Miscellaneous Travel Tips for Bhutan

1.  There are stray dogs everywhere, but they’re all friendly.  During the daytime, they laze about and don't bother anyone.  I was warned in advance that their barking could be a nuisance at night, but my hotel in Thimphu was a little bit outside downtown and I could barely hear them.  In Paro, though, they woke me up at 3:30.  I don’t know if the Bhutanese people are the happiest in the world, but their dogs may well be.

2.  I was surprised by how warm it was in October.  In Thimphu (elev. 7,000 feet), the day may start out in the upper 30s, but before long, it would get into the mid-70s.  In Punakha (which is at a lower elevation), it was well into the mid-80s Fahrenheit.  On a side note, despite Thimphu’s elevation, I was told it rarely snows there anymore, and when it does, it melts within a day.  My guide and driver both said this has been a big change over the last 20 years.

It's downright tropical in the Punakha Valley in October.

3.  Your tour operator will take care of getting your visa.  Mine was obtained in about 3 days, which helped because I only planned this trip on 17 days’ notice.  One remarkable thing: my visa restricted my travel to the specific places that were on my tour itinerary (which I chose in advance).  I was never given a satisfactory explanation for why this was necessary.  We were even stopped between Thimphu and Punakha and had to show my papers to demonstrate that I was allowed in that particular part of the country.

Thimphu's traffic policeman (there are no traffic lights) did not ask to see my visa -- even though it looks like he's pointing at me.

4.  If I have to report one drawback about a visit to Bhutan, I’m sorry to say that it is the cuisine.  Every lunch and dinner, I would be served roughly the same set of items, which got old pretty quickly.  In general, the vegetarian dishes are better than the meat options.  The Bhutanese love chili peppers, and they’re everywhere, so the food is pretty spicy.  Restaurants designed for tourists specialize in less hot versions of Bhutanese dishes.

5.  Flying into the country on the national carrier Drukair (or its new private competitor, Bhutan Airways), ask for a seat on the left-hand side for the best view of the Himalayas.  Obviously the reverse is true on your flight out.  Only a handful of pilots are qualified to land at Paro Airport and this video of the serpentine landing approach has over 5 million views.  While certainly dramatic, it felt completely safe.