TRAVELERS' INFORMATION

General Information about Bhutan

 

Climate:	The southern Part of Bhutan is tropical, and in general the eastern region of the country is warmer then the central valleys, however, Higher the altitude, the cooler the weather, and that with a brisk wind blowing down of the mountains even a low lying valley can become quite chilly.
Language:	Dzongkha, the Language of Dzong belongs to the Tibetan Linguistic family originally spoken in western Bhutan. It is now the National Language. English is commonly spoken in the main towns and it is the principle medium of instruction in schools throughout the kingdom.
Time Zone:	Bhutan's Time is 6 hours ahead of GMT and 1 hours ahead of Indian Standard Time.  There is only one time zone throughout the country.
Health:	No vaccinations are currently required for traveling in Bhutan, however cholera, yellow fever and anti malarial medications are strongly recommended for visitors coming from Cholera infected areas.
Currency:	Ngultrum is our currency and it has the same value as the Indian rupee which is also legal tender. One US$ is roughly equal to 40Nu. Visa credit cards are accepted by a few shops and handicraft. It is always easy and convenient to carry travelers cheque.
Electricity:	Electricity runs on 220/240 volts, with the round hole two pin and three pin power outlets.
Communications:	E-mail and making international phone calls from most towns are available while touring Bhutan. And Bhutan is also connected with the GSM mobile services.
Accommodations:	Each destination we have comfortable hotels, lodges and guest houses, generally speaking, hotels in western part of Bhutan are better appointed. While accommodations establishments in the central and the eastern part of the country are more modest, with fewer amenities. Luxury accommodations are now available in Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang.
Fooding:	Bhutanese delicacies are rich with spicy chilies and cheese. All hotels, lodges and guest houses on Bhutan Men-Lha Adventures selected list of accommodations offers delicious Chinese, Continental, Bhutanese and Indian cuisines. We provide suitable dishes to western taste in the above range and every effort will be made to accommodate the individual dietary preferences of your own to trekking groups.
Clothing:	We recommend you dress in layers due to the wide range of Temperature and climate conditions. For protection against cold, layered clothing is better then one or two thick garments. You will be offending people if you walk around in skimpy or tight fitting clothes. We advise female visitor to wear your clothing below the knee skirts or fairly loose trousers. Dress modestly and respectfully for visit to monasteries, dzongs and other religious institutions. Hats, caps, etc. should be removed before entering the premises.
What to pack:	We recommend you to pack trekking shoes, back-pack, rug sack, Swiss Knife, Hat, Umbrella, trekking gears, camera, camera films, sleeping bag, head light, flash lights, soluble aspirin, sunscreen, lips lap, spare camera batteries, films, flash light batteries. Anti diarrhea pills, antiseptic creams, anti-histamine creams, hand cream and insects repellent cream. And casual shoes for cultural tour.
Photography:	The photographic opportunities on trips are immense, natural scenery is superb and you will also wish to record local people, houses, and shops etc. Always ask if it is alright to do so. Don't take your destination as a living museum. Please mind that photography in shrine rooms of Dzongs, monasteries and religious institutions is generally not permitted. When you visit such places, consult with your guide before taking any photographs.
Shopping:	Hand woven textiles, curved masks, woven baskets, hand made paper products, scroll paintings, wooden bowls and Bhutan's exquisite site postage stamps are the items mostly purchased by the travelers in Bhutan. Bear in mind, buying and selling of antiques is strictly forbidden.
SMOKING:	BHUTAN IS THE FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO BAN THE USAGE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. Smoking is prohibited in public places, and cigarettes may not be bought or sold within the country. Visitors may bring in 200 cigarettes for their own use on payment of import duty of 100%.
Gratuities:	Tipping is purely your personal matter. The bottom line is determining whether or how much to tip is to ask your self.

Reservation policy with Bhutan Men-Lha Adventures and Travelers:
1. Once the reservation is made please wire the tour payment at our account maintain with CITI BANK in New York. USA.
2. Payment should be wire full amount including Air Fare.
3. Cancellation before 3months will be refund the full payment.
4. Cancellation within 1month to 2 months before will be refund 75% of the payment.
5. Cancellation before 15 days to 1month will be refund 50%
6. Cancellation before 10 days to 15 days will be refund 20%
7. Cancellation less than 10days will be not refund back to you.
If you are ill and if you can provide the Medical certificate, then you will be refunding your payment after deducting the cancellation charges of Druk-Air Ticket.

