Trip Includes
- Nine nights' hotel accommodation on a double occupancy basis.
- All camping gears that includes-2 person sleeping tents with floors and fly sheet, dining tent, kitchen tent, toilet tents, dining tables, chairs, pillows and mattresses.
- English speaking Guide.
- Cook and kitchen aides.
- All transfers and sightseeing by a private vehicle.
- Pack animals to transport gears and supplies during trekking.
- Three meals a day prepared by our trekking cook.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
- Bhutan visa fee.
- Service of airfare reservation.
Trip Does Not Include
- Airfares.
- Expenses of personal nature like drinks, tip, telephone, laundry etc.
- Extra expenses due to nature or unforeseen events such as flight cancellation, road blockade, no show, etc.
- Travel insurance.
- Personal gears.
Trek Difficulty and Preparation
This is an easy to moderate graded trek with maximum altitude of 3360m (11,021 ft.). In average, we will walk 4-5 hrs. Trail conditions are varied but have short distance to cover every day with not much ups and downs. Being a low altitude trek, there is no risk of altitude sickness at all. No previous experience is necessary for this trip. Any individual with regular health conditions can take up this trip. However, we recommend some training and preparation that would help a lot to build stamina and confidence. Participants should start jogging, cycling and some hill hiking etc. about a couple of months ahead of the trip. If you are buying new boots for the trek, please do wear them to get used to your feet.
What is like a typical trekking trip in Bhutan?
A trekking day in Bhutan usually consists of five to seven hours of walking. We provide ponies or yaks to carry your baggage and equipment. Camping equipment includes two-person sleeping tents, toilet tent, kitchen tent, dining tables, and chairs and foam mattress and kitchen equipment. You should bring your sleeping bag, though.
All trekking parties are accompanied by a trained guide, a cook, and a couple of aides and pack animals with their driver. At least one riding pony is always taken along just in case it is needed. The support crew walks ahead of the trekking party each day and pitches camp before the trekkers arrive. A warm cup of tea or coffee waiting in the dinning tent is a most welcome treat after a day's trek. All meals are carefully planned and prepared. Breakfast and dinner are served freshly prepared at camp and includes a choice of, at least four dishes. During the day a picnic lunch is served at a pleasant and scenic place. All cooking and cleaning chores are taken care of by our trek staff so you can enjoy the trek fully.
A trekking day normally begins with an early cup of tea or coffee in our tent. A jug of hot water will be provided for washing and you are expected in the breakfast table by 7 am. Breakfast is usually cereals, toasts, eggs, juice and tea or Nescafe coffee. By 8 am, we find ourselves on the trail. Trekkers can walk on their own pace but we should still try to maintain some close proximity with others. We stop to explore the villages and temples and exchange greeting with the locals. Lunch stop is around noon to 1 pm. We are served hot fried rice or noodles or bread or boiled potatoes brought in an insulated container, unlike in Nepal where the crews take time to cook hot meal while you nap. Lunch is usually accompanied by tea from a large flask. Some days, they serve cold lunch which is simply sandwiches, fruits and cookies. Usually the day concludes between 4 to 5 pm. As we reach our campsite, we find our tents already set up and steaming cup of tea or coffee with biscuits or cookies waiting. We will have some time to write journals, or read novels or engage ourselves on photography while the crews fix dinner for us. Dinner is usually served around 7 pm. Meals usually include a rice dish, a potato dish or frequently both. The cook is trained to produce a reasonable variety of Western and Asian dishes. They often add interesting Bhutanese touches, such as cheese sauces.
Clothing and Equipment
Druk Air has only 30 kg or 66 lb of checked-in baggage allowance, and we expect to provide one pony for every two trekkers. Each pony carries 30kg or less. So, these things should be taken into consideration when you pack for your trip.
Essentials Items/Not to forget
Down Jacket: We recommend down jacket as it has the advantage of being light and compressible and it can serve many functions on the trek. We can use it as pillow at night and long car trips and wear it to bed inside our sleeping bags when it's very cold. Artificial-fiber jackets filled with Polar-guard Thinsulate or Fiberfill are a good substitute for down and price wise, much cheaper.
For day walking, we recommend a Jumper or Pile Jacket. Two or three light layers of clothing, which could be jumpers, shirts or polypropylene, are better than a single dense layer. Pile jackets with polyester fleece are light, warm and easy to clean.
Sleeping Bag is a must. Choose the one for four seasons. We can rent them in Bhutan but cannot guarantee the quality.
Duffel Bags and Backpack: As suitcases are fragile and cannot be carried by ponies, please bring strong duffel bags which are water proof, also a spare lockable kit bag or suitcase for the city stuff that you want to leave behind in the hotel and a back pack for your personal items such as camera, wallet etc.
Mountain Trekking Boots: Bring a pair of good quality of trekking boots with ankle support. If you are buying a new pair, make sure you use them enough to make it comfortable to your feet. We also recommend another pair of tennis or camp shoes or thongs.
Torch lights with spare batteries and bulbs.
Water bottle and water purifying pills.
