Entering Bhutan by Air
The Kingdom of Bhutan remained largely cut off from the rest of the world up until the early 1960s. Entering the country was difficult as it was only accessible by foot from two main entry points, one in the North and another from the South. The Northern route was through Tibet, crossing high mountain passes that were inaccessible throughout the winters. The second entry route from the South came through the plains of Assam and West Bengal. The high, frozen passes in the North and the dense, jungles in the South made it extremely difficult to enter the country.
However, carefully planned economic development has made the country much more accessible and there are now network roads entering and traversing the country, as well as one international and multiple domestic airports.
Druk Air
- Bangkok (BKK – Thailand)
- Delhi (DEL – India)
- Mumbai (BOM – India)
- Kolkata (CCU – India)
- Bagdogra (IXB – India)
- Gaya (GAY – India)
- Guwahati (GAU – India)
- Kathmandu (KTM – Nepal)
- Dhaka (DAC – Bangladesh)
- Changi (SIN – Singapore)
Bhutan Airlines
- Bangkok (BKK – Thailand)
- Delhi (DEL – India)
- Kolkata (CCU – India)
- Kathmandu (KTM – Nepal)
Domestic Airports
- Bumthang airport (central Bhutan)
- Gelephu airport (Southern Bhutan)
- Yongphula airport (Eastern Bhutan)
Entering Bhutan by Road
- Phuentsholing town
- Gelephu district and
- Samdrup Jongkhar district
The town of Phuentsholing in the south-west is located approximately 170 km east of the Indian national airport at Bagdogra. After crossing Phuentsholing, you begin your journey to Thimphu, the capital city with a travel time of about six hours for the 170 km stretch.
Gelephu in south-central Bhutan is another entry point to Bhutan. It is approximately 250 km from Thimphu and the journey will take you through the sub-tropical areas of Bhutan before entering the alpine zone and then finally into Thimphu. One will have to traverse across three districts and the travel time will be about ten hours.
The district of Samdrup Jongkhar in south-east Bhutan borders the Indian district of Darranga, Assam and is approximately 150 km away from Guwahati, the capital city of Assam. The journey from Guwahati is about three hours. Tourists entering Bhutan through Samdrup Jongkhar will take you to Trashigang, and from there over the lateral route to Monggar, Bumthang, Trongsa, Wangdue Phodrang and then finally into capital, Thimphu. The distance is about 700 km and will take you a minimum of three days to reach Thimphu.