Trip Includes
- six nights three-star hotels by local standard and three nights camping.
- All camping gears that includes-2 persons 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.
- A private vehicle for all the ground transfers and sightseeing.
- Pack animals and animal drivers for trekking.
- All the necessary supplies.
- Three meals a day.
- Bhutan visa fee.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
Trip Does Not Include
- International and internal airfares.
- Travel Insurance and emergency evacuation
- Personal expenses like drinks, tipping, laundry, phone, internet, etc.
- Extra expenses due to nature or unforeseen events such as flight cancellation, road blockade, no show, etc.
Passport and visa
Your passport must be valid, minimum of six months beyond your return date from the trip and make sure that you are not running out of the blank visa pages. Bhutan visa is taken care of by us, and you will be emailed electronic visa approval document 3-4 weeks before the trip date. You will get an actual visa seal on your passport upon arrival at Paro airport.
Trek Difficulty and Preparation
This low-altitude trek is one of the most accessible hikes in Bhutan. Our highest altitude is 7,380 feet (2,250 meters); our overnight camps vary from 6000 ft. to 7000 ft. We’ll usually walk four to six hours each day; some days could be longer, depending on local conditions and the pace chosen by the group. Trail conditions vary from easy to rugged; magnificent to miserable (especially if it rains). Altitude sickness should not be a concern, but we recommend conditioning – jogging, cycling, swimming, and hiking in hilly terrain – in the months before departure. Please note: One should not take this trip as a means of losing weight. If you buy new boots for the trek, please break them in before you leave. Anyone with existing heart, lung, or high blood pressure issues should consult their physician before signing up for this trip.
What is a typical trekking trip in Bhutan like?
A trekking day in Bhutan usually consists of five to seven hours of walking. Pack animals, ponies or yaks are provided to porter provisions, baggage, and equipment. We offer all the necessary camping, and kitchen equipment required for the trip. Camping gear includes two-person sleeping tents, a toilet tent and a kitchen tent, dining tables and chairs, and a foam mattress. You should bring your sleeping bag.
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 one needs a ride. If you want a dedicated pony for you, let us know in advance, and we can arrange it at an additional cost. The support crew walks ahead of the trekking party each day, pitches camp before the group arrives, and greets everyone with a warm and most welcome cup of tea or coffee in the dining tent. Our crews plan and prepare all the meals. Breakfast and dinner are served freshly prepared at camp and includes a choice of at least four dishes. On the trail, we serve a picnic lunch at a pleasant and scenic place. All cooking and cleaning chores are taken care of by our trek staff, so you can relax and enjoy the trek fully.
A trekking day typically begins with an early cup of tea or coffee in your tent. Our crews provide you a jug of hot water for washing. They expect you for breakfast by 7 am. Breakfast is usually cereals, toast, eggs, juice, and tea or Nescafe coffee. By 8 am, we’ll be on the trail. Trekkers can walk on their own pace, but we don't want to get too spread out on the path as we explore the villages and temples, and meet people along the way. The lunch stop is around noon to 1 pm. Some days we’ll be served hot fried rice or noodles or bread or boiled potatoes brought in an insulated container (unlike in Nepal, where the crews cook a hot meal while you nap). Lunch is usually accompanied by tea from a large flask. Some days, lunch will be simply sandwiches, fruits, and cookies. Typically, the day concludes between 4 to 5 pm, with our tents already set up and steaming cups of tea or coffee with biscuits or cookies waiting. As the crew makes dinner, we will have time to update our journals, read, nap, or photograph in the day’s diminishing light. The teams will usually serve dinner around 7 pm. Meals typically 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
These restrictions should guide your packing: Druk Air has a 30 kg (66-pound) limit on checked in baggage. On the trail, we expect to provide one pony for every two trekkers, and each pony carries 30 kg (66 pounds) or less.
