Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, the Dooars and Bhutan · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Gangtok", "toy train", "rhino", "Bhutan permit"
An eight-night overland loop from Siliguri through Thimphu, the crane valley of Phobjikha, Punakha and Paro, ending with a safari night in Jaldapara on the way home. It covers the best of western Bhutan with a licensed guide, from about ₹42,000 per person.
This is the fuller western Bhutan trip for travellers with nine days. After Thimphu it crosses Dochula and Lawa La to Phobjikha, the glacial valley where black-necked cranes winter, then drops to warm Punakha and its great dzong before ending in Paro with the Tiger's Nest walk.
On the way home, instead of a second night in Phuentsholing, it stops in Jaldapara National Park in the Dooars, about 35 km from the border, for a morning safari to look for one-horned rhinos. That last night is in India, so no SDF is charged for it.
Punakha and Phobjikha lie outside Thimphu and Paro, so a route permit and a licensed guide are required for all tiers. Prices include seven nights of SDF at ₹1,200 per person per night. Prices and rules are indicative. Check current status before you travel.
Highlights
Three ways to do it
Budget
₹42,000 pp
Car and guide costs are the biggest item; travelling as four brings it down
Ask for BudgetValue
₹62,000 pp
The comfortable middle, with heated rooms throughout
Ask for ValueComfort
₹1,10,000 pp
All entry fees and one hot stone bath included
Ask for ComfortIndicative, per person, twin sharing, for the whole package. Mix tiers night by night if you like. Your written quote lists every cost.
Day by day
Drive from Siliguri through Sevoke and the Dooars tea gardens to Jaigaon. Cross the Bhutan Gate and complete your entry permit at the Phuentsholing immigration office. Meet your licensed guide, who will carry your papers for the route permit. Evening visit to Zangtho Pelri Lhakhang.
Climb from the plains past Kharbandi Goemba, Gedu and Chukha to Chuzom, then up the Wang Chhu valley to Thimphu at about 2,320 m. Your guide submits the route permit application for Wangdue Phodrang and Punakha. Evening walk on Norzin Lam.
Morning kora at the Memorial Chorten, then the Buddha Dordenma, the Motithang Takin Preserve and the Folk Heritage Museum. If it is a weekend, visit the Centenary Farmers Market. Collect the route permit and end the day at Tashichho Dzong after office hours.
Leave early for Dochula at about 3,100 m and its 108 chortens. Descend towards Wangdue, then climb east along the highway over Lawa La at about 3,360 m and turn into Phobjikha. In season, watch the cranes fly in to roost at dusk. Night in a farmhouse or hotel with a wood stove.
Visit Gangtey Goenpa and the crane information centre in the morning, then walk the Gangtey nature trail down to Khewang Lhakhang. After lunch, drive down to Punakha at about 1,250 m. Visit Punakha Dzong in the late afternoon light and walk to the suspension bridge.
Walk through rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, the temple of the Divine Madman. Drive back over Dochula to Thimphu and on to Paro, stopping at Chuzom and Tachogang Lhakhang. Evening in Paro town.
Start the walk to Paro Taktsang by 7.30 am, climbing about 900 m to the cliff temples at 3,120 m. Allow 5–6 hours. In the late afternoon visit Kyichu Lhakhang, and if you have energy, the National Museum and Rinpung Dzong.
Leave Paro early and drive down to Phuentsholing. Complete exit formalities, cross back into India at Jaigaon and continue about 35 km to Madarihat at the edge of Jaldapara National Park. Evening at a lodge near the park gate.
Take an early morning jeep safari in Jaldapara to look for one-horned rhinos, gaur, deer and birds. After breakfast, drive west through the Dooars to Siliguri, NJP or Bagdogra, arriving in the afternoon. Safari bookings and seasons depend on the forest department; the park closes in the monsoon.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
Hotel Druk is a long-established hotel a short walk from the Bhutan Gate and the immigration office in Phuentsholing. It is a dependable first or last …
Hotel Druk is a central Thimphu hotel on Clock Tower Square, within walking distance of Norzin Lam, cafés and the Memorial Chorten. It is a sound …
Dewachen is a stone-and-timber hotel on the slope above Phobjikha valley, with heated rooms and views over the crane roosting grounds. It is the best-known mid-to-upper …
Hotel Olathang is one of Bhutan's oldest hotels, set in pine forest on a hillside above Paro and built in the 1970s for guests at the …
Certified farmhouse homestays in Paro valley villages such as Shaba, Satsam and Tsento give the cheapest legal stay in Paro and a close look at farm …
Le Méridien Thimphu is an international five-star hotel in the city centre near the Wang Chhu and the weekend market. It is the most reliable full-service …
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Questions travellers ask
From about ₹42,000 per person, twin sharing, in the Budget tier, including seven nights of SDF, a licensed guide and car in Bhutan, and simple certified stays. Value costs about ₹62,000 and Comfort about ₹1,10,000. Prices are indicative and exclude lunches, entry fees and safari charges.
Punakha and Phobjikha are outside Thimphu and Paro, and Bhutan requires all tourists, including Indians, to travel with a licensed guide there. The guide also arranges the route permit. A guide costs about ₹2,500–3,500 a day for the group, which is why sharing with others helps. Check current status before you travel.
From late October to February, with the best chances from November to January. Outside that window Phobjikha is still a lovely, quiet valley for walking, but there are no cranes. Time your trip for 11 November to catch the Black-necked Crane Festival at Gangtey Goenpa.
It is a long day of about 6–7 hours, including the border crossing. Leave Paro by 7 am to reach Jaldapara before dark. If you prefer, swap it for a night in Phuentsholing and drive to Siliguri the next day, though that adds one night of SDF.
Yes. Start with Jaldapara, then cross into Bhutan and go to Paro first, ending at Thimphu and Phuentsholing. The route permit is still issued in Thimphu or online, so plan the order with your operator. Doing Taktsang after a few days in the hills helps with acclimatisation.
From November to February, nights in Phobjikha fall to around -5°C, and mornings are frosty. Days are often sunny at 8–12°C. Carry thermals, a down jacket, a cap and gloves. Rooms have stoves or heaters, but corridors and bathrooms can be cold.
No. Jaldapara National Park usually closes for the monsoon from mid-June to mid-September. Safari slots and fees are set by the West Bengal Forest Department and can sell out in peak season. We book in advance where possible. Check current status before you travel.
Yes, at a gentle pace. Drives are long but on decent roads, and the highest point is Lawa La at about 3,360 m, crossed by car. Taktsang is optional; horses carry riders to the halfway cafeteria. Choose the Value or Comfort tier for heated rooms and a private car.
Yes. Add one night in Haa between Paro and the drive home, crossing Chele La at 3,988 m. It needs a route permit for Haa and adds one night of SDF and a day of car and guide. Alternatively, visit Haa as a long day trip from Paro.
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