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Visitor Info

Tourism Policy

The Tourism policy in Bhutan is based on the concept of “High Value & Low Impact”. Tourism in Bhutan has to be environmentally and ecologically friendly, socially and culturally acceptable, and economically viable. It is in this light that tourism in Bhutan is regulated to ensure an environmentally manageable level of tourists entering Bhutan through prescribed government tariff.

Organizing your trip

Once you have a confirmed registration and remitted us your Tour Package amount, we will process your visa, confirm your Druk Air tickets and hotel reservations as well as look into all necessary arrangements to make your visit to Bhutan a trip to cherish.

Upon arrival you will be met by your guide at the airport. Please look for him as he will be holding up a placard bearing your group’s name. From then on he will assist you throughout your stay.

Visa

We, your host in Bhutan, will be responsible for processing and obtaining your Visa which will only be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bhutan. Your visa will have to be processed well ahead of your scheduled visit to Bhutan. Please note that your Druk Air ticket confirmation & hotel reservations can only be made on processing your Visa. Your visa fee is included in the package price.

Once approved, your visa will be stamped on your passport in the port of entry to Bhutan. You will be required to produce two passport sized photographs at the time of getting your visa endorsed.

Please note that all visitors are required to enter Bhutan only through recognized travel agencies and that no missions or embassies abroad will grant tourist visas.

Application Procedure

You will need to download the Visa application forms from the link provided below. Please fill the forms carefully and have it either emailed to us at info@marathonbhutan.com or fax it to us at +975-2-335859. Your passport will “not” be required while processing the visa. You will not need to paste your photograph on the form. However, you will require two passport size photographs when when stamping your visa upon arrival. It normally takes at least ten days to process your Visa. A copy of the Visa will be emailed to you at least ten days prior to your departure. Please ensure that all your personal details are correct on your visa upon receipt. If any changes are required please email us immediately.

Download Visa Application Form:

Visa Application Form (PDF Format) 634 KB
Visa Application Form (DOC Format) 348 KB

Druk Air Tickets

Bhutan has just one airline, Druk Air, and no other airline operates commercially in Bhutan. Due to limited seats & flight schedules on our national carrier, 114 per flight, it is very important that your tickets be confirmed well ahead of your visit. Your Druk Air etickets will be emailed to you immediately upon receipt of tour package payment.

The most convenient way of entering Bhutan is by Druk Air, the national airline. However, due to unpredictable weather especially during the summer months, it is advisable to allow for 24hours before any onward connection.

Druk Air flies to Bangkok, Thailand; Kolkotta, India; New Delhi, India; Kathmandu, Nepal. Please visit the Druk Air website for further details or contact us as Druk Air schedules tend to change depending on the tourist season.

Payment

Payment for the entire tour must be paid in advance to DragonQuest Adventures, our principal company, as per your selected package. The tariff structure for visitors to Bhutan as prescribed by the Royal Government of Bhutan is US.$ 250 per day. The rate is the same for all visitors and standard with all tour operators in Bhutan. As we provide our guests with only the best professional tour guides and use only Royal Government authorized tourist standard hotels we levy a small surcharge to ensure you a holiday to remember.

Our package rate includes return economy Druk Air tickets, twin sharing accommodation in approved tourist grade hotels, all meals, in land transportation & professional guide services. Each package will have its own tour guide. Should a group span more than one vehicle, each vehicle will have its own guide.

What’s not included in the package are gratuities, alcoholic beverages, communication facilities in hotels. Every guest is responsible for their own travel/medical insurance, passport costs, visas (excepting Bhutan), immunizations, excess baggage charges, telephone charges, internet, laundry, room service, snacks and anything of a purely personal nature.

Surcharge

The package rate includes Druk Air tickets on economy class and twin sharing accommodation in government approved tourist hotel. However, those of you who wish to travel in the comfort of business class or upgrade your hotel reservations to high end hotels / luxury resorts will be required to pay an additional surcharge. If you want to upgrade your hotel to luxury level please see our hotel upgrade chart below.

Additional, those who wish single rooms will have to pay a supplement of US$ 65 (high season) & US$ 50 (low season) per person per night.

For those who prefer, we have a few luxury hotels in Bhutan. Please see our hotel upgrades below. If you are taking a hotel upgrade it is also advisable to take the private tour supplement. This ensures that you will have your own private vehicle and guide. If you upgrade your hotel you will also be required to pay for your meals there. Meals with the rest of the group are included in the race package.

Luxury Resorts : Taj Tashi, AmanKora, Uma Resort

Payment procedures

Please be informed that all tourist visiting Bhutan are subject to the following payment procedure. Please be assured of confidence & security while using this payment method.

Request your bankers for an “International Bank Transfer Form” Fill the form.
Payment will be made by your bank to “Bhutan National Bank” who maintains an account in New York with a note to transfer the full amount to DragonQuest Adventures, your travel host in Bhutan.
The copy of the receipt for the bank transfer will have to be emailed to us at info@dragonquestadventure.com or faxed at +975-2-335859.

The details of the bank where you have to transfer the package fee is as follows

CITI Bank N.A : 111 Wall Street

19^th floor, New York, NY 10043

Account of : Bhutan National Bank

Account No. : 36023474

Swift Code : Citius 33

ABA No. : 0210-0008-9

Chips Routing No. : 008

Beneficiary : DragonQuest Adventures

IMPORTANT: Please do remember to send us the receipt of the Bank Transfer once it has been made.

Important Notes

Currency

Very few hotels and shops in Bhutan accept credit cards and traveler’s cheques. It is highly recommended that you bring along some money in the form of cash ( US$ preferred ) to cover incidental expenses. Most hotels have foreign exchange counters where you can convert your currencies. There are no ATM services available to visitors in the country.

Druk Air

During the monsoon season, unpredictable weather patterns can delay flights so travelers are advised to have a 24hrs halt before their onward journey.

Itinerary

As our guests are here to both explore Bhutan as much as for the marathon, we have deliberately kept our itineraries flexible. Early mornings and evenings have been set aside for guests who wish to acclimatize with walks or a run. During the day we have included some sightseeing to places of interest as we believe that your trip will not be complete without savoring the sights and sounds of the country.

A detailed itinerary will be emailed to you prior to your departure to Bhutan. In the meantime, you can check your tentative itinerary under the package you are subscribing to.

To better prepare yourself we would recommend a little reading or research on the internet on Bhutan. The BBC’s Lonely Planet guide to Bhutan is very informative and there a numerous sites on the web.