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By air into Paro, or overland from India — the routes, the airlines and the connections that actually work.
Two airlines fly into Bhutan, frequencies are modest, and the autumn season sells out early. Book the flight as soon as your dates are fixed.
Paro International Airport sits at about 2,235 metres in a narrow valley, and the approach threads between forested ridges before the aircraft turns onto a short runway. Only specially certified crews fly it, which is part of why the schedule is limited. It is also the reason the arrival is the first thing most travellers talk about.
Bhutan can also be entered overland from India at three points, which suits travellers already in Sikkim, West Bengal or Assam and anyone who would rather not fly.
Drukair, the national carrier, and Bhutan Airlines. Between them they connect Paro with Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai, with seasonal flights from Bodh Gaya.
Phuentsholing in the south-west, the crossing nearest Bagdogra and Siliguri; Gelephu in the centre; and Samdrup Jongkhar in the east, which pairs well with a trip through Assam.
Bathpalathang in Bumthang, Yonphula in the east and Gelephu in the south. When flights are scheduled they can save a long drive on a journey to central or eastern Bhutan.
Delhi, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Singapore are the usual connections. Bagdogra and Guwahati suit travellers combining Bhutan with Sikkim, Darjeeling or Assam.
Paro flights can be delayed by weather, particularly in the monsoon and in winter fog. Give yourself a night in the connecting city rather than a tight same-day transfer home.
Once your flights are held, we build the itinerary around the real arrival and departure times, including the drive from Paro to wherever you sleep on night one.
Your guide and driver meet you outside the terminal. Immigration is straightforward with a visa clearance issued in advance, and Paro town is fifteen minutes away.
No. Every route into Paro connects through an Asian hub — Delhi, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Bangkok, Singapore or Dubai are the usual ones.
About an hour and a half along the river, on a good road. Paro town itself is fifteen minutes from the airport.
Yes, at Phuentsholing, Gelephu or Samdrup Jongkhar. Your visa clearance or permit must still be arranged before you arrive, and we meet you at the border.
They are useful but weather-dependent, and schedules change seasonally. We only build a domestic flight into an itinerary when there is a workable road alternative behind it.
Tell us your dates and what you would like the journey to include. You will get a written day-by-day itinerary and a full quotation back, with nothing to pay while we work it out.
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