Registered Office In Thimphu ------------------------------------------------------: Fill & Download for Free

Getting into BhutanThere are two ways to get inside Bhutan. One is to enter via Phuentsholing and the second option is to fly up till Paro and land there. To come out of Bhutan you can use the above two routes or come out through Samdrup as well. But you can’t enter through Samdrup.Visa and PermitFor Indians you don’t need a get a visa in advance to enter Bhutan. You can get the permit on arrival, either at Phuentsholing or at Paro. You will initially get a permit for 7 days at Phuentsholing and using it you can visit only Thimphu and Paro. To stay more or visit other restricted places which i visited like Haa valley, Punakha or Bumthang, you need to renew your permit in Thimphu. The immigration office is located at Norzin Lam in Thimphu.TimezoneBhutan follows a different timezone than India. It is GMT + 6 hours, which is 30 minutes ahead of Indian standard time. Once you cross Phuentsholing all times which are displayed are in Bhutan timezone. We missed our bus to Thimphu from Phuentsholing because of this timezone difference.No smokingBhutan has a very strict policy about smoking. Smoking or sale of tobacco products is completely prohibited inside Bhutan. The fine is pretty high and it also includes jail time if you are caught. So be aware of this rule.Dress codeBhutan has a strict dress code for its people but it is pretty relaxed for tourists. Bhutan nationals are supposed to wear their national dress (Gho for men and Kira for women) on all formal occasions and places like government office, temples, Dzongs, monasteries etc.For tourists when you enter Dzongs you should wear full pants and shirts with collars or full sleeves. The easiest option is to always carry a jacket and just wear it when needed. Even though not needed if you happen to buy a Gho or Kira, then they will be very happy to help you wear it. But keep in mind that it is not that easy to wear and are generally quite expensiveIf you are anywhere near their national flag, you should remove your caps or hats. Also remove your footwear when you enter a holy place or temple. Most of the time it is clearly specified whether you have to remove your footwear or not.LanguageThe official language of Bhutan is Dzongkha but pretty much everyone can understand and speak Hindi and English. Almost all the taxi drivers and shop keepers can also speak English. So it shouldn’t be a problem.However if you learn a couple of words in Dzongkha like Thank you (Kadriche) or Hello(Kuzuzangbo la) and speak to them, they are very happy.PhotographyPhotographing PeopleBhutan people are generally shy and if you want to take a photo, it is always good to ask them. In our experience mostly they said yes. Also it is a good manner to get their postal address and send a copy to them. But don’t ask for their address if you don’t plan to send it to them.If you happen to see anyone from the royal family then you should not photograph them, even if they are in the public place.Photographing PlacesMost of the places including Dzong and monasteries are okay to be photographed expect places where the deity are kept. The good rule of thumb is that if you have to remove your shoes, then it is not okay to photograph. Also when in doubt just ask someone and they will let you know.DrivingYou can take your own vehicle from India inside Bhutan and drive it with your Indian license. But for that you have to take a permit at Phuentsholing. You would need all relevant documents for your vehicle like RC book, pollution certificate etc. To drive Bhutan registered vehicles you need either a Bhutan license or international vehicle and can’t drive them with your Indian driving license.If you are going to drive your own vehicle then be mindful of the rules. Almost everyone drives below 50 Km/per hour and there is absolutely no horn. Also the entire country doesn’t have a single traffic signal and I guess that should pretty much explain itTaxi TariffAlmost all the taxi tariff are fixed by the government and is generally considered a bad practice to bargain. We found it to be cheap if we hire the taxi for the entire day or still cheaper if you hire it for the entire trip. We hired a taxi for 8 days and paid 3000 Nu per day.Most of the taxi’s are 4 seaters and if you are in a group of 5, then you have to hire two separate taxi’s and they follow this rule pretty religiously.FoodMost of Bhutanese food is like Indian food, but they are very very spicy. They don’t add chilies to dishes but pretty much the entire dish is made out of chilies. You have to specify the spice