Flight Schedules

One of the smallest national carriers in the world, Druk Air has a fleet of five BAE - 146 Whisper Jet aircrafts. An international team of flight attendants, trained by Thai Airways International added to the airline's credibility. Druk Air has 10 destinations - Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkota, Gauhati, Bagdogra in India, Kathmandu in Nepal and Dhaka in Bangladesh. A private airline called Bhutan Airlines started operating since 2013. As the plane rises to towards foothills of the Himalayas, the mountains rise to eye level with the aircraft. On clear days from Kathmandu, the airplane flies past the summit of Everest.

The most convenient Gateway city in terms of the most flights per week is Suvanabhumi International Airport, Bangkok. Depending on the day of the week the flights departing from Bangkok makes one stop in Singapore, Kolkota or Dhaka. Total flight time from Bangkok to Paro is 3-4 hours. Delay does occur due to unpredictable Himalayan weather conditions. International travelers are advised to build an extra day or two in their itinerary in case of flight cancellations. Confirmation of travel during festival seasons (March, April, May in Spring) and September, October & November in Autumn) must be made at least three months in advance to ensure seats with the airline. The aircrafts have seating capacity of 72 - 120 with Business Class.

Visit www.drukair.com.bt & www.bhutanairlines.com for complete flight schedules and other related flight information.

Travel by Land

Phuntsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar in eastern Bhutan are the only land border areas open for international tourists. The town of Phuntsholing is located approximately 170 km east of the Indian national airport Bagdogra. After crossing Phuntsholing, your journey then begins its mountainous climb through endless turns and hair-pin bends till you enter Thimphu, the capital city. The travel time for the 176 km stretch can be more than 6 hours.

Gelephu in South-Central Bhutan is another entry point to Bhutan. It is approximately 250 kms 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.

Samdrup Jongkhar is the only entry point in eastern Bhutan. The town borders the Indian district of Darranga, Assam and is approximately 150 kms 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, the largest District in the country, and from there over the lateral route to Mongar, Bumthang, Trongsa, Wangde Phodrang and then finally into capital, Thimphu. The distance is about 700 kms and will take you a minimum of three days to reach Thimphu.