Short stayBhutan Highlights in 5 Days
5 daysEffort: ModerateCulture
Tiger's Nest, Thimphu and Punakha Dzong in five days.
From $1,160 per adult
See Bhutan at your own pace
Take one of our tours as it is, change it to suit you, or build your own. Our local team arranges your licensed guide, visa and SDF.
- Book direct with our local team
- Change any trip before you book
- Secure with a deposit, pay later
Private tours, made to fit
Just your group and a licensed guide. Hotels, meals, transport, entry fees, SDF and visa are included.
Short stay
Travel your way
Every trip is just for your group unless you join a small group tour. Pick how you'd like to travel.
Build your own
Pick the guide, driver, hotels and days.
Small group
Fixed dates with a few other travellers. Good for solo trips.
Festivals
Time your trip around a tshechu and its masked dances.
Trekking
The Druk Path, or day walks through the valleys.
Honeymoon
A private trip for two, with hotels that suit you.
Guide only
Book your own hotels. We arrange the licensed guide.
Fixed dates
Full departure calendarJoin a small group
Set dates, a licensed guide and a few other travellers. A good fit if you're travelling solo.
Where to go
Cliff-top monasteries, riverside dzongs and a valley where cranes spend the winter. Most first trips stay in the west.
- Tiger’s Nest
- Hiking
Paro
Where every trip begins, and where Taktsang clings to its cliff.
Explore Paro →
- Capital
- Markets
Thimphu
The capital, the Buddha Dordenma and our planning office.
Explore Thimphu →- Dzong
- Rivers
Punakha
The river dzong where two rivers meet, and rice terraces below.
Explore Punakha →
- Cranes
- Walks
Phobjikha
A glacial valley where black-necked cranes spend the winter.
Explore Phobjikha →
- Temples
- Slow travel
Bumthang
Temple valleys in central Bhutan, for longer private trips.
Explore Bumthang →Why book with us
Every visitor to Bhutan travels with a licensed guide. We make sure the trip still feels like yours.
Choose your guiding style
Your guide accompanies you throughout, as Bhutan requires. Go fully guided, with the story behind every place, or lightly guided, with the essentials and more quiet time to take it in.
Room to change plans
A slower morning, a longer stop, a farmhouse lunch. There’s space for it when the day’s bookings allow.
Planned locally
Book direct with our local team and get the know-how of people who live here: which valleys suit the season, where to stay, and when to beat the crowds.
Little extras on every private tour
- A farmhouse lunchRed rice, ema datshi and butter tea in a family home in the Paro valley.
Tiger’s Nest, timed for quietWe start early and pace the climb so you reach the top before the crowds.- Butter lamps at duskLight a lamp with your guide at a temple as the evening prayers begin.
- A hot-stone bathRiver stones heated in a fire, then dropped into a wooden tub with herbs.
Flexible booking
Plans change. Here's what happens when they do.
Change of plans? No problem.
Move your dates or switch to another private tour once, with no admin fee, up to 45 days before you travel. Any price difference applies.
Secure your spot, pay later
Lock in your place with a small deposit and pay the rest 60 days before you travel. Booking closer to your trip? You pay in full when you book.
Your fees are protected
If your trip is cancelled or cut short, Bhutan's government refunds the SDF for the nights you don't use, and we pass back everything we recover.
Real support, start to finish
Your licensed guide is with you every day, with our local team supporting them on the ground. Before you go, we reply within 24 hours.
Changes depend on availability. Cancel at least 45 days before departure with no admin fee; refunds cover recoverable payments, less non-refundable government, bank, payment-processing and supplier costs. See the full booking terms.
Our guide adjusted the whole day when the weather turned, and the Tiger's Nest morning we got instead was the highlight of the trip. Nothing felt like a script.
Overall, it was a relatively nice country to visit, most people speak english. Having a guide also helped us understand the culture and navigate the nuances of it
Booking direct with a Bhutanese team made the difference. Questions were answered overnight, and our guide seemed to know everyone along the route.
Bhutan travel questions
What it costs, what's included, when to go, visa and SDF, and changing your plans.
How much will my Bhutan trip cost?
Your quote depends on the services you choose. As a complete-package example, the 7-day, 6-night Essential Bhutan Journey starts at USD $1,740 per person, including hotels, meals, transport, guide, entry fees, SDF and visa. Flights, insurance, tips and optional upgrades are extra. A guide-only or selected-service trip gets its own itemised quote.
Read the full cost breakdownDo I need to book a complete tour package?
No. You can book a licensed guide and choose which other services you want us to arrange. Handle your own hotels, transport or meals, or ask us to organise the whole trip. Our packages are available if you prefer a ready-made plan.
When should I visit Bhutan?
Your dates depend on what you want to do. If a festival is important to you, plan around its dates. For walks and mountain views, consider the weather in the places you want to visit. We can help you compare options and allow time for the journeys between valleys.
Month-by-month guideCan I handle my own visa and SDF?
On our private tours and group trips, the visa and Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) are part of the package, so we sort them out for you. If you hire just a guide or pick a few services, you can apply and pay them yourself, or ask us to do it. Either way they still apply, and the exact rules depend on your nationality.
Visa and entry requirementsCan I change or cancel my trip?
Yes. Change your dates or switch to another private tour once with no Guided Bhutan Tours administration fee up to 45 days before departure; any price difference applies. On a group trip, you can move to another departure instead. Cancel at least 45 days before departure with no administration fee. Refunds cover recoverable payments, less non-refundable government, bank, payment-processing and supplier costs.
Cancellation termsCan I book my own hotels?
On a private tour or group trip, hotels are included and we choose them. Once you've booked, you can ask to change one from Manage booking. If you hire just a guide or pick a few services, you can book your own hotels or homestays, as long as Bhutan's Department of Tourism has approved them. We're happy to check a place before you book.
Hire a guideWill a guide be with me throughout the trip?
Yes. Bhutan requires visitors to travel with a licensed guide, who travels with you and adapts to your preferred pace and level of conversation. Let them know whether you enjoy detailed explanations or prefer some context and time to take things in. They remain attentive to practical needs, safety and local requirements.
Tell us what you have in mind
Tell us roughly when, who's coming and what you enjoy, and we'll send you a suggested route and price. We reply within 24 hours.
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