Bhutan + Nepal or India · 11 nights
Bhutan and India
Delhi and the Taj at dawn, then the quiet of the kingdom.
Overview
Old Delhi's lanes and the Taj Mahal at sunrise make a loud, extraordinary overture to Bhutan's silence. From Delhi the flight to Paro runs along the whole Himalaya, and the week that follows through Thimphu, Punakha and Paro is the classic western journey, taken slowly. Two countries that could not be more different, joined by one mountain range.
Day by day
12 days, loosely held.
Every day can bend. This is the shape we would start from.
Our India partner meets you and settles you into a hotel in the garden suburbs. An evening with no plan beyond dinner.
The Jama Masjid and the spice lanes of Chandni Chowk by rickshaw, then Humayun's Tomb, whose garden geometry led to the Taj. Lunch in a Mughal kitchen in the old city.
The express train or the expressway to Agra by late morning, then Agra Fort and the first sight of the Taj Mahal across the river from Mehtab Bagh as the light goes amber. A night within reach of the gates.
Inside the gates as they open, when the marble is pale and the gardens nearly empty. Return to Delhi for an afternoon of rest before the mountain flight.
The morning flight from Delhi follows the Himalaya east, with Everest and Kangchenjunga on the left before the descent through the Paro ridges. Your Bhutanese guide meets you at the steps, and the afternoon is kept gentle: Kyichu Lhakhang and the covered bridge below Rinpung Dzong.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum in the morning, then the river road to the capital. An evening walk through a city that, after Delhi, feels like a village.
Stay: Thimphu Boutique House · placeholder name
The Buddha Dordenma, the Memorial Chorten, the textile museum and the painting school, with Tashichho Dzong at the end of the day. Long sleeves and trousers in the dzong, and cameras rest inside the shrine rooms.
Stay: Thimphu Boutique House · placeholder name
The 108 chortens at the pass, the Himalaya on the horizon on a clear morning, and the descent to the warm rice valley. Chimi Lhakhang in the afternoon.
Stay: Punakha River Lodge · placeholder name
The dzong at the confluence, the suspension bridge and the terraces up to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. A gentle raft on the Mo Chhu, or an afternoon beside it.
Stay: Punakha River Lodge · placeholder name
Back over Dochula and down to Paro for a farmhouse lunch with an archery demonstration. An early night before the climb.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Three hours up to Taktsang through pine and prayer flags, and the silence of the monastery at the top. A hot stone bath in the evening, and the farewell dinner.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Breakfast, the airport and the guide who waits until you are through the doors.
Inclusions
What is in the price, and what is not.
Included
- Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) for every night in Bhutan, the per-person-per-night fee that funds free healthcare, education and conservation and keeps the kingdom high value, low volume. Verify against https://www.bhutan.travel before launch.
- Bhutan visa fee and visa processing, arranged by our Bhutanese partner operator. Verify against https://www.bhutan.travel before launch.
- Licensed Bhutanese guide throughout, required for all travel outside Thimphu and Paro and, in our view, the best reason to come.
- Private driver and private vehicle for the whole journey, from the airport steps to the airport steps.
- All meals in Bhutan: breakfast, lunch and dinner, from lodge dining rooms to farmhouse kitchens.
- All monument, museum and dzong entry fees.
- Accommodation as described, with upgrades available at every tier.
- Airport transfers in Paro and all transfers between valleys.
- Your dedicated Dzong House specialist, from the first message to the day you fly home.
- India: four nights' accommodation with breakfast, a licensed local guide, private vehicle, train or expressway transfer to Agra, and all monument entries.
Not included
- International flights to and from Paro (we book them for you at cost; Paro is Bhutan's only international airport).
- Travel insurance, which we require for every traveller.
- Alcoholic and soft drinks beyond water, tea and coffee at meals.
- Tips for your guide, driver and lodge staff (we will suggest a range).
- Personal items, laundry and anything of a purely personal nature.
- The Delhi to Paro flight, which we book for you at cost.
- Indian e-Visa, available online for most nationalities; verify with the Indian Bureau of Immigration before travel.
- Lunches and dinners in India.
Pricing
Per person, sharing, all-in.
Every figure below includes the Sustainable Development Fee (100 USD per adult per night) and the 40 USD visa fee. Fees verified as of 2026-10-14.
Comfort
From $4,350
per person · 11 nights · SDF included · visa fee included
Warm three-star hotels, private guide and driver, all meals. SDF and visa fee included.
Premium
From $7,800
per person · 11 nights · SDF included · visa fee included
Boutique hotels and heritage lodges, upgraded dining, private experiences. SDF and visa fee included.
Ultra luxury
From $15,800
per person · 11 nights · SDF included · visa fee included
The finest lodges in every valley, helicopter transfers where useful. SDF and visa fee included.
Prices shown in your selected currency are approximate conversions from USD. Children and Indian nationals pay a different SDF; we adjust the quote accordingly. Verify fees at https://www.bhutan.travel.
Route
Where the road goes.
Map placeholder
Paro → Thimphu → Punakha
An interactive route map (Mapbox / Google Maps) slots in here.
Stays on this journey
Where you will sleep.
Placeholder names until partner agreements are signed.
Begin
Begin the Bhutan and India.
Tell us when and who. We reply with a first sketch within two working days.