Bhutan + Nepal or India · 12 nights
Bhutan and Nepal
The Kathmandu valley, then the flight past Everest to the kingdom.
Overview
Three days among the stupas and brick courtyards of the Kathmandu valley, then one of the finest flights in the world, past Everest and Kangchenjunga to the Paro valley. In Bhutan the journey follows the classic arc through Thimphu, Punakha and Phobjikha before ending with the Tiger's Nest. The two countries share a faith and a mountain range, and nothing else.
Day by day
13 days, loosely held.
Every day can bend. This is the shape we would start from.
Our Nepal partner meets you at the airport and brings you to a quiet hotel in the old quarter. An evening walk through Durbar Square as the lamps are lit.
Morning circling the great white dome of Boudhanath with the pilgrims, then the Hindu temple complex of Pashupatinath on the Bagmati, where the evening aarti is sung to fire and drum. A different Himalayan faith, before Bhutan's.
The Newari cities of the valley, with their carved wooden windows and bronze workshops. Lunch in a courtyard in Patan and the afternoon in Bhaktapur's pottery square.
Ask for a left-hand window seat: on a clear morning the flight passes Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga at eye level before dropping into the Paro valley. Your Bhutanese guide meets you at the steps and the capital is an hour away.
Stay: Thimphu Boutique House · placeholder name
The Buddha Dordenma, the Memorial Chorten, the textile museum and Tashichho Dzong at the day's end. After Kathmandu the calm of the capital is its own experience.
Stay: Thimphu Boutique House · placeholder name
The pass of 108 chortens and the long descent to the rice valley. Chimi Lhakhang in the afternoon, and dinner beside the Mo Chhu.
Stay: Punakha River Lodge · placeholder name
The dzong at the confluence, the suspension bridge and the walk to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. An afternoon on or beside the river.
Stay: Punakha River Lodge · placeholder name
The road climbs into oak and rhododendron and out into the glacial bowl of Phobjikha, where Gangtey Goemba watches over the marsh. A night in a farmhouse with the stove lit.
Stay: Gangtey Farmhouse · placeholder name
The Gangtey nature trail at first light, when the valley is at its stillest, then the long drive west with lunch in Punakha. Arrive in Paro for the evening.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Rinpung Dzong and its covered bridge, the National Museum in the watchtower and Kyichu Lhakhang. A farmhouse lunch with an archery demonstration, and an early night before the climb.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Three hours up to Taktsang through pine and prayer flags, and the monastery at the end of it. A hot stone bath in the evening.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
A day on the high road to Chele La at 3,988 m, with Jomolhari in view and the Haa valley below, and a picnic among the prayer flags. The last evening in the Paro valley.
Stay: Paro Valley Lodge · placeholder name
Breakfast, the airport and farewells. Onward flights from Paro connect through Kathmandu, Delhi, Bangkok and Singapore.
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.
- Nepal: three nights' accommodation with breakfast, a licensed local guide, private vehicle and all entry fees in the Kathmandu valley.
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 Kathmandu to Paro flight, which we book for you at cost.
- Nepal visa, available on arrival for most nationalities; verify with the Nepal Department of Immigration before travel.
- Lunches and dinners in Nepal.
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 $4,650
per person · 12 nights · SDF included · visa fee included
Warm three-star hotels, private guide and driver, all meals. SDF and visa fee included.
Premium
From $8,300
per person · 12 nights · SDF included · visa fee included
Boutique hotels and heritage lodges, upgraded dining, private experiences. SDF and visa fee included.
Ultra luxury
From $16,900
per person · 12 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 → Phobjikha & Gangtey
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 Nepal.
Tell us when and who. We reply with a first sketch within two working days.