level when you order Bhutanese food. You can try out some of these Bhutanese dishes, which we found to be very good. Ema Dhatse (chillies and cheese), Kewa Dhatse (potatoes and cheese) and Shawa Datse (mushroom and cheese). You also would get rice and dhal pretty much everywhere.You can also try out kokka (a special type of noodles), channa and tea for breakfast which are also very good.TrekkingMulti-day trekking is extremely expensive. The cost is around $150-$200 a day. It is because of very stringent rules regarding trekking and disposal of human wastes. There are lot of opportunities for half-day hikes which doesn’t require guides. You can also try out mountain biking and there are lot of beautiful trails available throughout the country. Mountain bikes are available for full day rent and the cost is around Nu 1000 per day.Rivers and LakesMost of the water bodies (either rivers or lakes) are considered to be sacred places. Contaminating them or throwing stones or garbage into them is considered to be a serious offense, so be mindful of them. Fishing is also prohibited in most places.Pedestrian DayEvery Tuesday is Pedestrian Day and no private vehicles are allowed on road and people are encouraged to walk or use bicycle. In small towns all taxi’s are allowed and in big cities like Thimphu and Paro, taxi’s are allowed based on their registration number. Taxi’s with odd and even registration numbers are allowed on alternate Tuesday’s.Dry dayEvery Tuesday is also a dry day and selling of alcohol is prohibited throughout the country.Mobile and GPRSIt is very easy to get a local pre-paid GSM sim. You just need your permit and activation is instant. Calls to India are charged 5 Nu/per minute. There is no 3G and GPRS is very expensive. It costs around 10 NU/per MB and the connection is not that great. In Thimphu there are a couple of restaurants that provide free wifi. (The cafe and Ambient Cafe. Both are near the clock tower). In other places you can go to an Internet cafe and the cost is around 60-90 Nu per hour.Update: Total costA couple people were asking me what was the total cost for the entire trip. I just did the accounts and it came to around Rs 17,500 per person for two weeks in a group of 5. If the number of people in the group is less then it might have be slightly high.If you are planning to travel to Bhutan and if you have any specific question leave a comment below and I will try to update this post with the answer.

A simple answer - Yes.However if you are using a self driven Indian registered Vehicle, you would need to obtain a Permit. This would be be restricted to Thimphu & Paro. To drive your vehicle beyond these districts, you would need to apply for a Inner Permit in Thimphu along with your planned itinerary . Vehicle Permit is issued after you have obtained your Personal travel Permit from the Immigration office. You will need to carry the usual mandatory paperwork along with spare copies, extra photos, pay a nominal fee, depending on the engine capacity & nbr of days in Bhutan.

“The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands.”This is the narration of a bike ride; from Ahmedabad to Bhutan to Meghalaya and back to Ahmedabad, approx 6700 km ride spanning 18 days, covering the 8 states, from the west India to East India.It was a month advance planning and research over the practicality of the trip, documentation necessity, road conditions and safety.For Indian Nationals, you don’t need visa or even a passport for visiting Bhutan, voter ID will suffice. Bhutan is a small but very beautiful country between China and India, has a population less than a million.Bhutan is known for its unique way to measure development: Gross National Happiness Index. The founders of Bhutan chose happiness over material possession and these values are seen everywhere in Bhutan.It is the only carbon negative country in the world. With 72 per cent forest coverage in his nation, the overall carbon production has been nullified. Bhutan produces around 1.5 million tonnes of carbon every year but because of the immense greenery, more than 6 million tonnes of carbon is absorbed.It is a unique country where world witnessed rare benevolent king. Despite people’s protest, the king brought democracy (it’s just about 10 years ago) and started passing on the powers to the people.Preparation :The most important device during the bike tour is Bike. We got our bike serviced and instructed clearly to the garage guy that the bikes will be used for a tour that will span approx. 