Bhutan is a small, landlocked nation located in the eastern Himalayas between India and China. Its landscape ranges from subtropical plains and forests in the South to subalpine forests and snowy mountains in the North. Bhutan is a predominantly Buddhist country and is known as the last stronghold of Mahayana Buddhism.

It is a government regulation that you must use a licensed Bhutanese tour operator to book your travel to Bhutan or one of their international partners

All International tourists wishing to enter Bhutan require a visa which must be pre-arranged through a license Bhutanese Tour Operator or one of their international partners. Visa clearance must be obtained through your tour operator prior to travel. For Indian passport (or VIC) holders, Bangladeshi nationals and persons from the Maldives may obtain a visa on entry.

Bhutanese currency is known as the Ngultrum. Its value is tied to the Indian Rupee which is widely accepted in the country.

As of 2012, hotels are now required to provide either WiFi service or computers to guests. Sometimes the service is free, sometimes it’s not. Note that some computers can very extremely slow, infected with a virus or just not working. Having said that, it’s likely that you’ll have access to the internet in most locations (except when trekking) but know that there will be times when it goes down in the whole country.

There are a few ATMs in Bhutan but they may or may not accept foreign credit/debit cards. We suggest you change money at the airport or in Thimphu.

Remember that most everything will be covered during your time in Bhutan – hotel, food, transportation and water. If you want soft drinks or alcohol (beer is widely available as is wine) these will be extra. The most common souvenir purchases include tapestries and thangkas (wall hangings). They CAN be expensive but range from about $20 upwards (easily into the hundreds, and even over a thousand, dollars). Prepare for this if you plan to bring home some nice souvenirs. There are plenty of inexpensive souvenirs you can pick up as well. Recommended amount in Bhutan? It just depends on your habits. We’ve seen people spend maybe a hundred or two while others spend far more than that on the tapestries. Consider doing your souvenir shopping on your return trip through Bangkok or Delhi so you won’t have to withdraw so much during the first part of the trip.