Buhton

Vinen

God is dead
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Need to start by spelling the country correctly. Bhutan :< Drinking and typing bad mmmkay.

Anyone been here? Now that my wife and I have been Myanmar we are looking to hit up another less-traveled country.

Kinda split between 2 or 3 weeks in India and a week in Bhuton.
 

Jysin

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Bhutan was god damn amazing. Spent about 5 days there. It is basically the land that time forgot. You feel as if you stepped back in time a few centuries. In my travels, I found that they only got television back in 1999. Marijuana grows absolutely everywhere (called weed for a reason). The locals had absolutely no idea it could be used as a drug until getting television in '99. Prior to this, they used to feed it to their pigs to make them lazy and fatten them up.

Not sure if things have changed since my trip in 2012, but the rules are pretty black and white for western tourism. It was something like $250 per day (set fee by the Bhutan government). This will include your tour guide, driver, lodging, food, etc. This was non-negotiable and you are forbidden to travel around on your own. Despite this, it was absolutely well worth it.

*Edit* Same travel fees:
Money and costs in Bhutan - Lonely Planet

I tacked this 5 day side trip on to my Nepal trip and honestly it was the highlight of both. Make sure you make the long trek up to Tiger's Nest. Absolutely stunning to look at and I think it's the highlight of the entire trip. Be ready for a fairly steep ~1km ascent on foot.

Paro Taktsang - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure how you are with flying, but the landing into Paro is god damn interesting. Pretty sure there are YouTube clips of it. Can't fly big commercial airliners in because it is nestled deep in the himilayas. You basically come in slaloming mountain peaks and make a steep descent landing. Pretty nervewracking, but all part of the Bhutan experience!
 

Vinen

God is dead
2,783
490
Bhutan was god damn amazing. Spent about 5 days there. It is basically the land that time forgot. You feel as if you stepped back in time a few centuries. In my travels, I found that they only got television back in 1999. Marijuana grows absolutely everywhere (called weed for a reason). The locals had absolutely no idea it could be used as a drug until getting television in '99. Prior to this, they used to feed it to their pigs to make them lazy and fatten them up.

Not sure if things have changed since my trip in 2012, but the rules are pretty black and white for western tourism. It was something like $250 per day (set fee by the Bhutan government). This will include your tour guide, driver, lodging, food, etc. This was non-negotiable and you are forbidden to travel around on your own. Despite this, it was absolutely well worth it.

*Edit* Same travel fees:
Money and costs in Bhutan - Lonely Planet

I tacked this 5 day side trip on to my Nepal trip and honestly it was the highlight of both. Make sure you make the long trek up to Tiger's Nest. Absolutely stunning to look at and I think it's the highlight of the entire trip. Be ready for a fairly steep ~1km ascent on foot.

Paro Taktsang - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure how you are with flying, but the landing into Paro is god damn interesting. Pretty sure there are YouTube clips of it. Can't fly big commercial airliners in because it is nestled deep in the himilayas. You basically come in slaloming mountain peaks and make a steep descent landing. Pretty nervewracking, but all part of the Bhutan experience!
We are planning on taking this tour:Dragon Kingdom overview | Bhutan tours. Admire the majesty of Bhutans Dragon Kingdom with Intrepid Travel

Seems to hit everything you mentioned.
 

Jysin

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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That's pretty damn pricey! Like I said, the fee is flat $250 per day and the tour guide is inclusive of everything already mentioned in your itinerary (guide, driver, lodging, food, etc). Bhutan makes this a requirement for all travellers and the guide / drivers are all licensed locals through the government. It is not your tour company providing any of this, they are essentially acting as a middle man between you and the Bhutan officials. Looks like that tour includes a small flight, back to Paro, but those internal flights are dirt cheap and on prop planes. What takes days to traverse the mountains in a car takes 20 minutes in the plane.

The itinerary looks good, I would just shop around for a better deal.

Even at the $250 standard rate, the lodging was more than adequate. (ACs, huge beds, big rooms with views, etc.)
 

Jysin

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Minimum Daily Package | Tourism Council of Bhutan (Official Website)


The minimum daily package covers the following services.

. A minimum of 3 star accommodation (4 & 5 star may require an additional premium).
. All meals
. A licensed Bhutanese tour guide for the extent of your stay
. All internal transport (excluding internal flights)
. Camping equipment and haulage for trekking tours

It also includes:
. All internal taxes and charges
. A sustainable tourism Royalty of $65. This Royalty goes towards free education, free healthcare, poverty alleviation, along with the building of infrastructure.

The minimum daily package for tourists travelling in a group of 3 persons or more is as follows:
USD $200 per person per night for the months of January, February, June, July, August, and December.
USD $250 per person per night for the months of March, April, May, September, October, and November.

These rates are applicable per tourist per night halt in Bhutan.

On the day of departure, the 'local agents' host obligation shall be limited to providing breakfast only and any extra requirements shall be payable on usage basis.

The list of hotels and lodges approved to provide accommodations all listed on this website. If you accommodation is not listed on this website then it is not licensed cater for international tourists.

The Royal Government of Bhutan sets minimum selling prices for packages to Bhutan. These must be paid in US dollars prior to arrival in Bhutan.
 

Vinen

God is dead
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Ahh, figured as much. Wasn't sure if they were allowed to have a local as an employee.

Who did you use out of curiosity?
 

Jysin

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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Ahh, figured as much. Wasn't sure if they were allowed to have a local as an employee.

Who did you use out of curiosity?
I booked the tour locally out of Nepal. It was ~3 years ago, so I really can't help you there.

Is that $4k package per person, or as a couple? It would be reasonable if it were a couple rate.