

There are more hotels (much nicer) located along the road to Jakar, some 200 meters from one end of the central street. These are bit pricey though and would cost around 1800-2200 Nu/- in off-season.

Note none of these hotels are listed anywhere online, and not even in the Google Maps. You have just have to get there.

To conclude, Backpacking Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan kingdom, is a unique experience in itself!

In this travel blog to Bhutan, I tried to present all my research and experience of the solo trip to Bhutan from India. And in the end everything fell into place and I completely enjoyed my solo trip to Bhutan. As always, let me know your questions and thoughts in the comments.

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