Tour:
For bookings during the months of January to June and September to December full passport particulars of all participants should be provided minimum 45 days in advance for us to hold all services on confirmed basis.
Visa Formalities:
Visa is required for traveling to Bhutan and it will be processed & arranged by us. No foreign mission grants Bhutan tourist Visa.
All Passport details should have the following:
Full name, nationality, date of birth, passport no. issued & expiry date, address & profession should be forwarded at least 1 month prior to the date of arrival and can be mailed or faxed. Actual visa is stamped on arrival in Bhutan while it is cleared in advance and a visa clearance number is issued.

For all travelers entering Bhutan by Druk Air, the Visa clearance number is forwarded to the concerned overseas Druk Air stations and without clearance number passengers are not allowed to board the flight. Visa clearance number is also required while issuing Druk Air tickets.
For travelers entering into the country by surface through Phuntsholing (Border in South Bhutan) the visa clearance number is forwarded to Foreign Ministry’s office in Phuntsholing for reference. Three copies of original passport size photographs are required on arrival. US$ 10 as Tourism development must be paid on arrival. Visa can be further extended with an additional fee of US$20.

Druk Air Reservation Procedure during High Seasons-January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November & December.
These months are peak season and flight seats and other related services are very difficult to confirm. These 10 months are considered as embargo period by the Druk-Air 100% deposit is to be made against group bookings at least 45 days prior to the trip with a non-refundable condition. We confirm tour only once the flight seats get confirmed.
* Block booking without names will not be accepted.
* 15 person and above 1 person name change will be accepted. Any changes beyond 15 will be treated as fresh booking.
* Reservation will be accepted on deposit of full fare payment.
* Name change will be charge 25$ for one ticket.
* Druk Air assumes no responsibility for passengers being off loaded due to invalid travel documents.
* Time limit for purchase of ticket will be 30 days prior of travel
* Failure to purchase ticket within time limit will result in automatic cancellation of reservation.
* Priority on reservation will be given on purchase of ticket.
Cancellation Charges:
* Cancellation made in case of requested/wait-listed ticket - Nil charge
* Cancellation made one month prior to travel date - 50% of fare
* Cancellation made Two weeks prior to travel date - 20% of fare

TOUR PAYMENT METHOD:
Tour payment can be wire to us at address and account mention with Bhutan National Bank and CITI BANK in New York mention below.

1.  Beneficiary: Bhutan National Bank, Post Box # 439, Thimphu, Bhutan.
2.  Account Number: 36023474
3.  Bank Address: CITI Bank N.A, 111 Walk Street, 19Floor New York, NY 10046
4.  Swift Code: CITIUS 33
5.  ABA No: 0210-0008-9
6.  Chips Routing No: 008
7. Ultimate Beneficiary: Account No 0000001175012 of Bhutan Men-Lha Adventures maintained with BNB, Thimphu.

Or another Bank American Express in New Jersey:

1. Beneficiary: Bhutan National Bank, Post Box # 43, Thimphu Bhutan.
2. Account: 734061
3. Bank Address: American Express Bank Limited, 300 Boulevard East Weehawken NJ 07087-6702
4. Swift Code: AEIBUS33
5. ABA No: 124071889
6. Ultimate Beneficiary: Account no 0000001175012 of Bhutan Men-Lha Adventures maintained with BNB, Thimphu

Driving Distance

From	To	Distance (km)	Driving Time (approx)
Thimphu	Paro	65	1.30 Hrs
Thimphu	Phuntsholing	175	6 Hrs
Phuntsholing	Bagdora (India)	170	4 Hrs
Thimphu	Wangdue Phodrag	70	3 hrs
Thimphu	Punakha	77	3 Hrs. 15 Minutes
Punakha	Wangdue Phodrag	17	45 Minutes
Wandgdue Phodrang	Trongsa	129	4.30 Hrs
Trongsa	Bumthang	68	2.30 Hrs
Bumthang	Mongar	198	7 Hrs
Mongar	Lhuentse	75	3 Hrs
Mongar	Tashigang	90	4 Hrs
Tashigang	Chorten Kora	52	2 Hrs
Tashigang	Samdrup Jongkhar	180	7 Hrs
Samdrup Jongkhar	Guwahati (India)	110	3 Hrs
Samdrup Jongkhar	Phuntsholing	380	9.30 Hrs

Mode of transport within Bhutan is by motor vehicle only. There are no domestic airlines or trains.The main highway runs from west to east connecting all major towns. The distance between the are given above.

Trekking Season

‘S’ refers to good Season for Trekking.
‘M’ refers to moderate Season as there are chances of rain during the trek in these month.
‘X’ refers to the months when the trekking routes are Closed due to snow.
Note: Normal weather Conditions

Average Temperature in Degree Centigrade. (^oC)