Until the 1960’s The Kingdom of Bhutan was accessible only by foot through the high passes of Tibet. The construction of a road from Phuentsholing on the Indian border to Thimphu and Paro made travel by car and bus possible. In the 1980s an international airport was constructed in Paro, 55 km from the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu.
Now Bhutan can be accessible by road as well as by air too.
Travel By Air
There are flights to Paro, Bhutan from Bangkok, Singapore, Kathmandu, Bangledesh, Delhi, Kolkata, Gaya, and Guwahati.
Flying into Bhutan’s Paro International Airport is typically an exciting experience as the descent into Paro valley brings you closer to the mountain tops than most other flights in the world. The flight between Paro and Kathmandu is one of the most exciting ones as the aircraft passes over four of the five highest mountains in the world. In fine weather, as you soar higher up, you can enjoy the spectacular view of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Kangchenjunga at their best.
Travel By Land
Phuentsholing, Gelephu, and Samdrup Jongkhar are the only land border areas open to tourists.
The town of Phuentsholing in the south-west is located approximately 170 km east of the Indian national airport at Bagdogra. After crossing Phuentsholing, you begin your journey to Thimphu, the capital city with a travel time of about six hours for the 170 km stretch.
Gelephu, in south-central Bhutan, is another entry point to Bhutan. It is approximately 250kms 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.
The district of Samdrup Jongkhar in south-east Bhutan borders the Indian district of Darranga, Assam, and is approximately 150kms 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, and from there over the lateral route to Mongar, Bumthang, Trongsa, Wangdue Phodrang and then finally into the capital, Thimphu. The distance is about 700kms and will take you a minimum of three days to reach Thimphu.
A combination of overland and air travel is also possible. All overland travel requires an Indian visa.