Bhutan Budget Trip: If you are fond of traveling, then of course you must also want to travel abroad. But going to any other country outside India proves to be very expensive and costly for the pocket, due to which many people also save in the long run for foreign trips.
But if you plan to travel in the neighboring countries of India, then this will not put any stress on your pocket and your foreign travel will also be completed in very less money. In such a situation, you can go for Bhutan Budget Trip from India, where you can plan a perfect trip full of natural beauty.
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Budget Friendly Trips in Bhutan
To visit Bhutan, you have to take at least 7 days off from your work, because in this one week only you can see the beautiful views of nature. Bhutan is a small country, where there is no bus or taxi facility everywhere. Therefore, before planning a trip here, you have to gather necessary information from the bus station and taxi stand and for convenience, you have to book in advance before the trip.
For Trip to Bhutan from India, you can opt for road or air route, which comes under your travel budget. You can take flights to Bhutan from Delhi, Kolkata, Bodh Gaya, Guwahati and Bagdogra at Paro International Airport (Paro), which is the only airport in Bhutan.
This airport is located in the top of the hills at an altitude of 5,500 meters, due to which the landing of the plane here is quite risky. On the other hand, if you want to go to Bhutan by road, then you have to reach Jaigaon on the border of West Bengal. For this you can travel by public transport like bus, train or taxi, from where you will get bus or taxi to Bhutan.
If you want, you can also go to Bhutan from Guwahati and Assam, but for people traveling from North India to Bhutan, going from West Bengal to Bhutan can be a cheaper and shorter journey. That’s why most people reach Bhutan via West Bengal, from where buses or taxis are easily available.
welcome to thimpu
The first destination of tourists to reach Bhutan by road or air from India will be the city of Thimphu, which is also the capital of this country. There are two bus stands in Thimphu out of which one is the City Bus Stand and the other is known as Thimph Bus Stand (RTSA).
If you want to roam inside Thimphu city, then you will get private and government buses to move around from the city bus stand present here. Traveling in these buses is cheaper and you will be able to understand the local culture better, whereas to reach other cities of Bhutan, you have to take a bus from Thimphu Bus Stand.
The city bus proves to be very cheap to travel around Bhutan, as it costs much less than a taxi. However, tickets for buses plying in Bhutan are available only at bus stands or select shops, so you will be allowed to board the bus only after taking the ticket after enquiry. Here the job of the conductor is not to distribute tickets.
To reach Paro city from Thimphu, only two buses ply throughout the day, in which one bus takes passengers from Thimphu to Paro at 9 am and the other bus at 2 pm. In such a situation, if you want to travel according to your timing, then you will have to travel from Thimphu to Paro by boarding a private taxi.
famous tourist places in bhutan
After reaching Bhutan, you can visit various cities, which are famous for their natural beauty. Apart from Thimphu and Paro, these cities also include the name of Phuentsholing, to reach which you will have to travel 5 hours. During this, you will get to see beautiful mountains and lush green forests on the way, although you will have to book a bus ticket a day in advance to reach this city.
Apart from this, Tiger’s Nest is a very famous tourist destination in Bhutan, to reach where you have to book a taxi. The fare per person in a taxi is between Rs 300 to 500, which you can get reduced by bargaining with the cab driver. Tiger’s Nest is divided into two parts, where taxi fares are lower for the first stop Whereas taxi drivers ask for more money in exchange for reaching the second stop. So you can get down at Tigers Nest Junction to save money, from there you can reach the second stop by taking a sharing cab of Rs 50.
On the other hand, if you are fond of trekking, then a walk can be done from Tigers Nest Junction to reach Tigers Nest. It takes about one and a half hours to reach the starting point of the track from here, although during this time you can proceed by clicking pictures between the beautiful road and forests.
Food & Culture
If you are fond of non-veg food, then you will find plenty of non-veg dishes to eat in Bhutan. Vegetarians may have a problem eating here, as it is difficult to find good vegetarian food everywhere in Bhutan.
In such a situation, you may have to roam a little for vegetarian food, while you will easily find non-veg food in big markets including streets, nooks. Apart from this, alcohol is also very cheap in Bhutan, which can be easily bought from any store or shopping mall.
In Bhutan, you can try Red Rice Beer, which has a very good taste and works to give energy to the body. On the other hand, you will find cakes of different flavors here in sweet, but if you have a habit of smoking cigarettes then you may find it difficult while visiting Bhutan. Because tobacco is banned in Bhutan and people who sell cigarettes illegally, its price is very high.
You will see the color of red chili separately in the cuisine of Bhutan, because red chili is used in every food here. One reason for this is that Bhutan has only red chili in the name of spices, so the food here is quite spicy and hot.
Various places for tourists to stay
Taking a room in a hotel in Bhutan can prove to be a bit expensive, as the hotel rates here are quite high. But if you go with a little research, you can find budget friendly rooms or else you will have to stay in expensive rooms.
If you want to save money on a budget friendly trip to Bhutan, then you can stay in Dharamsala instead of hotels. The accommodation of tourists is arranged in Hanuman Mandir Dharamshala in Jaigaon here, where you can get a room for a night by paying just 10 rupees. This is the reason why it is difficult to find empty rooms in this Dharamshala, due to which people book in advance.
Apart from this, booking is also done for marriage in Hanuman Mandir Dharamshala, so it becomes very difficult to find empty rooms here. However, if you want, you can also take a room from the Sahu Seva Trust located in Jaigaon, where a rent of Rs 300 is charged for a night. Here 2 people can stay in a room, while you will get clean room and toilet facility.
Similarly, in Bhutan, hotel rooms are available in different cities, where you may have to pay between 500 to 700 and 1,000 rupees for a night’s stay. In these rooms, you get double beds and other necessary facilities including TV, where you can order Indian food as well.
What are the things to keep in mind
Bhutan is a very beautiful and cheap country to visit, but before going here, some important things have to be taken care of. To visit Bhutan, you have to first get a permit, which will be available from the city of Thimphu. For this, it is very important to have passport site photo, voter ID card, hard copy of hotel confirmation and travel itinerary.
Indian tourists do not need a passport and visa to visit Bhutan, but if you are a citizen of any country other than India, Bangladesh and Maldives, then you will also need to carry a passport and visa with you.
If you are a student, then carry your school or college ID card with you, because by doing so you can get huge discount of 50 percent or more on tickets to many tourist places. On the other hand, if you want to buy a Bhutan SIM card, then you can buy a Bhutan Telecom SIM card by showing a permit at the immigration office. Its network coverage is quite good and you can talk on mobile phone even at high altitude.
Apart from this, tourists always have to carry their permit and ID card while visiting Bhutan, because there are check posts at different places. In such a situation, if you want to roam Bhutan without any hindrance, then walk with a permit and ID card in your pocket.
In this way you can roam around Bhutan for about 7 days, for which you will have to spend only 4 to 5 thousand rupees (Bhutan Budget Trip). Bhutan has a range of budget friendly hotels to bus service and food, so you can plan a cheap trip to this country.