7000 km in coming few days, so keep that in mind.My friend brought a homemade charging device for the phone which connects to the bike battery and charges the phone. His Bike looked all “wirey”. He also brought solar panels to charge the phones. [we will be using GPS extensively which drains the battery a lot. Hence, we took every care to ensure that our mobiles stay charged. From power banks to connecting charger to bike batteries to solar charging].Following is a pic of our bike loaded with the luggage. [Notice the jugaad. We put blanket (see Royal Enfield) on the seat which increases the cushion to a great extent.] All that stuff tied to the bike includes our bags, water bottles, our tent, our sleeping bags, tool kit, air pump, a bag containing SLR Camera, National Flag.3rd June, 2019The journey started on 3rd June, 2019 in the evening. My friend own Royal Enfield and I borrowed my friend’s Avengers (150 CC). We clicked some photos, tied our bags behind the bikes and started the ride. Our plan was to reach Kota by Next Day morning. It was around 550 km distance. Hence, we rode entire night with few minutes rest after every hour. Next day, we reached Kota.4th June, 2019The next target was to reach Lucknow. From Kota to Lucknow, the distance is approx. 630 km. Till we reached Lucknow, we had to face extreme heat of May of North West India. Also, till we reached Lucknow, we bypassed each and every city. Lucknow was the first city we entered after we left Ahmedabad. It’s a nice city. We passed through city, watching the beauty of this ancient city.5th & 6th June, 2019Now, next place to reach is Muzaffarpur (Bihar) via Barabanki, Faizabad, Ayodhya, Basti, Gorakhpur, Gopalganj, Pipra Kothi, Majhauli. From Lucknow to Muzaffarpur, the distance is about 540 km. Some Greenery started appearing enroute. I want to utter that the road condition of National Highways are excellent and improving. Lots of work is already undergoing to build new roads, bridges.6th & 7th June, 2019Now we headed towards JAIGAON. From Majhauli to Jaigaon, it is approx 520 km distance via Darbhanga, Narahiya, Dodra, Sisauna(Sh -63), (Madanpur-Aria Marg), Bahadurganjh, Thakurganjh, Ghospukur, Ambari Canal Road, Gajol Doba Road, Oodhalbari(Nh -17), Chalsa, Chapramari Wild Forest, Nagarkata, Birpara(Nh -17 To Transfer Nh -317), Hasimara.Jaigaon (West Bengal) is located on the border with Bhutan. The main overland entrance to Bhutan is through Jaigaon and Bhutan Gate separates the two countries.From Jaigaon border, we entered in Phuentsholling – entry point of Bhutan. Here we have to get the permit for Paro and Thimphu. (You can not roam around everywhere in Bhutan. First you have to get the permission for PARO and Thimphu. From Thimphu, you have to extend the permission to wherever you want to travel in Bhutan).[INDIA - BHUTAN Border][Phuentsholing]They have one weird condition here – you have to have the hotel booking for one day (for the day you arrived at Phuentsholling). We reached one day late than our expected planning. Hence, our already booked hotel which was for 6th June did not work here. We have to book the hotel again for 7th June.Then, we got the permit from immigration office for visiting Paro and Thimphu. Now, the next task was to get the Route Permit for riding bike which we need to get from RSTA (Road Safety and Transport Authority).My friend’s bike was registered on his father’s name and I had borrowed my friend’s bike. In such situation, you have to bring authority letter from the owner of the bike. Luckily, they accepted authority letter which was sought by us over email. You need RC Book, Licence, Insurance and authority letter.We got the permit to ride bike in Paro and Thimphu. It was pretty quick. We stayed at night in the hotel, drank DRUK 11000 beer (good taste and very pleasant effect), ate some food and slept.In Phuntsholing (and then out entire journey of Bhutan), we witnessed the discipline that is alien for us Indians. People walk only on Zebra crossing. They even take the strain to go back certain steps to find Zebra crossing to cross the roads.Vehicle owners respect the pedestrians very much and their car stops at every Zebra crossing even if a single person is standing there. Here, hardly any vehicle driver is found honking or overtaking. Traffic rules are strict. Bhutan is the only country in the world that doesn't have a single traffic light in its capital city.8th June, 2019Now as per our plan, we headed towards PARO. From Phuentsholling to PARO, it was about 150 km. distance. It is a historic town with many sacred sites and historical buildings scattered throughout the area. It is also home to Paro Airport, Bhutan's sole international airport. It’s a very planned, clean and beautiful city. This is the first place which gave us the feeling that we are now in the foreign land. People are very nice and helpful. It’s a different feeling here altogether. In Hindi, we say “Melody khao khud jan jao”, meaning you feel sentiment by yourselves through experience. No words can describe the beauty of PARO City.We booked a hotel and roam around the city entire day. Here, you can find lots of shops selling handicraft items. If you are planning to buy someone a gift from Bhutan, PARO is the place, albeit a costly place, but quality and options are very good.