Essentials Items/Not to forget
Down Jacket: We recommend a down jacket, which has the advantage of being light, compressible, and versatile – say, as a pillow at night or long car trips; or even inside our sleeping bag on colder nights. Artificial-fiber jackets filled with Polar-guard, Thinsulate, or Fiberfill are good substitutes and are 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 20-degree bag. We can rent bags in Bhutan, but we cannot guarantee quality.
Duffel Bags and Backpack: Suitcases are fragile, and ponies cannot carry them. Please bring a sturdy, waterproof duffel bag; an extra lockable bag or suitcase for the city stuff that you’ll leave behind in the hotel; and a backpack for your items (camera, wallet, water bottle, etc.) on the trail.
Mountain Trekking Boots: Bring a pair of good quality of trekking boots with ankle support. If you are buying a new pair, please try them and get used to several days before the trip date. We also recommend another couple of comfortable camp shoes.
Flashlights 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/13,120 ft.).
- 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 sunglasses.
- Lip guards.
- Insect repellents.
Optional
- Reading materials.
- Pen and diaries.
- Play cards
How do we dress during the day?
This trip is a low-altitude trek for Bhutan, but it is still in the mountains. The days are likely to be cool. Most people are comfortable in long pants, but for women, we recommended skirts, mainly for ease in relieving yourself along the trail. There are long stretches where there is little chance to hide, and a skirt solves the problem.
High Altitude Sickness and Health Concerns
This low-altitude trek does not present risks of altitude sickness. Bhutan requires no mandatory vaccinations, although we recommend Hep A and vaccination against rabies. Some people consider malaria pills; please consult your physician.
Meals are arranged in hotels while in the cities and cooked by our staff during treks. This care minimizes chances of food-related sickness. If you want to try something on your own, we advise tourist-standard hotels and restaurants. Please avoid food or drinks sold in the street, and please drink only bottled water or boiled and medicated water supplied by our crews.
Accommodations and meals in the towns
For the most part, we will stay in moderate to best-available accommodations, which are usually small hotels with 10 to 20 rooms of varying designs, rarely with gift shops. Outside Thimphu and Paro, “best available" might be very basic, sometimes without hot water (or any water, for that matter). These adjustments are, we think, part of learning about a new country. During the festival period, high demand for accommodations sometimes means we have to use alternative hotels; your cooperation and understanding in this matter is very much appreciated.
Paro and Thimphu have a couple of international chain resorts with remarkably high prices. Our trips do not feature them, but we can book them for additional charges.
Bhutan trips feature three meals each day, mostly at our hotel, usually served in a buffet that includes rice, vegetables, and noodles. Our guide can arrange some dinners at local restaurants, but remember that traditional Bhutanese food always features chilies, and the most popular dish, ema datshi, is made with large, hot, green chilies in a cheese sauce.
Guides
Our guides are college-educated Bhutanese, proficient in English, and trained and licensed by local tourism authorities. Just as important, they are friendly and committed to delivering the best services.
Airfares
There are two airlines which serve Bhutan-Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines. They serve only the regional cities-Bangkok, Delhi and Kathmandu being the most popular gateways. These airlines are partners to none of the major international carriers, and so we can not book a thorough airfare to Bhutan from the North Americas or Europe. So, you need to book airfares to Bangkok or another gateway first and then a separate ticket to Bhutan; You will also need to a night stay in the gateway city at both the end of the trip. While you can book the international airfare on your own, we will reserve the internal airfare for you, and bill it separately.
Booking/Deposit/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 to Bhutan.
We request an initial deposit of US$ 300 along with a completed form and a passport scan. The second payment will be for the internal airfare when it's due.
The final payment is due ninety days before the trip date. Payment by credit card attracts an additional 3.5% fee.
Cancellation Fees:
- Ninety days before departure: US$ 150 per person administration fee.
- 60-89 days before departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- 45 -59 days before departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- 30-44 days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than 30 days: 100%.
- Airline cancellation and refund policy can be different and supersedes Far & High's cancellation/refund policy.
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. Far & High’s Tour cost 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.