Other clothing
- Jumper or sweaters.
- Waterproof jacket, poncho or umbrella.
- Hiking shorts (for men) and skirts (for women).
- Nylon windbreaker (for altitude above 4000m/13,120 ft.)
- Nylon wind pants (for altitude above 4000m/13,120 ft.)
- Insulated pants (for altitude above 4000m/13,120 ft.)
- Long sleeved shirt.
- Long Underwear.
- Sun hat.
- Gloves ((for altitude above 4000m/13,120 ft.)
- Gaiters (for altitude above 4000m/13,120ft.)
- Woolen socks and some cotton socks to wear under wool socks.
- Miscellaneous Items.
- Toiletries.
- Cigarette lighter.
- Small knife.
- Sunscreen (SPF 15+).
- Towel.
- Laundry soap.
- Medical and first aid kit.
- Sewing kit.
- Bandana.
- Goggles or sun glasses.
- Lip guards.
- Insect repellents.
Optional
- Reading materials.
- Pen and diaries.
- Play cards.
How we dress during the day
This trip is one of the high altitude trekking of Bhutan. The temperature is cold even during the mid-day, and so most people are comfortable on long pants, but we recommend skirts to women trekkers; the most obvious reason is the ease in relieving yourself along the trail. There are long stretches where there is little chance to hide and a skirt solves the problem.
Best Trekking Season
Late September to mid-November is generally the best trekking season in the Himalayas, and so it is in Bhutan. The second best period is March to April. Winter is snowy, and summer is rainy. So we tend to avoid these seasons but no matter when we trek, we expect some rain at some time. During fall, nights are cold in the mountains, but the bright sun makes the day pleasant, with temperatures-in the upper 60s and falling to lower 40s at night, in the elevation below 3500m(11,500ft), but at higher altitude, temperatures range from about 68 F to 14F. Autumn has a clear sky with good visibility whereas Spring trekkers will get to see the rhododendron and orchid flowers in bloom.
High Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness can pose a problem for trekkers crossing the high passes - above 3000m (9,840 ft.) All trekkers are likely to experience some mild symptoms of altitude sickness that includes headache, disorientation, dizziness, restlessness and loss of appetite but our itineraries allow enough time for acclimatization and following proper measures, those symptoms should disappear in a day or two. We will not overly exert ourselves or engage on hard physical activities. We drink plenty of water and eat soup in meal.
People with heart, lungs and high blood pressure issues should consult their physician before signing up for this trip. Participants should be optimally conditioned and should start some exercises like jogging, cycling, swimming, hiking in hilly terrain and camping at least a couple of months before the trip. Please, note that this trek should not be taken as means of losing weight.
Accommodations and meals in the towns
Majority of the hotels of Bhutan are small properties with 25-30 rooms. They are built in the traditional architectural style and usually owned and managed by the families. Rooms are adequately comfortable with en suite bathroom with running hot and cold water, air conditioning and heating provisions. Some hotels do have Bukhari style heating, which is chimney burning firewood. Toiletry supplies are limited. Bring your shampoo, body wash, tooth brush and paste. We also do not expect iron, ironing board and hair dryer. Most hotels do provide tea or coffee maker in the room though.
The trip includes 3 meals a day and we expect to eat most meals at our hotels in the town, usually served in buffet style or a set menu that includes rice, vegetables, noodles, bread etc. Our guide can arrange some dinner at local restaurants while in Paro and Thimphu but beware: traditional Bhutanese food always features chilies, and the most popular dish is ema datshi made with large, green hot chilies in a cheese sauce. During trekking, we will send a cook and a couple of cook's aide to prepare meals for you.
Guides
Our guides are college educated locals, proficient in English and trained and licensed by local tourism authorities. Most importantly they are friendly and committed to delivering the best services.
Note on Itinerary
Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed; it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.
Booking, deposit and payment schedule.
When you are sure you are going to Bhutan, it will be wise to put your reservation in line as early as possible as there are limited air seats and accommodations in Bhutan. We request a deposit of US$ 300 along with a completed booking form and a passport scan.
The second payment will be for the internal airfare when it's due for ticketing.
The final payment is due ninety-days before arrival in Bhutan. The balance payment on credit card attracts an additional 3.5% fee. Personal checks are welcome. If you wish to make a wire transfer, you are responsible for the transfer fee.
Cancellation and refund
If you need to withdraw from the trip, please notify us in writing, by email or fax. The cancellation fee structure is as follows-
- Ninety days before departure: US$ 150 (Administrative Fee).
- 60-89 day's before departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to 59 days before departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to 44 days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than 30 days: 100%.
Travel Protection Plan
While we plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless, there may be chances of unforeseen events and conditions such as illness, accident, inclement weather, and flight cancellation or missed connection or loss of baggage etc. that may cause interruption or delay or total cancellation of your trip putting your hard earned travel investment in jeopardy. It’s also possible that you may need medical assistance, emergency evacuation or medical transportation when you get ill or involve in an accident when you are traveling in remote areas. Our trip does not cover any of these expenses or losses and so we strongly recommend you that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.