[Somewhere on the roads to PARO from Phuentsholing ][PARO International Airport][A Click in the city PARO ]Bhutan is a very open minded country. We saw a girl breastfeeding her child in front of us while she was explaining some product in her shop.These people worship male reproductive organ which is called Phallus. You can find phallus in every shop even painted on the walls, ranging from the size of a finger to the size of a baseball bat. We find this very strange, unique, amusing and hilarious.[Picture of Phallu painted on the wall along with Dragon or Druk. The Druk is the "Thunder Dragon" of Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national symbol. Here, number of shops, road projects, products are having the name DRUK. It is their favorite word !!!!!!! ][Phallus selling in the shop]At the night, we went to a nearby club “Park 76”. That was my first experience of visiting any kind of club and that was a lucky day. A band was performing live on that day and the band was no ordinary band. Two young guitarists, a drummer boy and a vocalist girl created so much energetic ambiance that you cannot stop dancing. It is the magical effect of the band that our legs and hands were moving in rhythmic motion. I won’t be exaggerating if I say that the band was of international quality and you know what, the most cheer they got was on the hindi song from Rock On !!!. [ Meri Laundry Ka Ek Bill, Ek Aadhi Padi Novel..][Photo of the Club ‘Park 76’]As I mentioned earlier, Traffic rules are very strict in Bhutan. Once I took a u-turn by mistake where it was prohibited and the police came within no time. I was told that I will be taken to the Police Station for fine. Luckily, they let me go after I apologized.9th June, 2019On this day, we planned to visit Taktsang Monastery, famously known as Tiger Nest Monastery, located in Paro, Bhutan. Actually, it is approx. 10 km away from the main city. We hauled the bikes towards the monastery.[Tiger Nest Monastery]The legend of Taktshang (Tiger's den) evolved form 747 AD when Guru Padmasmbhava (Supreme god in Bhutan) chose a cave on a sheer rock face to meditate. Taktshang thus became one of the most important Buddhist monuments in the Himalayan Buddhist world.It’s a 3 to 4 hours long route by walk to reach the Monastery. Bhutan charges Rs. 500 per person for visit fee to the monastery. Outrageous, don’t you think ?…(this is for entering monastery. If you just wish to go to the view point, it’s free. ).You can ride on the horse if you want till the cafeteria. Then, everybody has to walk. It was an exhausting walk. There was a steep downward and then upward trek at the final stage. Luggage, Mobile phones, Video Camera is not allowed in the Monastery. Assistants there take you to the tour to different temples in the monastery.It was almost the evening when we returned. That day, we slept early.10th June, 2019On the morning of 10th June, we started driving towards Chelela Pass, the highest motorable roads in Bhutan at an altitude of 3988 meter above the sea level which locates between the Haa and Paro valley.It was about 40 km away from PARO City. We were passing continuously through oak trees and free roaming yaks. At the peak, it was pretty windy yet spectacular view.Unfortunately, my bike experienced little fault. First gear was not working. I have to keep the bike on minimum second gear. Still, I was able to ride. We started driving towards Thimhu. From Chelela Pass to Thimphu, it was about 80 km. distance. I got my bike repaired in Thimphu. In Thimphu, all the automobile work is done at one space. I mean, all the automobile shops were in that specific area only.Thimphu is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Bhutan.[Thimphu]We took a hotel (Kuenden Boutique) on a hill slightly outside the city. From here, you can witness breathtaking view of the Thimphu City.The young hotel owner was quite a personality. We talked about lot of stuff, about Bhutan, its culture, its people, the king. He was an adventurous guy. He go on solo trekking for days and spend time with villagers and lamas. He even had a website that has the history and clicks of all his adventures.As I said earlier, if you want to roam outside Thimphu and Paro, you have to extend your permission from Immigration office in Thimphu. We got our permit extended here. Also, we got our bike permit extended from RSTA office. It was quick. But, it was already evening and Bhutan closes early. You have to give order for food before 07:30 in the evening. So, we went back to hotel, took a dinner and nap with satisfaction.11th June, 2019We visited statue of Buddha Dordenma in Thimphu on this day, a massive, golden Buddha sitting atop a gilded meditation hall.After visiting the statue and before returning to the hotel, we wandered in Thimphu during entire day for purchasing some handicrafts items. The hotel guy earlier I talked about offered us free dinner on the second day at his hotel.12th June, 2019On this day, we left Thimphu and headed towards Punakha via Dochula Pass. Dochula Pass was about 25 km from Thimphu.[Peak of Dochula Passs]From Dochula Pass to Punakha, it is about 50 km distance [downward]. It always feels like butter ride whenever we ride bikes on downward slope. In Punakha, there is a very beautiful monastery with the same Punakha Dzong. Here entry fee is Rs. 300/- with a free guide.Also, there is a beautiful suspension bridge.After vising this beautiful constructions, we headed towards Gelephu via Wangdue. (approx. 200 km away).Galephu is on the border of India and Bhutan. You can enter in India from Galephu border. We also planned the same as our next tour was Meghalaya via Guwahati.But, when we arrived at the check post, we were told that Gelephu is not in our route permit, so we are not allowed to even be here. First, they told us to pay the fine and they will let us pass through Gelephu border. When we accepted the offer, they even denied that also. They told us that you enter via Phuentsholing border and exit from that border only.We urged, begged, but nothing helped. We had to start our ride back to Phuentsholing passing through a road in a deep forest. (distance : approx 400 km !!!). It was already dark. We have to stop after 30–40 km and decided to sleep in the Jungle in our sleeping bag. Somebody should tell this Bhutanese government people that this is not a way to treat tourists. Just an entry missing in our route permit had put us in great danger.13th June, 2019Entire day wasted to reach Phuentsholing. It was like recap of our tour because all the roads we visited have to be rode again. We crossed the border and started heading towards Guwahati which was approx. 350 km. away.14th June, 2019Reached Guwahati and visited famous Kamakhya temple. It is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas. Here we witnessed sacrifice of a cow along with other animals and doves !!! very hearwrenching !!![Kamakhya Temple ]Same day, we started our journey towards Shillong - capital of Meghalaya. Shillong is a very densely populated place.15th & 16th June, 2019Meghalaya is a very beautiful and unspoiled place. During our visit, the monsoon already started. so, there was a thick fog everywhere. Visibility was very poor. Had to take great care while riding the bikes.[somewhere enroute Meghalaya]There are number of waterfalls and caves in Meghalaya. Due to Monsoon, waterfalls were full of water.From Shillong, we started our ride towards Cherapunjee or Sohra, as it is locally known. In between, we saw many waterfalls and caves. Cherapunjee is among the worlds rainiest place. Beauty of Sohra strucks you instantly and there is lot still unexplored in this place.[Elephant Fall][Mawasmai Caves - Meghalaya…. Of the ten longest and deepest caves in India, the first nine are in Meghalaya !!!!!! ][Arwah Caves][Garden of Caves ][Seven Sisters Fall - Meghalaya ][Wei Sawdong Water Fall …..The most beautiful location of our trip ]At the night, we camped near Dawki River which is famous for its clean water. However, due to monsoon, we could not witness the clarity of the water.(A photo of clean water of Dawki River )17th June, 2019From Dawki, we rode our bikes to see living root bridge which is situated near Mawlynnong village. [Mawlynnong village is famous as Asia’s cleanest village.][Living Root Bridge ]The same day, we started our journey back to Ahmedabad. From 17th June, 2019 to 21th June, 2019 we covered distance of around 2700 km to reach to the Home.Thanks for reading. [Image Source : Google and and our own clicks ]“I now know, by an almost fatalistic conformity with the facts, that my destiny is to travel...” ― Ernesto Che Guevara, (The Motorcycle Diaries : Notes on a Latin American Journey )This is me….This is my friend..